Numbers 14:23

14:23-25 Having turned their backs on the Promised Land, the Israelites were now ordered to march the other way. • The Red Sea could refer to bodies of water on either side of the Sinai Peninsula (the Gulf of Aqaba or the Gulf of Suez).

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

But my servant Caleb,.... Who was one of the spies, and brought a good and true report of the land; and so in that, as well as in other things, approved himself to be a faithful servant of the Lord, and who had stilled the people at the beginning of their murmur, and with Joshua had attempted to quiet them afterwards; and though Joshua is not here mentioned, because, as some say, he had no children, and therefore it could not be said of him that his seed should possess the land, as is said of Caleb; or rather, because he was to be the general and commander of the people, who was to introduce them into the land of Canaan, and therefore there was no necessity of expressing him by name, yet he is afterwards mentioned, Num 14:30,

because he had another spirit with him; different from that of the rest of the spies, excepting Joshua; a spirit of faith, and of the fear of the Lord, of might and courage, of truth and faithfulness; believing in the promise of God, which the spies distrusted, being persuaded the land might easily be conquered, which they feared; and bringing a true report of the land, the reverse of the ill and false one they brought. For this is to be understood not of the Holy Spirit of God, nor of his work upon the hearts of good men, which is different from the spirit of the world, though Caleb was possessed of that also:

and hath followed me fully; with full purpose of heart whithersoever he led him, or directed him, in every path of duty, and in the exercise of every grace; or "hath fulfilled after me" (y); obeyed his word of command, fulfilled his mind and will, by going after him, and acting according to the rules and directions he gave him:

him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; the land of Canaan he went into to spy and search:

and his seed shall possess it; not the whole land, but Hebron, and the parts about it, where he particularly went, and which he and his posterity afterwards enjoyed, see Num 13:22. The Targum of Onkelos is, "shall expel it"; the inhabitants of it; for the word signifies both to inherit and disinherit; and so Jarchi interprets it, shall disinherit the Anakim, and the people that are in it, that is, drive them out of it, as Caleb did, Jos 15:13.

(y) "et implevit post me", Montanus, Tigurine version, Fagius, Drusius.

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

It. None of those who murmured ever entered the land of promise. Origen (hom. 27,) believes that the Levites behaved with fidelity, and were not comprised in the punishment. In effect, Eleazar certainly entered Chanaan, Josue xiv. 1. Salmon also, who espoused Rahab, had seen the wonders of God, but had not joined with the rest; so that, when it is said (ver. 2,) that all murmured, we must explain it by St. Jerome’s rule, of the greatest part; as, no doubt, many would abhor the conduct of the seditious. (Calmet) --- Omnia non ad totum referenda esse sed ad partem maximam. (St. Jerome, ep. 146. ad Dam.)

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).

Surely they shall not see. WarYA "if they shall see," according to the usual Hebrew idiom. Cf. Psa_107:11 (Septuagint), Heb_4:3, wv wmosa ... ei eiseleusontai .

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

Surely

Kadesh-barnea is, by the unbelief of Israel there, and the divine comment on that unbelief Num 14:22-38; Deu 1:19-40; 1Co 10:1-5; Heb 3:12-19 invested with immense spiritual significance. The people had faith to sprinkle the blood of atonement Exo 12:28 and to come out of Egypt (the world), but had not faith to enter their Canaan rest. Therefore, though redeemed, they were a forty years’ grief to Jehovah. The spiritual application is made in Heb 6:3-11:

(See Scofield "Heb 6:4").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

Yahweh continues speaking to Moses.

because he had another spirit

Here "spirit" represents his attitude. Caleb was willing to obey God. What his attitude was can be stated clearly. AT: "because he had a different attitude" or "because he was willing to obey God" (See: Metonymy and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

oath

servant

Caleb

spirit

possess

Amalek

Canaan

turn

desert

Sea of Reeds

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

אם יראו means THAT THEY SHALL NOT SEE.

לא יראוה THEY SHALL NOT SEE IT — i. e. they shall not see the land.

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.

NEITHER SHALL ANY OF THEM THAT PROVOKED ME SEE IT. This means “for none of them that provoked Me shall see it.” etc., the question arises why the same fact is repeated at the end of the same verse? Ramban answers that the second half is an explanation of the first half. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “any that provoked Me of their children,” but this [explanation] makes no sense. Perhaps this expression [neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it] alludes to the generations who were to be exiled from the Land [at the time of the destruction of the First Temple], as our Rabbis have said, and it is here that He fixed that night [of the ninth of Ab] as one of weeping throughout their generations, for [on that night] He will remember their first punishment.

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.