Numbers 32:8
New International Version
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.

New Living Translation
Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land.

English Standard Version
Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

Berean Standard Bible
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.

King James Bible
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.

New King James Version
Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

New American Standard Bible
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

NASB 1995
“This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

NASB 1977
“This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

Legacy Standard Bible
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

Amplified Bible
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land!

Christian Standard Bible
That’s what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
That’s what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

American Standard Version
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

Contemporary English Version
This is exactly what happened when I sent your ancestors from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land.

English Revised Version
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to take a look at the land.

Good News Translation
That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land.

International Standard Version
That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land.

Majority Standard Bible
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.

NET Bible
Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

New Heart English Bible
Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

World English Bible
Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Thus your fathers did in my sending them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land;

Young's Literal Translation
'Thus did your fathers in my sending them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land;

Smith's Literal Translation
So did your fathers in my sending them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Was it not thus your fathers did, when I sent from Cadesbarne to view the land?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Did not your fathers act in the same way, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land?

New American Bible
That is just what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to reconnoiter the land.

New Revised Standard Version
Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Rakim-gia to spy out the land.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Your fathers did so when I sent them from Reqem of Gia to spy out the land.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Did not your fathers thus, when I sent them from Cades Barne to spy out the land?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Tribes East of the Jordan
7Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them? 8This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land. 9For when your fathers went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land that the LORD had given them.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 1:26-28
But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. / You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated. / Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”

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.

Hebrews 3:16-19
For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? / 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? ...

Psalm 106:24-25
They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise. / They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 9:23
And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You neither believed Him nor obeyed Him.

Exodus 14:11-12
They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? / Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

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.” ...

Deuteronomy 1:32-36
But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, / who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel. / When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, ...

Nehemiah 9:16-17
But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments. / They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.

Acts 7:39
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

Exodus 6:9
Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.

Deuteronomy 9:7
Remember this, and never forget how you provoked the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place, you have been rebelling against the LORD.

Hebrews 4:1-2
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it. / For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.

Psalm 78:8-11
Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God. / The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle. / They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law. ...

Exodus 16:2-3
And there in the desert the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. / “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”


Treasury of Scripture

Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.

Numbers 13:2-26
Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them…

Numbers 14:2
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

Deuteronomy 1:22,23
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come…

Jump to Previous
Barnea Kadesh Kadeshbarnea Kadesh-Barnea Ka'desh-Bar'nea Sending
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Barnea Kadesh Kadeshbarnea Kadesh-Barnea Ka'desh-Bar'nea Sending
Numbers 32
1. The Reubenites and Gadites ask for inheritance on the east side of Jordan
6. Moses reproves them
16. They offer him conditions with which he is content
33. Moses assigns them the land
39. They conquer it.














This is what your fathers did
This phrase serves as a direct reference to the historical actions of the Israelites' ancestors. In the Hebrew context, the word for "fathers" (אָבוֹת, avot) often signifies not just immediate parents but forebears in a broader sense, encompassing the patriarchs and previous generations. This reference is a reminder of the collective memory and shared history of the Israelites. It underscores the importance of learning from past mistakes and the consequences of disobedience. Historically, this points back to the incident at Kadesh Barnea, where the Israelites' lack of faith led to their wandering in the wilderness for forty years (Numbers 13-14). The phrase serves as a cautionary reminder to the current generation to avoid repeating the errors of their ancestors.

when I sent them
The phrase highlights God's direct involvement in the history of Israel. The sending (שָׁלַח, shalach) indicates a divine mission or command. In the context of Numbers, God had sent the spies to explore the land of Canaan, a land promised to the Israelites. This sending was not merely a human decision but a divine directive, emphasizing God's sovereignty and the importance of obedience to His commands. The historical context here is crucial, as it reflects the moment when God was preparing to fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by giving their descendants the land of Canaan.

from Kadesh-barnea
Kadesh-barnea is a significant geographical and historical location in the narrative of the Israelites. It served as a major encampment site during their wilderness journey. The name itself, Kadesh, means "holy" or "sacred," while Barnea's meaning is less clear but may imply a place of wandering or desert. Archaeologically, Kadesh-barnea is identified with sites in the northeastern Sinai Peninsula, serving as a strategic location for the Israelites. Historically, it was from Kadesh-barnea that the spies were sent into Canaan, and it was here that the Israelites faced a pivotal moment of decision and faith. The mention of this location serves as a reminder of the consequences of disbelief and disobedience, as it was from here that the Israelites' lack of faith led to their prolonged wandering.

to look over the land
The phrase "to look over" (לָתוּר, latur) implies more than just a casual glance; it denotes a thorough exploration or reconnaissance. The task given to the spies was to assess the land of Canaan, which God had promised to the Israelites. This exploration was meant to prepare the people for the conquest and settlement of the land. Scripturally, this task was a test of faith and trust in God's promise. The land itself, Canaan, was a land "flowing with milk and honey," symbolizing abundance and blessing. However, the spies' report led to fear and rebellion among the Israelites, highlighting the tension between human perception and divine promise. This phrase serves as a reminder of the importance of faith and trust in God's plans, even when circumstances seem daunting.

Verse 8. - Thus did your fathers. It is impossible not to see that this mode of address is in striking contrast to that used in the Book cf. Deuteronomy (e.g., in Numbers 1:22, 27; Numbers 5:3, 23). At the same time it is obviously the more natural, and the more in accordance with facts, because there was not a man left of all those who had rebelled at Kadesh. At Kadesh-Barnea. This mode of writing the name forms a link between the closing chapters of Numbers (here and in Numbers 34:4) and the two following books. In Deuteronomy it occurs four times, and "Kadesh" twice. In Joshua "Kadesh-Barnea" occurs exclusively. In the later books "Kadesh" only is used, as in Genesis and in the previous chapters of Numbers. The meaning of the combination is uncertain, and the etymology of "Barnea" altogether obscure. It may be an old name attaching to the place before it became known as a sanctuary. The Septuagint has Κάδης τοῦ Βαρνή in one place, as though it were the name of a man.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
This is what
כֹּ֥ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

your fathers
אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם (’ă·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

did
עָשׂ֖וּ (‘ā·śū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

when I sent
בְּשָׁלְחִ֥י (bə·šā·lə·ḥî)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

them
מִקָּדֵ֥שׁ (miq·qā·ḏêš)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew

from Kadesh-barnea
בַּרְנֵ֖עַ (bar·nê·a‘)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6947: Kadesh-barnea -- a place in the desert

to look over
לִרְא֥וֹת (lir·’ō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7200: To see

the land.
הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT Law: Numbers 32:8 Your fathers did so when I sent (Nu Num.)
Numbers 32:7
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