Lectionary Calendar
Friday, August 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Numbers 17:12

So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Surely we die, we perish, we all perish!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Despondency;   Miracles;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron's Rod;   Hexateuch;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Wisdom of Solomon;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Melchizedek;   Tabernacle, the;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Aaron;   Aaron's Rod;   Ezekiel;   Korah;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Priest;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Aaron;   Incense;   Moses;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The children of Yisra'el spoke to Moshe, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
King James Version
And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
Lexham English Bible
And the Israelites said to Moses, saying, "Look! We will die! We will be destroyed! All of us will perish!
New Century Version
The people of Israel said to Moses, "We are going to die! We are destroyed. We are all destroyed!
New English Translation
The Israelites said to Moses, "We are bound to die! We perish, we all perish!
Amplified Bible
The sons of Israel said to Moses, "Look, we perish, we are doomed, all doomed!
New American Standard Bible
Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we are passing away, we are perishing, we are all perishing!
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the children of Israel spake vnto Moses, saying, Behold, we are dead, we perish, we are all lost:
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we are breathing our last breath, we are perishing, we are all perishing!
Contemporary English Version
The Israelites cried out to Moses, "We're done for
Complete Jewish Bible
Aharon took it, as Moshe had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. There the plague had already begun among the people, but he added the incense and made atonement for the people.
Darby Translation
And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Lo, we expire, we perish, we all perish.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Israelites said to Moses, "We know that we will die! We are lost! We will all be destroyed!
English Standard Version
And the people of Israel said to Moses, "Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
George Lamsa Translation
And the children of Israel said to Moses, Behold, we perish and are lost, we all perish.
Good News Translation
The people of Israel said to Moses, "Then that's the end of us!
Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Israelites declared to Moses, “Look, we’re perishing! We’re lost; we’re all lost!
Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ye childre of Israel sayde vnto Moses: Beholde, we cosume awaie, we are destroied, & perishe.
American Standard Version
And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
Bible in Basic English
And the children of Israel said to Moses, Truly, destruction has come on us; an evil fate has overtaken us all.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the children of Israel spake vnto Moyses, saying: Beholde, we are wasted away and perished, we all come to naught.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.
King James Version (1611)
And the children of Israel spake vnto Moses, saying, Behold, wee die, we perish, we all perish.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we are cut off, we are destroyed, we are consumed.
English Revised Version
And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
Berean Standard Bible
Then the Israelites declared to Moses, "Look, we are perishing! We are lost; we are all lost!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe the sones of Israel seiden to Moises, Lo! we ben wastid, alle we perischiden;
Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel speak unto Moses, saying, `Lo, we have expired; we have perished; we have all of us perished;
Update Bible Version
And the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Look, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
World English Bible
The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
New Living Translation
Then the people of Israel said to Moses, "Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined!
New Life Bible
Then the people of Israel said to Moses, "See, we are being destroyed! We are dying! We are all dying!
New Revised Standard
The Israelites said to Moses, "We are perishing; we are lost, all of us are lost!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then spake the sons of Israel unto Moses saying: Lo! we have breathed our last - we are lost, we are, all, lost:
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the children of Israel said to Moses: Behold we are consumed, we all perish.
Revised Standard Version
And the people of Israel said to Moses, "Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
THE MESSAGE
The People of Israel said to Moses, "We're as good as dead. This is our death sentence. Anyone who even gets close to The Dwelling of God is as good as dead. Are we all doomed?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying!

Contextual Overview

8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 10 And the LORD said to Moses, "Bring Aaron's rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die." 11 Thus did Moses; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did. 12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! 13 Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Behold: Numbers 26:11, Psalms 90:7, Proverbs 19:3, Isaiah 57:16, Hebrews 12:5

we die: Gawanoo, "we expire:" it signifies not so much to die simply, as to feel an extreme difficulty in breathing, which producing suffocation, ends at last in death. See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people, in thus rebelling against the authority of those whom Jehovah had appointed to be their rulers.

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:14 - that Exodus 12:33 - We be all Numbers 16:34 - Lest Numbers 21:5 - spake 1 Samuel 6:20 - General 2 Samuel 6:9 - afraid 1 Kings 13:33 - whosoever 1 Chronicles 13:12 - afraid of God Psalms 73:19 - they are Isaiah 33:14 - sinners Jeremiah 30:21 - and I Lamentations 3:39 - a man Ezekiel 37:11 - Our bones Amos 6:10 - Hold Acts 5:5 - great Acts 5:13 - of Romans 8:15 - the spirit Hebrews 8:4 - he should

Cross-References

Genesis 17:22
Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
Genesis 17:23
So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
Genesis 21:4
Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Leviticus 12:3
And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
Luke 1:59
So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.
Luke 2:21
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, [fn] His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Acts 7:8
Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
Romans 2:28
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;
Philippians 3:5
circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the children of Israel spake unto Moses,.... The princes of the tribes, who had seen the miracle of the rod, and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place, and for what purpose, which gave them a sensible concern: these, and as many as were acquainted with it, addressed Moses upon it, as follows:

saying, behold, we die, we perish, we all perish; which being expressed without the copulative, and in different words, show that they were spoken quick and in haste, and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in, and the sense they had of their sin and danger, fearing they should all die and perish, as many had already; it has respect, as some think, to punishments past and future, so the Targum of Jonathan,

"some of us have been consumed by flaming fire, and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost, and, lo, we are accounted as if all of us would perish.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A new section should begin with these verses. They are connected retrospectively with Numbers 16:0; and form the immediate introduction to Numbers 18:0. The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague. Presumption passed by reaction into despair. Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord? Was there any escape from death, except by keeping aloof from His presence? The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 17:12. Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. — גוענו gavaenu signifies not so much to die simply, as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing, which, producing suffocation, ends at last in death. See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people. At first, every person might come near to God, for all, they thought, were sufficiently holy, and every way qualified to minister in holy things. Now, no one, in their apprehension, can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed, Numbers 17:13. In both cases they were wrong; some there were who might approach, others there were who might not. God had put the difference. His decision should have been final with them; but sinners are ever running into extremes.


 
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