After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
You spent forty days exploring the land, so now you will carry the consequences of your sins for forty years—one year for each day. Then you will understand what it means when I withdraw my promise.
God is telling the Israelites they will wander in the wilderness for forty years as punishment—one year for each day they spent scouting the Promised Land before rejecting God's plan.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes after the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land despite God's promise to give it to them. Twelve spies had spent forty days exploring Canaan, but ten returned with fearful reports that caused the people to rebel against God's plan. As punishment for their lack of faith, God sentenced that entire generation to wander in the wilderness until they died.
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