Numbers 14:21

Num 14:21 But [as] truly [as] I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

Ver. 21. But as truly as I live.] This is an oath, as appears by comparing herewith Psa 95:11. To blame therefore are they that use it so often.

All the earth shall be filled.] I will make me a great name abroad; and even of those maidservants, the heathens, which thou hast spoken of, shall I be had in honour, as he said in another case. {2Sa 6:22}

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.

all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord--This promise, in its full acceptation, remains to be verified by the eventual and universal prevalence of Christianity in the world. But the terms were used restrictively in respect to the occasion, to the report which would spread over all the land of the "terrible things in righteousness" [Psa 65:5] which God would do in the infliction of the doom described, to which that rebellious race was now consigned.

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

Verse 21. All the earth shall be filled, c.] כל הארץ kol haarets, all THIS land, i. e., the land of Canaan which was only fulfilled to the letter when the preaching of Christ and his apostles was heard through all the cities and villages of Judea. It does not appear that the whole of the terraqueous globe is meant by this expression in any of the places where it occurs connected with this promise of the diffusion of the Divine light. See Ps 72:19; Isa 40:5; Hab 2:14.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

21. and as all the earth &c.] A second oath to strengthen the following statement. Psa_72:19 perhaps contains a direct reference to the words.

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.

Because all those men which have seen my glory,.... His glorious Majesty, or the emblem of it in the cloud, on the tabernacle, which had often appeared to them, and the glorious things done by him; the glory of his power, wisdom, goodness, faithfulness, and truth, displayed in bringing them out of Egypt, through the Red sea, and thus far in the wilderness, even to the borders of the land of Canaan; it should be rendered, not "because", but "that", for this is the thing sworn to, or the matter of the oath:

and my miracles which I did in Egypt; by the hand of Moses, both before them, when he was sent to them, as a proof of his divine mission, and before Pharaoh and all his court, Exo 7:10, inflicting plagues upon him and his people, Exo 7:20,

and in the wilderness; in raining manna from heaven about their tents, Exo 16:14; sending them quails, Exo 16:13; and giving them water out of the rock, Exo 17:6,

and have tempted me now these ten times; which the Jews understand precisely and exactly of such a number, and which they reckon thus (w); twice at the sea, Exo 14:11; twice concerning water, Exo 15:23; twice about manna, Exo 16:2; twice about quails, Exo 16:12; once by the calf, Exo 32:1; and once in the wilderness of Paran, Num 14:1, which last and tenth was the present temptation: these are reckoned a little otherwise elsewhere (x); but perhaps it may be better, with Aben Ezra, to interpret it of many times, a certain number being put for an uncertain, they having frequently tempted the Lord:

and have not hearkened to my voice; neither to his word of promise, nor to his word of command, and particularly his late order to go up and possess the land, Deu 1:21.

(w) T. Bab. Eracin, fol. 15. 1. Bartenora in Pirke Abot, c. 5. sect. 4. Jarchi in loc. (x) Maimon. in Pirke Abot, c. 5. sect. 4.

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

Render: But as truly as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord; Num 14:22 all those men, etc.; Num 14:23 shall not see, etc.

Num 14:22

These ten times - Ten is the number which imports completeness. Compare Gen 31:7. The sense is that the measure of their provocation was now full: the day of grace was at last over. However, some enumerate 10 different occasions on which the people had tempted God since the exodus.

Ps. 90, which is entitled “a Prayer of Moses,” has been most appropriately regarded as a kind of dirge upon those sentenced thus awfully by God to waste away in the wilderness.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Lord. I will surely punish the guilty; and all the earth shall know that their own crimes, and not my imbecility, prevented their taking possession of Chanaan. My glory shall shine both in my long-suffering, and in the effects of my justice. Let me pass for a dead god, like the idols, if I do not perform what I say.

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).

i.e. With the report of the glorious and righteous acts of God in punishing this rebellious people in manner following. That this is the true sense, appears both from the particle of opposition, and the solemn introduction of them.

But truly as I live, and from the following verses, because all these men, &c, which come in without any note of opposition, and have a manifest relation to and connexion with this verse.

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

21-23. All the earth shall be filled — In the version of King James these verses are incorrectly translated and punctuated. Better thus: “Nevertheless, as truly as I live, and the glory of Jehovah will fill the whole earth, all the men who have seen my glory and my miracles… shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers,” etc. See the R.V. The verb “will fill” is the Hebrew for the present tense continuing in the future, (see Num_14:20, note,) and its clause is grammatically an apposition to “as I live.” Jehovah proves his being by his works; his living, by his glory now and forever filling the whole earth.

Have tempted me — By doubting his help and by clamouring for additional proofs that his word is true, men are said to tempt or try God. Again, it is evident that unbelief is the damning sin. Num_14:11, note.

Ten times — Gen_31:7, note. Ten symbolizes completeness and full measure. The rabbins thus reckon up the actual ten: (1.) The murmuring at the Red Sea, Exo_14:11-12. (2.) At Marah, Exo_15:24. (3.) In the wilderness of Sin, Exo_16:2. (4.) At Rephidim, Exo_17:2. (5.) The idolatry at Horeb, Exodus 32. (6.) Complaining at Taberah, Num_11:1. (7.) At the graves of lust, Num_11:4. (8.) Here at Kadesh. (9 and 10.) The disobedience of certain individuals in respect to the manna, Exo_16:20; Exo_16:27.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Rather, "as truly as I live, and the glory of the Lord shall fill all the earth." Both clauses are dependent on and the second is but the necessary correlative of the first.

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

With the glory of the Lord - With the report of the glorious and righteous acts of God in punishing this rebellious people.

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

ואולם BUT, means, (I will not slay them), but this will I do unto them (what is mentioned in v. 22 ff.).

חי אני AS TRULY AS I LIVE — This is the formula of an oath: Just as it is true that I live and that all the earth is filled with My glory, so, indeed, will I fulfil regarding them My threat “that all the men who have seen etc.”. [אם יראו את הארץ — This verse is out of order: Its connection with what precedes it is as follows: As truly as I live, I swear that all the men who have seen My glory etc. shall not see the Land, “and yet My Glory shall fill the earth”, since My Name will not become profaned through this plague which I proposed to bring upon them by people stating: “Because the Lord is unable to bring them into the Land etc.” since I shall not then be killing them suddenly, as one man (v. 15), but during a prolonged period of forty years — little by little].

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.

AS I LIVE. “This is an expression of an oath. AND ALL THE EARTH SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF THE ETERNAL. 23. IF THEY SHALL SEE THE LAND. This is an inverted verse [and the sense of it is as follows:] As I live, says the Eternal, [I swear] that all those [that have seen My Glory … and did not listen to My voice — Verse 22], if they shall see the Land [Verse 23], and My Glory shall fill [all] the earth [Verse 21], so that My Name will not become profaned through this plague, [by the nations] saying: Because the Eternal was not able to bring them [into the Land], since I shall not kill them suddenly as one man, but over a delayed period of forty years, little by little.” This is Rashi’s language. But it is not correct at all. ] after Verse 23, since this second part of Verse 21 is not part of the oath of the Eternal. Ramban, however, does interpret it as part of the oath, which [as he continues to explain], starts at the beginning of Verse 21, and hence there is no need to rearrange the second half of that verse and to place it after Verse 23. See also Note 147. Rather, these verses omit the oath [itself] out of respect to Him Who is on high, [and the meaning thereof is as follows]: “As I live and all the earth shall be filled with My Glory — if all these men who have tested Me shall see the Land, this matter shall not be so!” Similarly, As I live, saith the Eternal … If ye come into the Land omits the [Divine] oath [meaning: “If they shall come into the Land, it shall not be so!”] Similarly we find verses speaking of a human being which shorten the oath: G-d do so unto me and more also, where Scripture did not want to set forth the imprecation. G-d do so unto the enemies of David, and more also — here the verse omits the blessing. Similarly we find that Caleb said to Joshua, Thou knowest the thing that the Eternal spoke unto Moses the man of G-d concerning me and thee, and it is written there, And Moses swore on that day, saying: Surely the land whereon thy foot hath trodden shall be an inheritance to thee and to thy children forever, because thou hast wholly followed the Eternal my G-d., Verse 9. This refers to that which is written here, But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the Land wherein he went, and his seed shall possess it. And Caleb [in the Book of Joshua, quoted above] mentioned an oath [and Moses ‘swore’] in connection with this promise, because it is all joined to the verse, But in very deed as I live, which is an oath, as I have explained [above]. Caleb said, and Moses swore, Verse 9. because Moses mentioned the oath.. And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], But in very deed as I live — and all the earth shall be filled with the Glory of the Eternal constitutes a promise to Moses about forgiveness, the verse stating that all the earth shall be filled with His Glory through the seed of these people, but not through them [the generation of the exodus].

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.