Numbers 14:17

(17, 18) And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great.—The word Lord in Num_14:17 should not be printed in large capitals in this place, as in the Authorised Version of 1611, inasmuch as it is the rendering of Adonai, not of Jehovah, as in Num_14:18. Moses here employs a second argument, founded on the revelation of God’s name (i.e., His nature), as made to him on Mount Sinai (Exo_34:6-7), the substance of which he here recites in the same terms.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Num 14:17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

Ver. 17. Let the power of my Lord be great.] In multiplying pardons, {Isa 55:8} in passing by the many and bony, or "mighty sins of" {a} this people, such sins as none else could or would pardon: "For who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth such iniquity?" &c. {Mic 7:18} Hebricians have observed, that in the word jidgal here used in the original text, there is a great jod, which in numbering is ten, to show, that if the people should murmur ten times more against God than they had done, yet out of tender respect to his own great name, which would otherwise be basely blasphemed, he should pardon and spare them. {Hebrew Text Note}

{a} Amo 5:12. Heb., Bony sins, fortia peccata.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14:17-18 Moses had used this same argument earlier when he sought pardon for Israel’s rebellion (Exod 32:10-14). Moses knew that God would not let the Israelites off without punishment (Deut 7:9-10).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

let the power of my Lord be great--be magnified.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

17. let the power of my Lord be great] The title Adonai is employed, not (as in Num_14:16; Num_14:18) the personal name Jehovah.

according as thou hast spoken] i.e. in Exo_34:6-7, which is here slightly abbreviated. Moses means that the divine power can shew itself in Jehovah’s ability to pardon and punish according to His supreme will.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And now, I beseech thee, let the power of Lord be great,.... That is, appear to be great; the power of God is great, not only mighty, but almighty; it knows no bounds, nothing is impossible with him, he can do whatever he pleases, Psa 147:5; his power, and the greatness of it, had been seen in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt, and through the Red sea, and in providing for them, protecting and defending them in the wilderness; and the request of Moses is, that it might appear greater and greater in bringing them into the land of promise; or else he means an exceeding great display of the grace and mercy of God in the forgiveness of the sins of the people; for as the power of God is seen in his forbearance and longsuffering with the wicked, Rom 9:22; much more in the forgiveness of the sins of men, there being more power and virtue in grace to pardon, than there is in sin to damn; and as it is an indication of strength in men, and of their power over themselves, when they can rule their own spirits, keep under their passions, and restrain their wrath, and show a forgiving temper, Pro 16:32; so it is an instance of the power of God to overcome his wrath and anger stirred up by the sins of men; and, notwithstanding their provocations, freely to forgive: pardon of sin is an act of power, as well as of grace and mercy, see Mat 9:6; and this sense agrees with what follows. The first letter in the word for "great" is larger than usual, that it might be taken notice of; and to signify the exceeding greatness of the power of God, Moses desired might be displayed in this case: and the letter numerically signifies ten, and has been thought to respect the ten times that Israel tempted the Lord, Num 14:22; and to suggest, that though they had so done, yet the grace and mercy of God should ten times exceed the ingratitude of the people (u):

according as thou hast spoken, saying; as in Exo 34:6; and is as follows.

(u) Baal Hatturim in loc. & Buxtorf. Tiberias, c. 14. p. 38.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Lord, in overcoming all difficulties, raised either by the enemy, or by thy rebellious people.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Be great, i.e. appear to be great, discover its greatness; a real verb put for a declarative, or the thing for the manifestation of the thing. And this may be understood either,

1. Of God’s power in preserving the people, and carrying them on into Canaan, which sense may seem to be favoured by the foregoing verse, where the Egyptians deny that God had power to do so. And according to that sense he adds the following words, not as an explication of this power, but as an argument to move him to show forth his power for his people notwithstanding their sins, according as, or rather because, (as the Hebrew word is oft rendered,) he had spoken, saying, &c., and so he should maintain the honour and the truth of his own name, or of those titles which he had ascribed to himself. Or,

2. The power of his grace and mercy, or the greatness of his mercy, as he calls it, Num 14:19, in pardoning of this and their other sins; for to this the following words manifestly restrain it,

according as thou hast spoken, & c., where the pardon of their sins is the only instance of this power both described in God’s titles, Num 14:18, and prayed for by Moses, Num 14:19, pardon, I beseech thee, &c., and granted by God in answer to him, Num 14:20, I have pardoned, &c. Nor is it strange that the pardon of sin, especially of such great sins, be spoken of as an act of power in God, because undoubtedly it is an act of omnipotent and infinite goodness; whence despairing sinners sometimes cry out that their sins are greater than God can pardon, as some translate Cain’s words, Gen 4:13. And since power is applied to God’s wrath in punishing sin, Rom 9:22, why may it not as well be attributed to God’s mercy in forgiving it? especially if it be considered that even in men revenge is an act of impotency, and consequently it must needs be an act of power to conquer their passions and inclinations to revenge, and to pardon those enemies whom they could destroy.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great. Here the argument of Moses rises to a higher level; he ventures to put God in mind of what he had himself declared to Moses in the fullest revelation which he had ever made of his own unchangeable character, viz., that of all Divine prerogatives, the most Divine was that of forgiving sins and showing mercy. According as thou hast spoken. See on Exo_34:6, Exo_34:7. The words are not quoted exactly as there given, but are substantially the same.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Be great - That is appear to be great, discover its greatness: namely, the power of his grace and mercy, or the greatness of his mercy, in pardoning this and their other sins: for to this the following words manifestly restrain it, where the pardon of their sins is the only instance of this power both described in God's titles, ver. 18, and prayed for by Moses ver. 19, and granted by God in answer to him, xiv, 20. Nor is it strange that the pardon of sin, especially such great sins, is spoken of as an act of power in God, because undoubtedly it is an act of omnipotent and infinite goodness.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

abundant in covenant faithfulness

The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be stated as "faithful" or "faithfully." AT: "always faithful to his covenant" or "always faithfully loves his people" (See: Abstract Nouns)

He will by no means clear the guilty

"he will certainly not clear guilty people." Clearing away people's sin is a metaphor for refusing to punish them. God would not clear away the sin of guilty people. AT: "He will always punish the guilty" (See: Metaphor)

when he brings the punishment of the ancestors' sin on their descendants

Punishing people is spoken of as if punishment were an object that could be brought and put on people. AT: "when he punishes the guilty people's descendants for the guilty people's sins" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

beg

power

Yahweh

anger

covenant faithfulness

forgive

iniquity

transgress

guilt

punish

sin

descend

generation

forgive

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

('יגדל נא כח ה — LET THE STRENGTH OF MY LORD BE GREAT — by fulfilling Your statement.)

כאשר דברת לאמר ACCORDING AS THOU HAST SPOKEN, SAYING — And what is the utterance which Thou hast spoken?

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND NOW, I PRAY THEE, LET THE POWER OF THE ETERNAL BE GREAT, ACCORDING AS THOU HAST SPOKEN, SAYING. “And what is that utterance? The Eternal is long-suffering — both to the righteous and to the wicked. When Moses ascended to heaven [to receive the Torah], he found the Holy One, blessed be He, writing: The Eternal is long-suffering. Whereupon he [Moses] said to Him: ‘To the righteous.’ But G-d answered him, ‘Also to the wicked!’ Moses then said, ‘The wicked — let them perish!’ Whereupon G-d said to him: ‘By your life! You will [eventually] need to resort to this’ [attribute — that G-d is long-suffering even with sinners]. When the Israelites had sinned because of the golden calf and spies, and Moses prayed to G-d that He be long-suffering with them, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘Did you not tell Me that this is [only] for the righteous!’ Whereupon Moses answered Him, ‘But did You not tell me that it is also for the wicked. Let then the power of the Eternal be great to do as You have spoken.’” These are the words of Rashi, based on the interpretation of Agadah. The way of Truth you will recognize because G-d’s Name in this context is written with Aleph Daleth (A-donoy) — [a Name which alludes to the attribute of judgment], and Moses meant to say that the greatness be in the power which is mercy, since it was the attribute of judgment that was directed against them.Now Moses mentioned among the [Divine] attributes long-suffering, and plenteous in loving kindness, but he did not mention “truth” [although it is also one of the Thirteen Attributes], for according to the attribute of truth they would have been guilty. Nor did Moses mention keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, Verse 7. because Moses did not pray [for mercy] here on the basis of the merit of the patriarchs, and [therefore] he did not mention Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at all in this prayer. The reason [for not mentioning them] was because the Land was given to the patriarchs, and it is from them that they were to inherit it, but they rebelled against their ancestors, and did not want the gift which the patriarchs desired very much, so how could he say now, [Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants,] to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, … and all this Land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, 32:13. since they were saying: “We do not want this gift!”Moses [mentioned here the attribute of forgiving iniquity and transgression but he] did not say and sin, as well as iniquity and transgression. See the verse in Exodus 34:7, where all three are mentioned: forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. The question then arises: Why did not Moses mention here sin? because these people were wilful transgressors and sinners. But I do not know why he did not mention [the attributes] merciful and gracious. Perhaps Moses knew that judgment was directed against them and He would never forgive them; therefore he prayed only that [G-d be] long-suffering, and should not destroy them as one man, and should not slay them like sheep in the wilderness where they would die in a plague. And since Moses only prayed now for [G-d to be] long-suffering, G-d said to him, I have pardoned according to thy word, meaning that “I will be long-suffering towards them and great in loving kindness.” He [Moses] mentioned visiting the iniquity of the fathers, meaning to say that [even] if He should see fit not to erase their iniquity, He should [at least] visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children, [thereby mitigating the severity of the punishment from upon one generation], and he should be long-suffering with them in meting out punishment upon them. It was because of this [prayer of Moses] that there was a [Divine] decree to fix a weeping for them on that night throughout their generations, since He visited their sins upon their seed.And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that “since we find the verse, Surely they shall not see the Land after G-d said, I have pardoned according to thy word, we know that the expression ‘s’lach na’ (pardon, I pray Thee) (Verse 20), He yet continues to state, Surely they shall not see the Land (Verse 23), it follows that Moses’ request, Pardon, I pray Thee (Verse 19) must mean only that G-d be long-suffering to them, but not that they be totally forgiven. Such is the interpretation of Ibn Ezra. Ramban will suggest another explanation of Moses’ request. [is a prayer that G-d be] long-suffering to them [but not that they be totally forgiven]. The same meaning also applies to ‘v’nislach lo’ (and he shall be pardoned), means that G-d will be patient and will not punish him until he has had a chance to repent. which implies [that G-d will be long-suffering with him] until he repents sincerely.”The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the term s’lichah means remittance of punishment, as Onkelos rendered it: [s’lach na — “Let go please”]. And the offerings [which one brings for a sin committed in error] remove the punishment for the error from him [the person who brings the offering]. (ibid.) stated in connection with bringing a sin-offering means that “his punishment will be remitted.” So also, For Thou, Eternal, art good ‘v’salach’ indicates that the term s’lichah does not merely mean being long-suffering and patient [as Ibn Ezra has it] but expresses a complete remittance of punishment. [means “and are ready to remit punishment”]. And G-d said, ‘salachti’ according to thy word meaning [that He has remitted punishment] from the people as a whole, and will not smite them with a pestilence and destroy them, and make of Moses a nation greater and mightier than they while they and their seed will perish from the earth; instead, He will pardon them — so that their children [at least] will inherit the Land, and they [themselves] will not die in a plague, for He decreed that their carcasses perish in the wilderness and that each will die when his day comes.Now in the Book of Deuteronomy in mentioning the sin of the golden calf Moses recalled the prayer which he had prayed on their behalf, saying, And I fell down before the Eternal, as at the first etc. and he explained there what the prayer was, And I prayed unto the Eternal, and said etc., Verse 26. and he also mentioned his prayer on behalf of Aaron. But in [recounting] the affair of the spies he did not mention at all that he had interceded on their behalf. All this is for the reason that I have mentioned, namely, that he did not pray that G-d should forgive them [completely], but rather that He should remit their punishment and be long-suffering with them, and should visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. Thus his prayer on their behalf was not a complete one [inasmuch as he was not able to intercede for total forgiveness], and therefore [when speaking to the second generation in the Book of Deuteronomy] he did not mention it to them, since they might have complained against him [for not praying for total forgiveness, without realizing that he could not do so because of the greatness of their parents’ sin].

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.