Numbers 14:3
New International Version
Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

New Living Translation
“Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

English Standard Version
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

Berean Standard Bible
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

King James Bible
And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

New King James Version
Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

New American Standard Bible
So why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

NASB 1995
“Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

NASB 1977
“And why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And why is Yahweh bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

Amplified Bible
Why is the LORD bringing us to this land [of Canaan], to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

Christian Standard Bible
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

American Standard Version
And wherefore doth Jehovah bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Why does LORD JEHOVAH bring us into this land that we shall fall by a sword, and our women and our little ones shall be prey? It was better for us when we were dwelling in Egypt!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Would we had died in the land of Egypt! or in this wilderness, would we had died! and why does the Lord bring us into this land to fall in war? our wives and our children shall be for a prey: now then it is better to return into Egypt.

Contemporary English Version
Is the LORD leading us into Canaan, just to have us killed and our women and children captured? We'd be better off in Egypt."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Would God that we had died in Egypt and would God we may die in this vast wilderness, and that the Lord may not bring us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives and children be led away captives. Is it not better to return into Egypt?

English Revised Version
And wherefore doth the LORD bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones shall be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why is the LORD bringing us to this land-just to have us die in battle? Our wives and children will be taken as prisoners of war! Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"

Good News Translation
Why is the LORD taking us into that land? We will be killed in battle, and our wives and children will be captured. Wouldn't it be better to go back to Egypt?"

International Standard Version
What's the point in the LORD bringing us to this land? To die by the sword so our wives and children would become war victims? Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And wherefore doth the LORD bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey; were it not better for us to return into Egypt?'

Literal Standard Version
And why is YHWH bringing us to this land to fall by the sword, [that] our wives and our infants become a prey? Is it not good for us to return to Egypt?”

Majority Standard Bible
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

New American Bible
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land only to have us fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be taken as spoil. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

NET Bible
Why has the LORD brought us into this land only to be killed by the sword, that our wives and our children should become plunder? Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"

New Revised Standard Version
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become booty; would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

New Heart English Bible
Why does the LORD bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: wouldn't it be better for us to return into Egypt?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And why hath the LORD brought us to this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

World English Bible
Why does Yahweh bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be captured or killed! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return into Egypt?”

Young's Literal Translation
and why is Jehovah bringing us in unto this land to fall by the sword? our wives and our infants are become a prey; is it not good for us to turn back to Egypt?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The People Rebel
2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”…

Cross References
Acts 7:39
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

Exodus 5:21
"May the LORD look upon you and judge you," the foremen said, "for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!"

Exodus 16:3
"If only we had died by the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt!" they said. "There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!"

Numbers 14:31
But I will bring your children, whom you said would become plunder, into the land you have rejected--and they will enjoy it.

Numbers 16:13
Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us?

Numbers 20:3
The people quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD!

Numbers 21:5
and spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!"


Treasury of Scripture

And why has the LORD brought us to this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

the Lord

Psalm 78:40
How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

Jeremiah 9:3
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

our wives

Numbers 14:31,32
But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised…

Jump to Previous
Better Children Death Egypt Prey Strange Sword Wherefore Wives Wouldn't
Jump to Next
Better Children Death Egypt Prey Strange Sword Wherefore Wives Wouldn't
Numbers 14
1. The people murmur at the news
6. Joshua and Caleb labor to still them
11. God threatens them
13. Moses intercedes with God, and obtains pardon
26. The Murmurers are debarred from entering into the land
36. The men who raised the evil report die by a plague
40. The people that would invade the land against the will of God are smitten














(3) And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land . . .?--Better, And wherefore doth the Lord bring us into this land?--i.e., the land of Canaan, as clearly appears from the words which follow (comp. Numbers 15:18, where the same Hiphil participle is used). The destruction which the Israelites apprehended at this time was not a destruction by famine or drought, but by the sword of the Amorites and of the children of the Anakim. (Comp. Deuteronomy 1:27-28.)

That our wives and our children should be a prey--i.e., should fall into the hands of the enemy after their entrance into the land of Canaan. (Comp. Exodus 15:14-17.) It is possible, however, that the land through which the Israelites were passing may be included here and in Numbers 14:14.

Verse 3. - Wherefore hath the Lord brought us. Rather, "wherefore doth the Lord bring us." מֵבִיא. Septuagint, εἰσάγει. They were not actually in the land yet, but only on the threshold.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
וְלָמָ֣ה (wə·lā·māh)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is the LORD
יְ֠הוָה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

bringing
מֵבִ֨יא (mê·ḇî)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

us into
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

this
הַזֹּאת֙ (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

land
הָאָ֤רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

to fall
לִנְפֹּ֣ל (lin·pōl)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

by the sword?
בַּחֶ֔רֶב (ba·ḥe·reḇ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword

Our wives
נָשֵׁ֥ינוּ (nā·šê·nū)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

and children
וְטַפֵּ֖נוּ (wə·ṭap·pê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 2945: A family

will become
יִהְי֣וּ (yih·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

plunder.
לָבַ֑ז (lā·ḇaz)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 957: Spoiling, robbery, spoil, booty

Would it not
הֲל֧וֹא (hă·lō·w)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

be better
ט֦וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

for us to go back
שׁ֥וּב (šūḇ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to Egypt?”
מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ (miṣ·rā·yə·māh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa


Links
Numbers 14:3 NIV
Numbers 14:3 NLT
Numbers 14:3 ESV
Numbers 14:3 NASB
Numbers 14:3 KJV

Numbers 14:3 BibleApps.com
Numbers 14:3 Biblia Paralela
Numbers 14:3 Chinese Bible
Numbers 14:3 French Bible
Numbers 14:3 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Numbers 14:3 Why does Yahweh bring us to this (Nu Num.)
Numbers 14:2
Top of Page
Top of Page