Numbers 14:9 (ASV)

Passage

Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:7 and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land.

Numbers 14:8 If Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

Numbers 14:9 Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.

Numbers 14:10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel.

Numbers 14:11 And Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "only", "rebel", "against", "jehovah", "neither", "fear", "people", and "land". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "only" and "rebel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "If Jehovah delight in us then he..." into verse 10's "But all the congregation bade stone them...", so "only" and "rebel" 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 "only" and "rebel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.