I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
I will strike them down with disease and remove them as my people, and I will make you into a nation that is greater and stronger than they are.
God is telling Moses that He wants to destroy the rebellious Israelites and start over by making Moses the father of a new, greater nation instead.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes after the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land despite God's promises, choosing instead to believe the fearful report of ten spies rather than trusting God. God had just declared that the current generation would wander in the wilderness for 40 years and die there because of their lack of faith. In His anger at their repeated rebellion, God proposed to Moses that He would wipe out the Israelites entirely and make Moses the ancestor of a new chosen people.
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