Numbers 14:43 (DRB)

Passage

The Amalecite and the Chanaanite are before you, and by their sword you shall fall, because you would not consent to the Lord, neither will the Lord be with you.

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:41 And Moses said to them: Why transgress you the word of the Lord, which shall not succeed prosperously with you?

Numbers 14:42 Go not up, for the Lord is not with you: lest you fall before your enemies.

Numbers 14:43 The Amalecite and the Chanaanite are before you, and by their sword you shall fall, because you would not consent to the Lord, neither will the Lord be with you.

Numbers 14:44 But they being blinded went up to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord and Moses departed not from the camp.

Numbers 14:45 And the Amalecite came down, and the Chanaanite that dwelt in the mountain: and smiting and slaying them pursued them as far as Horma.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "amalecite", "chanaanite", "before", "sword", "shall", "fall", "consent", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "amalecite" and "chanaanite", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 42's "Go not up for the Lord is..." into verse 44's "But they being blinded went up to...", so "amalecite" and "chanaanite" 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 "amalecite" and "chanaanite" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.