The Meaning of Numbers 14:34 Explained

Numbers 14:34

KJV: After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

YLT: by the number of the days in which ye spied the land, forty days, -- a day for a year, a day for a year -- ye do bear your iniquities, forty years, and ye have known my breaking off;

Darby: After the number of the days in which ye have searched out the land, forty days, each day for a year shall ye bear your iniquities forty years, and ye shall know mine estrangement from you.

ASV: After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my alienation.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

After the number  of the days  in which ye searched  the land,  [even] forty  days,  each day  for a year,  shall ye bear  your iniquities,  [even] forty  years,  and ye shall know  my breach of promise. 

What does Numbers 14:34 Mean?

Context Summary

Numbers 14:26-45 - The Penalty Of Unbelief And Rashness
The old translation in Numbers 14:34 was unfortunate. "Breach of promise" is rendered in r.v. "my alienation." It is still better to notice the marginal reading, "the revoking of my promise." But even this hardly gives us the true meaning of the words, which teach us that God's promises are conditional on our faith. He cannot do what we fail to trust Him to do.
The key of faith will unlock every drawer and cupboard in the divine treasury, but we must use it. If we will not trust God with our life we shall be left to perish in the wilderness of drought, of restlessness and of peril. Unbelief paralyzes God's arm. See Matthew 13:58, And let us learn from the closing paragraph that the might of our own right hand will never avail to accomplish what is forfeited by unbelief. "It shall not prosper." [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 14

1  The people murmur at the news
6  Joshua and Caleb labor to still them
11  God threatens them
13  Moses intercedes with God, and obtains pardon
26  The Murmurers are debarred from entering into the land
36  The men who raised the evil report die by a plague
40  The people that would invade the land against the will of God are smitten

What do the individual words in Numbers 14:34 mean?

According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land forty days for years each day one year you shall bear - your guilt [namely] years and you shall know My rejection
בְּמִסְפַּ֨ר הַיָּמִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־ תַּרְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־ הָאָרֶץ֮ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים יוֹם֒ י֣וֹם לַשָּׁנָ֞ה י֣וֹם לַשָּׁנָ֗ה תִּשְׂאוּ֙ אֶת־ עֲוֺנֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם שָׁנָ֑ה וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם תְּנוּאָתִֽי

בְּמִסְפַּ֨ר  According  to  the  number 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִסְפָּר  
Sense: number, tale.
הַיָּמִ֜ים  of  the  days 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
אֲשֶׁר־  in  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אֶת־  spied  out 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָאָרֶץ֮  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
אַרְבָּעִ֣ים  forty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: אַרְבָּעִים  
Sense: forty.
יוֹם֒  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
לַשָּׁנָ֞ה  years 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
י֣וֹם  each  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
לַשָּׁנָ֗ה  one  year 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
תִּשְׂאוּ֙  you  shall  bear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
עֲוֺנֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם  your  guilt  [namely] 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
שָׁנָ֑ה  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם  and  you  shall  know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
תְּנוּאָתִֽי  My  rejection 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: תְּנוּאָה  
Sense: opposition, alienation, enmity.