Numbers 14:28
New International Version
So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say:

New Living Translation
Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.

English Standard Version
Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:

Berean Standard Bible
So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.

King James Bible
Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

New King James Version
Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:

New American Standard Bible
Say to them, ‘As I live,’ declares the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you;

NASB 1995
“Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;

NASB 1977
“Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;

Legacy Standard Bible
Say to them, ‘As I live,’ declares Yahweh, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;

Amplified Bible
Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just what you have spoken in My hearing I will most certainly do to you;

Christian Standard Bible
Tell them: As I live—this is the LORD’s declaration—I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Tell them: As surely as I live,” this is the LORD’s declaration, “I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.

American Standard Version
Say unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

English Revised Version
Say unto them, As I live, saith the LORD, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So tell them, 'As I live, declares the LORD, I solemnly swear I will do everything to you that you said I would do.

Good News Translation
Now give them this answer: 'I swear that as surely as I live, I will do to you just what you have asked. I, the LORD, have spoken.

International Standard Version
So tell them that as long as I live—consider this to be an oracle from the LORD—as certainly as you've spoken right into my ears, that's how I'm going to treat you.

Majority Standard Bible
So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.

NET Bible
Say to them, 'As I live, says the LORD, I will surely do to you just what you have spoken in my hearing.

New Heart English Bible
Tell them, 'As I live, says the LORD, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:

Webster's Bible Translation
Say to them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:

World English Bible
Tell them, ‘As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
say to them: As I live—a declaration of YHWH—if, as you have spoken in My ears, do I not do so to you?

Young's Literal Translation
say unto them, I live -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- if, as ye have spoken in Mine ears -- so I do not to you;

Smith's Literal Translation
Say to them, I live, says Jehovah, if not as ye spake in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Say therefore to them: As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, say to them: As I live, says the Lord, as you spoke in my hearing, so will I do to you.

New American Bible
Tell them: “By my life”—oracle of the LORD—“I will do to you just what I have heard you say.

New Revised Standard Version
Say to them, “As I live,” says the LORD, “I will do to you the very things I heard you say:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Say to them, As I live, says the LORD, as you have spoken in my presence, so will I do to you;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Say to them: ‘I am living, says LORD JEHOVAH, but as you have said before me, so shall I do to you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Say unto them: As I live, saith the LORD, surely as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord: surely as ye spoke into my ears, so will I do to you.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Forgiveness and Judgment
27“How long will this wicked congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that the Israelites are making against Me. 28So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. 29Your bodies will fall in this wilderness—all who were numbered in the census, everyone twenty years of age or older—because you have grumbled against Me.…

Cross References
Hebrews 3:17-19
And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? / And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? / So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter.

Hebrews 3:11
So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’”

Psalm 95:11
So I swore on oath in My anger, “They shall never enter My rest.”

Deuteronomy 1:34-35
When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, / “Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers,

Deuteronomy 2:14-15
The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. / Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished.

1 Corinthians 10:5-11
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. / These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. / Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” ...

Hebrews 4:3
Now we who have believed enter that rest. As for the others, it is just as God has said: “So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’” And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world.

Ezekiel 12:25
because I, the LORD, will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass, declares the Lord GOD.’”

Isaiah 55:11
so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.

Joshua 5:6
For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Romans 11:22
Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Ezekiel 24:14
I, the LORD, have spoken; the time is coming, and I will act. I will not refrain or show pity, nor will I relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

Isaiah 46:10
I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

Matthew 12:36-37
But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. / For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Jeremiah 44:25-26
This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands your words: ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Go ahead, then, do what you have promised! Keep your vows! / Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will any man of Judah living in the land of Egypt invoke My name or say, ‘As surely as the Lord GOD lives.’


Treasury of Scripture

Say to them, As truly as I live, said the LORD, as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:

as truly

Numbers 14:21,23
But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD…

Numbers 26:64,65
But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai…

Numbers 32:11
Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

as ye have

Psalm 14:2
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

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Numbers 14
1. The people murmur at the news
6. Joshua and Caleb labor to still them
11. God threatens them
13. Moses intercedes with God, and obtains pardon
26. The Murmurers are debarred from entering into the land
36. The men who raised the evil report die by a plague
40. The people that would invade the land against the will of God are smitten














So tell them
This phrase indicates a direct command from God to Moses, emphasizing the role of Moses as a prophet and intermediary between God and the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "tell" is "אָמַר" (amar), which means to say, speak, or command. This highlights the authority and responsibility Moses carries in delivering God's message. Historically, this reflects the theocratic leadership structure where God communicated His will through chosen leaders.

As surely as I live
This is an oath formula used by God, underscoring the certainty and seriousness of His words. The Hebrew phrase "חַי־אָנִי" (chai-ani) translates to "I live," affirming God's eternal existence and unchanging nature. In the ancient Near Eastern context, oaths were binding and invoked the deity's life as a guarantee. Here, it reassures the Israelites of the truth and inevitability of God's pronouncement.

declares the LORD
The use of "declares" (נְאֻם, neum) signifies a formal and authoritative statement. "The LORD" (יְהוָה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, reminding the Israelites of His faithfulness and the special relationship He has with them. This phrase reinforces the divine authority behind the message and the personal nature of God's involvement with His people.

I will do to you
This phrase indicates God's active role in fulfilling His promises or judgments. The Hebrew verb "עָשָׂה" (asah) means to do, make, or accomplish, suggesting intentionality and purpose. In the context of Numbers 14, it reflects God's response to the Israelites' lack of faith and rebellion, showing that their actions have direct consequences.

exactly as I heard you say
This part of the verse highlights the principle of divine retribution, where God responds to the words and attitudes of the people. The Hebrew root "שָׁמַע" (shama) means to hear or listen, indicating that God is attentive to the words and hearts of His people. The Israelites had expressed doubt and fear, and God, in His justice, decides to let their own words determine their fate. This serves as a sobering reminder of the power of words and the importance of faith and trust in God's promises.

(28) As ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do unto you.--The Israelites had exclaimed in their sinful murmuring against God, "Would God we had died in the wilderness" (Numbers 14:2); and God declares in His wrathful displeasure that the judgment which they had thus invoked should be inflicted upon them, and that their carcases should fall in the wilderness.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So tell them:
אֱמֹ֣ר (’ĕ·mōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

As surely as I
אָ֙נִי֙ (’ā·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

live,
חַי־ (ḥay-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

declares
נְאֻם־ (nə·’um-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5002: An oracle

the LORD,
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

I will do
אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה (’e·‘ĕ·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

to you
לָכֶֽם׃ (lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

exactly
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

as
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I heard
בְּאָזְנָ֑י (bə·’ā·zə·nāy)
Preposition-b | Noun - fdc | first person common singular
Strong's 241: Broadness, the ear

you say.
דִּבַּרְתֶּ֖ם (dib·bar·tem)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue


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OT Law: Numbers 14:28 Tell them As I live says Yahweh (Nu Num.)
Numbers 14:27
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