Numbers 10:31

Numbers 10:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.
• New International Version (NIV)But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he said, "Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Moses said, “Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.

Context of Numbers 10:31

29Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are going to the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will be good to you, for the Lord has promised good [things] concerning Israel.” 30But Hobab [Moses’ brother-in-law] said to him, “I will not go; I will return to my own land and to my family.” Then Moses said, “Please do not leave us, for you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us [as we make our trek through the desert]. 32So if you will go with us, it shall be that whatever good the Lord does for us, we will do the same for you.” 33So they set out from the mountain of the Lord (Sinai) three days’ journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went in front of them during the three days’ journey to seek out a resting place for them.

Numbers 10:31 word by word

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אַל־נָ֖א תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֑נוּ כִּ֣י׀ עַל־כֵּ֣ן יָדַ֗עְתָּ חֲנֹתֵ֙נוּ֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וְהָיִ֥יתָ לָּ֖נוּ לְעֵינָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Leaveעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
• us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowestיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest[כִּי עַל] כֵּןkên · sinceH3651
• how we are to encampחָנָהchânâh · to campH2583
• in the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• and thou mayest be to us instead of eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869

Cross-references for Numbers 10:31

• Numbers 13:1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
• Numbers 20:1Then the Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month [in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt]. And the people lived in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there.
• Numbers 31:1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
• Numbers 32:1Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had very large herds of cattle, and they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead [on the east side of the Jordan River], and indeed, the place was suitable for raising livestock.
• Job 29:15I was eyes to the blind And I was feet to the lame.
• Psalms 32:8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.
• 1 Corinthians 12:14For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs].
• Galatians 6:2Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].

Commentaries on Numbers 10:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Thou mayest be to us instead of eyes - But what need had they of Hobab, when they had the pillar and fire continually to point out their way? Answer: The cloud directed their general journeys, but not their particular excursions. Parties took several journeys while the grand army lay still. (See Numbers 13, 20, 31, 32, etc). They therefore needed such a person as Hobab, who was well acquainted with the desert, to direct these particular excursions; to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31Thou mayest be to us instead of eyes - A proverbial expression still in use in the East. Hobab would indicate the spots where water, fuel, and pasture might be found, or warn them of the dangers from hurricanes, and point out localities infested by robbers.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-32Verses 29-32 Moses invites his kindred to go to Canaan. Those that are bound for the heavenly Canaan, should ask and encourage their friends to go with them: we shall have none the less of the joys of heaven, for others coming to share with us. It is good having fellowship with those who have fellowship with God. But the things of this world, which are seen, draw strongly from the pursuit of the things of the other world, which are not seen. Moses urges…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 29-32After the journey toward Paran began, Moses asked his brother-in-law, Hobab, to guide the Israelites (literally and you will serve for us for eyes) (compare Judges 4:11). In this way, Hobab would share in their promised blessings. As a Midianite shepherd, Hobab knew the routes and possible sources of food and water in the Sinai Peninsula. Reuel the Midianite: See “Jethro (Reuel)” Profile. my own land and my own people: Midian was probably in northwestern…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3131. Leave us not, I pray thee ... and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes--The earnest importunity of Moses to secure the attendance of this man, when he enjoyed the benefit of the directing cloud, has surprised many. But it should be recollected that the guidance of the cloud, though it showed the general route to be taken through the trackless desert, would not be so special and minute as to point out the places where pasture, shade, and water were to…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 10:31

• Israel

In the dictionaries

• Concerning
• Depart
• Exodus
• Ordinance
• Set
• Sinai
• Agrapha
• Apocrypha
• Chronicles, Books of
• Exodus, the Book of

Commentaries on Numbers 10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings