Texts in Conversation
Numbers 14 describes Israel’s failed attempt to invade Canaan after God condemns them to wander the wilderness. Deuteronomy retells this narrative but has God, not Moses, deliver the prohibition against going up.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Numbers 14:42
Hebrew Bible
41 But Moses said, “Why are you now transgressing the commandment of the Lord? It will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, and you will be defeated before your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”
Deuteronomy 1:42
Hebrew Bible
41 Then you responded to me and admitted, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will now go up and fight as the Lord our God has told us to do.” So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up to the hill country. 42 But the Lord told me: “Tell them this: ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.’” 43 I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the Lord and recklessly went up to the hill country.
Search:
Notes and References
… The sense of irony and parody is now heightened by the people’s belated attempt to go into the land (the account parallels Numbers 14:39–45). Formally, the intention expressed in verse 41 looks entirely right. There is a confession of sin (the only one in Deuteronomy), and a resolution to ‘go up’ and fight in obedience to God’s command. It is made clear, however, that this confession has no effect (compare Jeremiah 3:22b–24), and that the new resolve does not come from obedience to God. (The point is stronger than in Numbers, for the prohibition that follows, reversing the original command, comes directly from God, rather than from Moses [compare Numbers 14:41–42]) …
Kilchör, Benjamin
"Die Ironie des Deuteronomiums" in Häner, Tobias and Virginia Miller (eds.) Irony in the Bible: Between Subversion and Innovation
(p. 72) Brill, 2023
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.