Numbers 27:16
in Numbers 27“May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,
KJV
Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
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This verse in Numbers 27
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The God of the spirits of all flesh - An acknowledgment that man, who is but flesh (compare Gen 6:3), is of himself helpless; and “lives and moves and has his being” in God Act 17:28. The words are suitably employed here to introduce an entreaty that God would not leave the congregation without a guide and leader, and in Num 16:22 as a preface to an intercession that the whole people should not suffer for the sin of a, few.
This site's exposition
And Moses spake unto the Lord
on Numbers 27:15-16
Moses answers the sentence by asking for a successor, and the request is made for the people. Deuteronomy 3:23-26 records that he also pleaded to be allowed over Jordan and was refused, which Numbers does not report, and both accounts stand. He addresses God as the God of the spirits of all flesh, the title he and Aaron used on their faces at Numbers 16:22 when the whole congregation stood to be destroyed. Barnes reads the title as an acknowledgment that the men who need a leader are flesh and helpless of themselves.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureDisputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 4 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
One is said to be superior to another either with respect to the origin of nature, or with respect to the dominion of power or presidency, or with respect to the governance of providence. The first superiority belongs to nature itself by reason of itself, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Lord of the spirits of all flesh - God of all men: the searcher of spirits, that knowest who is fit for this great employment; the father and giver and governor of spirits, who canst raise and suit the spirits of men to the highest and hardest works.
Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh,.... The Maker of the souls of men, called the spirits of all flesh, or of corporeal beings, to distinguish them from the angels, who, though spirits, are incorporeal; and who knows the different qualities of the souls of men, their powers, and capacities, and fitness for service, what gifts and talents they have for business; and who can bestow such upon them, which will quality them for it: set a man over the congregation: meaning in his room and stead.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation--The request was most suitably made to God in this character, as the Author of all the intellectual gifts and moral graces with which men are endowed, and who can raise up qualified persons for the most arduous duties and the most difficult situations.
The Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh - See the notes on Num 16:22.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יִפְקֹ֣ד | yifkod | let him appoint | H6485 → | 303 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֥י | ʾelohei | [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הָרוּחֹ֖ת | haruchot | the spirits | H7307 → | 378 times |
| לְכָל־ | lekhol | of all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בָּשָׂ֑ר | basar | flesh | H1320 → | 270 times |
| אִ֖ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָעֵדָֽה׃ | haedah | the congregation | H5712 → | 149 times |
יִפְקֹ֣דlet him appoint
yifkodH6485 →303 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵ֥י[the] God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
הָרוּחֹ֖תthe spirits
haruchotH7307 →378 times
לְכָל־of all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
בָּשָׂ֑רflesh
basarH1320 →270 times
אִ֖ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָעֵדָֽה׃the congregation
haedahH5712 →149 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 3:15Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 23:4
I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.
- Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
- Ephesians 4:11–12
And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
- Ezekiel 34:23
I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.
- Jeremiah 23:4
Through
Hebrews 12:9Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
it leads to
- Job 12:10
The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Zechariah 12:1
This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
- Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to…
- Job 12:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Numbers
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bonaventure, Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.