Numbers 14:32

Summary

The verse declares that the corpses of the addressed generation will fall in the wilderness. The Hebrew emphasizes the identity of those affected through an independent pronoun placed alongside the possessive suffix, reinforcing that it is precisely "you" whose bodies will fall there.

Key words

• fig.rei ("corpses", H6297) — masculine plural noun in construct state, meaning "corpses of...", grammatically bound to the following suffix.
• khem ("your", H9026) — pronominal suffix attached to fig.rei, specifying "your corpses" (masculine plural possessors).
• 'a.Tem ("you", H0859D) — independent personal pronoun, masculine plural, standing separately even though the possession is already marked by the suffix on fig.rei.
• yi.pe.Lu ("they will fall", H5307J) — qal imperfect, third person masculine plural, indicating future or ongoing action of falling.
• mid.Bar ("wilderness", H4057B) — masculine singular noun, the location where the falling occurs, modified by the demonstrative Zeh ("this", H2088).

What the text says

The Hebrew clause opens with u.fig.rei.khem ("and your corpses"), where the noun fig.rei ("corpses", H6297) is in construct form and already carries the possessive suffix khem ("your", H9026). Immediately after, the independent pronoun 'a.Tem ("you", H0859D) appears — a grammatically redundant element, since the possession is already expressed by the suffix. This doubling places emphasis on the subject: it is specifically "you" (the generation being addressed) whose corpses will fall, distinguishing them from others mentioned in the surrounding context.

The verb yi.pe.Lu ("they will fall", H5307J) is a qal imperfect, third person masculine plural, agreeing with the plural corpses. The imperfect aspect conveys a future or unfolding action — the falling is presented as something that will happen, not as a completed event. The final phrase ba.mid.Bar ha.Zeh ("in this wilderness", H4057B + H2088) locates the action, with the demonstrative Zeh ("this") pointing to the specific wilderness setting of the broader narrative context.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders fig.rei.khem ("your corpses", H6297+H9026) as τὰ κῶλα ὑμῶν ("your limbs/members"), a different image than the Hebrew "corpses," though both convey bodily remains. The Vulgate uses vestra cadavera ("your corpses"), closer to the Hebrew sense. The Vulgate text provided also omits an equivalent for the emphatic independent pronoun 'a.Tem ("you", H0859D), rendering the clause without the doubled emphasis present in the Hebrew.