Numbers 14:21 (ASV)

Passage

but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah;

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:19 Pardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy lovingkindness, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

Numbers 14:20 And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

Numbers 14:21 but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah;

Numbers 14:22 because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

Numbers 14:23 surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "very", "deed", "live", "earth", "shall", "filled", "glory", and "jehovah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "very" and "deed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And Jehovah said I have pardoned according..." into verse 22's "because all those men that have seen...", so "very" and "deed" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "very" and "deed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.