EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Numbers 14:18
18“The Lord does not quickly become angry. His faithful love for his people continues for ever. He forgives people when they turn against him and they do bad things. But if someone is guilty, he surely punishes them. And he punishes their children, their grandchildren and their grandchildren's children.”
Numbers 14:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
- New International Version (NIV)‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)'The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’
Context of Numbers 14:18
16“The Lord could not bring those people into the land that he had seriously promised to give to them. So he killed all of them in the desert.” 17But now, I pray that you will show how powerful you are. You yourself have said, “The Lord does not quickly become angry. His faithful love for his people continues for ever. He forgives people when they turn against him and they do bad things. But if someone is guilty, he surely punishes them. And he punishes their children, their grandchildren and their grandchildren's children.” 19So please forgive the very bad thing that these people have done. Do that because your faithful love is so great. You have forgiven these people since they left Egypt until now. So please be kind and forgive them again now.’ 20Then the Lord said, ‘I have forgiven them as you asked me to do.
Read all of Numbers 14Numbers 14:18 word by word
יְהוָ֗ה אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֹ֖ן וָפָ֑שַׁע וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֞ד עֲוֹ֤ן אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- longsufferingאַף'aph · face: angerH639
- longsufferingאָרֵךְ'ârêk · slowH750
- and of greatרַבrab · manyH7227
- mercyחֶ֫סֶדchêsêd · kindnessH2617
- forgivingנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: forgiveH5375
- iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
- and transgressionפֶּ֫שַׁעpesha‛ · transgressionH6588
- and by no meansנָקָהnâqâh · to clearH5352
- visitingפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: visitH6485
- of the fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- upon the childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- unto the thirdשִׁלֵּשׁshillêsh · thirdH8029
- and fourthרִבֵּעַribbêa‛ · fourthH7256
Cross-references for Numbers 14:18
- Exodus 34:6The Lord passed in front of Moses. He said in a loud voice, ‘I am the Lord! The Lord! I am kind to people and I forgive them. I do not quickly become angry. My faithful love for my people continues for ever, and I am always faithful.
- Psalms 103:8The Lord is kind to people and he forgives them. He is slow to get angry and his love always continues.
- Psalms 145:8How very kind the Lord is! He is very patient and his faithful love continues.
- Jonah 4:2He prayed to the Lord. He said, ‘Lord, this is what I thought would happen when I was still at home. So I decided to run away to Tarshish, so that you could not be kind to the people of Nineveh. I know that you are a God who is very kind and you forgive people. You do not become angry quickly. You always show your faithful love for people. Even when you have said that you will punish people, you decide that you will not do it.
- Micah 7:18No other god is like you. You chose us to be your people. And you decide not to remember what we have done wrong. Not many of your people remain and we have done bad things. But you choose to forget those bad things. You will not always be angry, because you want very much to be kind.
- Nahum 1:2God is angry with the people in Nineveh. The Lord loves his people. But he is very angry with his enemies. He is so angry with them that he must punish them. He will be angry until he has killed his enemies.
- Romans 3:24But because God is very kind, he accepts us as right with himself. That is God's gift to us. Jesus Christ has paid for our sins so that we have become free.
- Romans 5:21We see that sin ruled people's lives and brought death to them. But God's gift makes people right with him, and that is what rules their lives. People receive that gift because God is kind. As a result, they will have life with God for ever, because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.
- Ephesians 1:7When Christ died as a sacrifice on the cross, he paid the price to make us free. Because of Christ's death on our behalf, God has forgiven our sins. God is so very kind that he has done all this for us!
- Exodus 20:5You must not bend down your head to any idol or worship it. I am the Lord your God and I want you to belong to me alone. I will punish children because of the bad things that their fathers have done. I will also punish their children and their grandchildren too. That is how I will punish everyone who turns against me.
- Exodus 34:7I faithfully love thousands of people. I forgive their sins when they turn against me. But if people are guilty, I surely punish them. I punish their children, their grandchildren and their grandchildren's children.’
- Jeremiah 23:2So the Lord, Israel's God, says to the leaders who rule over his people, ‘You have not taken care of my people. You have chased them away to other places. So now I will come and punish you, because of the evil things that you have done. I, the Lord, tell you that!
Commentaries on Numbers 14:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18The Lord is longsuffering - See the note on Exodus 34:6.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-19Verses 11-19 Moses made humble intercession for Israel. Herein he was a type of Christ, who prayed for those that despitefully used him. The pardon of a nation's sin, is the turning away the nation's punishment; and for that Moses is here so earnest. Moses argued that, consistently with God's character, in his abundant mercies, he could forgive them.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18Moses had used this argument before when he asked for forgiveness for Israel's rebellion (Exodus 32:10–14). Moses knew God would still punish the Israelites (Deuteronomy 7:9–10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-451. all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried--Not literally all, for there were some exceptions.Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 14:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 14
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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