Lux Domini
For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

What does Numbers 27:14 mean?

Moses must die, but he shall have the satisfaction of seeing the land of promise. This sight of Canaan signified his believing prospect of the better country, that is, the heavenly.

Key themes

HopeJustice and mercyPilgrimageRebellion

Read with

Keep this verse inside Numbers 27:12-14 and alongside a few nearby related passages.

Glossary

Kadesh-barnea Place

Holy, or Kadesh-Barnea, sacred desert of wandering, a place on the south-eastern border of Palestine, about 165 miles from Horeb. It lay in the “wilderness” or “desert of Zin”. Modern identification: Ain el Qudeirat.

Meribah Place

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ain el Qudeirat.

Zin Place

Biblical region. Modern identification: Zin Desert.