Numbers 14:40 (WEB)

Passage

They rose up early in the morning, and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Behold, we are here, and will go up to the place which Yahweh has promised: for we have sinned.”

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.

Numbers 14:39 Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.

Numbers 14:40 They rose up early in the morning, and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Behold, we are here, and will go up to the place which Yahweh has promised: for we have sinned.”

Numbers 14:41 Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of Yahweh, since it shall not prosper?

Numbers 14:42 Don’t go up, for Yahweh isn’t among you; that way you won’t be struck down before your enemies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rose", "early", "morning", "went", "mountain", "saying", "behold", and "here". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rose" and "early", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "Moses told these words to all the..." into verse 41's "Moses said Why now do you disobey...", so "rose" and "early" 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 "rose" and "early" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.