Psalm 95:10
New International Version
For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’

New Living Translation
For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’

English Standard Version
For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”

Berean Standard Bible
For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.”

King James Bible
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

New King James Version
For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.’

New American Standard Bible
“For forty years I was disgusted with that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.

NASB 1995
“For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.

NASB 1977
“For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.

Legacy Standard Bible
For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who wander in their heart, And they do not know My ways.

Amplified Bible
“For forty years I was grieved and disgusted with that generation, And I said, ‘They are a people who err in their heart, And they do not acknowledge or regard My ways.’

Christian Standard Bible
For forty years I was disgusted with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know my ways.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For 40 years I was disgusted with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know My ways.”

American Standard Version
Forty years long was I grieved with that generation, And said, It is a people that do err in their heart, And they have not known my ways:

Contemporary English Version
Then God got tired of them and said, "You never show good sense, and you don't understand what I want you to do."

English Revised Version
Forty years long was I grieved with that generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
For 40 years I was disgusted with those people. So I said, 'They are a people whose hearts continue to stray. They have not learned my ways.'

Good News Translation
For forty years I was disgusted with those people. I said, 'How disloyal they are! They refuse to obey my commands.'

International Standard Version
For forty years I loathed that generation, so I said, "They are a people whose hearts continuously err, and they have not understood my ways."

Majority Standard Bible
For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.”

NET Bible
For forty years I was continually disgusted with that generation, and I said, 'These people desire to go astray; they do not obey my commands.'

New Heart English Bible
For forty years I loathed that generation, and said, "It is a people who go astray in their heart, and they do not know my ways."

Webster's Bible Translation
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

World English Bible
Forty long years I was grieved with that generation, and said, “They are a people who err in their heart. They have not known my ways.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Forty years I am weary of the generation, "" And I say, “A people erring in heart—they! And they have not known My ways”:

Young's Literal Translation
Forty years I am weary of the generation, And I say, 'A people erring in heart -- they! And they have not known My ways:'

Smith's Literal Translation
Forty years I shall loathe to the generation, and saying, A people they wandering in heart, and they knew not my ways:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: These always err in heart.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For forty years, I was offended by that generation, and I said: These have always strayed in heart.

New American Bible
Forty years I loathed that generation; I said: “This people’s heart goes astray; they do not know my ways.”

New Revised Standard Version
For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Forty years long was I grieved with that generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Forty years I was wearied with that generation and I said, "It is a people that forgets their heart and they have not known my ways."
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For forty years was I wearied with that generation, And said: It is a people that do err in their heart, And they have not known My ways;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Forty years was I grieved with this generation, and said, They do always err in their heart, and they have not known my ways.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Rock of Our Salvation
9where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work. 10For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.” 11So I swore on oath in My anger, “They shall never enter My rest.”…

Cross References
Hebrews 3:7-11
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, / do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. ...

Numbers 14:22-23
not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times— / not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it.

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.

Deuteronomy 1:34-36
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, / except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”

Hebrews 4:3-5
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. / For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this manner: “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.” / And again, as He says in the passage above: “They shall never enter My rest.”

Numbers 14:11
And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them?

Exodus 17:7
He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

Hebrews 3:15
As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.”

Numbers 14:29-30
Your 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. / Surely none of you will enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Hebrews 4:7
God again designated a certain day as “Today,” when a long time later He spoke through David as was just stated: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

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.

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.” ...

Ezekiel 20:13
Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in the wilderness.

Acts 7:39-43
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. / They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ / At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands. ...

Deuteronomy 32:5
His people have acted corruptly toward Him; the blemish on them is not that of His children, but of a perverse and crooked generation.


Treasury of Scripture

Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

forty

Numbers 14:33,34
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness…

Numbers 32:13
And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.

Deuteronomy 1:3
And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

grieved

Genesis 6:6
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

err

Isaiah 63:17
O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Hebrews 3:10,17
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways…

and they

Proverbs 1:7,22-29
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction…

Jeremiah 9:6
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

John 3:19-21
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil…

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Psalm 95
1. An exhortation to praise God
3. For his greatness
6. And for his goodness
8. And not to tempt him














For forty years
This phrase refers to the period of Israel's wandering in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. The number forty in the Bible often symbolizes a period of testing, trial, or probation. In this context, it highlights the prolonged duration of Israel's disobedience and God's patience. The historical backdrop is the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, a journey that should have taken weeks but extended to forty years due to their lack of faith and rebellion against God.

I was angry
The Hebrew root for "angry" here is "קָטַף" (qāṭap), which conveys a sense of intense displeasure or indignation. This divine anger is not capricious but is a righteous response to the persistent unbelief and rebellion of the Israelites. It underscores God's holiness and justice, reminding us that while God is patient, He is also a God who holds His people accountable.

with that generation
This phrase specifies the particular group of Israelites who left Egypt but failed to enter the Promised Land due to their unbelief. It serves as a solemn reminder of the consequences of disobedience and lack of faith. Historically, this generation witnessed God's miraculous works yet repeatedly doubted His power and promises. The term "generation" here is not just a reference to a group of people but to a mindset and attitude that was prevalent among them.

and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray
The heart, in Hebrew thought, is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. The phrase "go astray" suggests a deviation from the path of righteousness and truth. This highlights the spiritual condition of the Israelites, who, despite witnessing God's faithfulness, allowed their hearts to wander from Him. It serves as a warning to guard our hearts and remain steadfast in faith.

and they have not known My ways.’
To "know" in the Hebrew context (יָדַע, yādaʿ) implies an intimate, experiential understanding, not just intellectual awareness. The Israelites' failure to "know" God's ways indicates a lack of relationship and obedience. Despite God's clear revelation of His character and will, they chose their own path. This serves as a cautionary tale for believers to seek a deep, personal relationship with God, characterized by obedience and trust in His ways.

(10) See Notes, Hebrews 3:17, New Testament Commentary.

I grieved.--Better, I loathed.

A people that do err.--Literally, a people of wanderers in heart. They are morally astray through ignorance of God's paths.

Verse 10. - Forty years long was I grieved with this generation; rather, with that generation - the generation that tempted God in the wilderness (see the Revised Version). And said, It is a people that do err in their heart; literally, a people of wanderers in heart are these; i.e. "not only are they a people whose feet wander (Psalm 107:4), but their hearts also have wandered and gone astray from my paths." And they have not known my ways. "My ways - the ways of my commandments - are unknown to them, untrodden by them."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For forty
אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים (’ar·bā·‘îm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 705: Forty

years
שָׁנָ֨ה ׀ (šā·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8141: A year

I was angry
אָ֘ק֤וּט (’ā·qūṭ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6962: To cut off, detest

with that generation,
בְּד֗וֹר (bə·ḏō·wr)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1755: A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwelling

and I said,
וָאֹמַ֗ר (wā·’ō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“They
הֵ֑ם (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

are a people
עַ֤ם (‘am)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

whose hearts
לֵבָ֣ב (lê·ḇāḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

go astray,
תֹּעֵ֣י (tō·‘ê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 8582: To vacillate, reel, stray

and they
וְ֝הֵ֗ם (wə·hêm)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

have not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

known
יָדְע֥וּ (yā·ḏə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

My ways.”
דְרָכָֽי׃ (ḏə·rā·ḵāy)
Noun - common plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action


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