And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

NUMBERS 14:11KJV
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Numbers 14:11 (KJV)

What does Numbers 14:11 mean?

Numbers 14:11 shows God speaking to Moses, expressing frustration that the Israelites still do not trust Him, even after witnessing many miraculous signs. God asks how long the people will continue to provoke Him and refuse to believe, despite all He has done among them.

In this verse, the Lord (Yahweh) is addressing Moses during a crisis: the Israelites have just refused to enter the land God promised, doubting His power and intentions. God’s questions highlight the people’s ongoing lack of faith and repeated testing of His patience, even after clear demonstrations of His care and power through signs and wonders.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 14:11

  • "Provoke" (נָאַץ, na'atz): This word carries the sense of treating with contempt or scorning. God is not just disappointed but feels personally slighted by the people's attitude, which is stronger than simple disobedience.
  • "Believe" (אָמַן, 'aman): This term means to trust or rely on. God’s question points out that belief is not just intellectual agreement but a deep trust, which the people are failing to show.
  • "Signs" (אוֹת, 'ot): This word refers to miraculous acts or wonders meant to be clear evidence of God’s presence and power. The use of this word underlines that the Israelites have seen unmistakable proof, not just ordinary events.

Why Numbers 14:11 matters

  • Numbers 14:11 clarifies that the root issue for the Israelites is not a lack of information, but a refusal to trust God even in the face of overwhelming evidence.
  • The verse highlights God’s personal investment in the relationship with His people; their disbelief is described as a direct provocation to Him, not just a failure to follow rules.
  • This moment sets the stage for the consequences that follow in the chapter, helping readers understand why God responds so strongly to the people’s lack of faith.

Where else these words appear

“provoke” Hebrew H5006 · used in 24 verses

  • Numbers 14:23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
  • Psalms 10:13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
  • Isaiah 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

“ere” Hebrew H3808 · used in 73 verses

  • Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
  • Numbers 19:2 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:
  • Psalms 17:1 A Prayer of David. Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

“signs” Hebrew H226 · used in 77 verses

  • Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
  • Deuteronomy 4:34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
  • Psalms 65:8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

“believe” Hebrew H539 · used in 102 verses

  • Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
  • 2 Kings 17:14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
  • Psalms 106:24 Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: