Numbers 14:16 (GNV)

Passage

Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the lande, which he sware vnto them, therefore hath he slaine them in the wildernesse.

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:14 Then they shall say to the inhabitants of this land, (for they haue heard that thou, Lord, art among this people, and that thou, Lord, art seene face to face, and that thy cloude standeth ouer them, and that thou goest before them by day time in a pillar of a cloude, and in a pillar of fire by night)

Numbers 14:15 That thou wilt kill this people as one man: so the heathen which haue heard the fame of thee, shall thus say,

Numbers 14:16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the lande, which he sware vnto them, therefore hath he slaine them in the wildernesse.

Numbers 14:17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

Numbers 14:18 The Lord is slowe to anger, and of great mercie, and forgiuing iniquitie, and sinne, but not making the wicked innocent, and visiting the wickednes of the fathers vpon the children, in the thirde and fourth generation:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "able", "bring", "people", "lande", "sware", "vnto", and "therefore". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "able", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "That thou wilt kill this people as..." into verse 17's "And now I beseech thee let the...", so "lord" and "able" 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 "lord" and "able" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.