Numbers 16:22

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּפְּל֤וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֕ל אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָרוּחֹ֖ת לְכָל־בָּשָׂ֑ר הָאִ֤ישׁ אֶחָד֙ יֶחֱטָ֔א וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה תִּקְצֹֽף׃ פ

Transliteration

And wayyippəlû on-their-faces and wayyōʾmərû, ʾĒl ʾĕlōhê the-hārûḥōt to-all-bāśār: the-one ʾeḥād yeḥĕṭāʾ and-upon all-the-hāʿēdâ tiqṣōp?

Grammar Details

• *wayyippəlû*: waw-consecutive + Qal imperfect, 3rd masculine plural - and they fell
• *wayyōʾmərû*: waw-consecutive + Qal imperfect, 3rd masculine plural - and they said
• *ʾĒl*: noun, masculine singular - God
• *ʾĕlōhê*: noun, masculine plural construct - God of
• *hārûḥōt*: definite article + noun, feminine plural - the spirits
• *bāśār*: noun, masculine singular - flesh
• *ʾeḥād*: adjective, masculine singular - one
• *yeḥĕṭāʾ*: Qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - he will sin
• *hāʿēdâ*: definite article + noun, feminine singular - the congregation
• *tiqṣōp*: Qal imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - you will be angry

Word Meanings

• *ʾĒl ʾĕlōhê hārûḥōt ləkāl-bāśār*: God, the God of the spirits of all flesh
• *tiqṣōp*: be angry/wrathful/indignant

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will You be angry with all the congregation?

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And they fell{H5307} upon their faces,{H6440} and said,{H559} O God,{H410} the God{H430} of the spirits{H7307} of all flesh,{H1320} shall one{H259} man{H376} sin,{H2398} and wilt thou be wroth{H7107} with all the congregation?{H5712}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And they fell{H5307}{(H8799)} upon their faces{H6440}, and said{H559}{(H8799)}, O God{H410}, the God{H430} of the spirits{H7307} of all flesh{H1320}, shall one{H259} man{H376} sin{H2398}{(H8799)}, and wilt thou be wroth{H7107}{(H8799)} with all the congregation{H5712}?

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And they fell apon their faces and sayed: O most myghtie God of the spirites of all fleshe one ma hath synned and wilt thou be wroth with all the multitude?

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And they fell vpon their faces, & sayde: O God, thou God of the spretes of all flesh, yf one man haue synned, wilt thou therfore be wroth ouer the whole congregacion?

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And they fell vpon their faces and saide, O God the God of the spirits, of all fleshe, hath not one man onely sinned, and wilt thou bee wroth with all the Congregation?

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And they fell vpon their faces, and sayde: O God, the God of spirites of all fleshe, hath not one man sinned? Wilt thou be wroth with all the multitude?

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  They fell on their faces, and said, God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and they fall on their faces, and say, `God, God of the spirits of all flesh -- the one man sinneth, and against all the company Thou art wroth!'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Then falling down on their faces they said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, because of one man's sin will your wrath be moved against all the people?

• World English Bible (2000)

  They fell on their faces, and said, "God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?"

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said,“O God, the God of the spirits of all people, will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?”

Referenced Verses

• Num 27:16 : 16 May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all humankind, appoint a man over the assembly
• Job 12:10 : 10 "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."
• Eccl 12:7 : 7 And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
• Zech 12:1 : 1 This is the Lord’s message concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit within humans, declares this:
• 2 Sam 24:17 : 17 When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, "I alone have sinned; I, the shepherd, have acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand fall upon me and my family."
• Heb 12:9 : 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
• Isa 57:16 : 16 I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit would faint before me—the breath of life that I created.
• Gen 18:23-25 : 23 Then Abraham approached Him and said, 'Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked?' 24 'Suppose there are fifty righteous people within the city. Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are there?' 25 'Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?'
• Num 14:5 : 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the entire assembly of the Israelite community.
• Gen 18:32 : 32 Finally, he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if ten are found there?' He answered, 'For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.'
• Rom 5:18 : 18 So then, just as through one trespass condemnation came to all people, so also through one act of righteousness justification that brings life came to all people.
• 1 Cor 13:7 : 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
• Num 16:4 : 4 When Moses heard this, he fell face down.
• Josh 7:1-9 : 1 But the Israelites acted unfaithfully with the things designated for destruction. Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things, and the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-Aven to the east of Bethel, and said to them, "Go up and scout out the land." So the men went up and explored Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not everyone needs to go up. About two or three thousand men are enough to attack Ai. Do not make all the people toil there, for the population is small." 4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them. They chased them from the city gate as far as the quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this, the hearts of the people melted and became like water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there until evening. The elders of Israel did the same and put dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, "Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon me, O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has turned its back and fled from its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of this and surround us. They will cut off our name from the earth. And then, what will you do for your great name? 10 The Lord said to Joshua, "Stand up! Why are you down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, and they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. 13 Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.’ 14 In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord selects shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord selects shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord selects shall come forward man by man. 15 The one caught with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has violated the Lord’s covenant and has done an outrageous thing in Israel. 16 Early the next morning, Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward, family by family, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give Him praise. Tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me." 20 Achan answered Joshua, "Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 When I saw among the spoil a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and behold, it was hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will trouble you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them with fire. 26 They raised over him a great heap of stones, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from His fierce anger. Therefore, that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.
• 2 Sam 24:1 : 1 Again the Lord's anger burned against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying, "Go, count the people of Israel and Judah."