Let’s read through the book of Hebrews one verse at a time in 2023. Every day explore a single verse and its cross references. AI-generated text draws the passages together. RSS feed.
And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
The overall theme of these cross references is that God's judgement is swift and sure. They all point to the fact that God will punish those who disobey Him and turn away from Him, and that He will not hesitate to do so. In Hebrews 3:17, the reference to the forty years of punishment in the wilderness is a reminder of this. The cross references emphasize that the punishment of God is just and necessary and that it will be carried out.
| Passage | How It’s Related (AI-Generated) |
|---|---|
| Numbers 14:22: none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, | Both passages refer to the same event: the testing of the Israelites in the wilderness. Hebrews 3:17 speaks of the provocation of the Lord due to the sin of the Israelites, and how their bodies fell in the wilderness as a consequence. Numbers 14:22 further elaborates on this event, noting that the Israelites had tested the Lord ten times in the wilderness, despite having seen his glory and signs in Egypt and the wilderness, and did not obey his voice. |
| Numbers 14:29: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, | Both passages refer to the forty years of wandering in the wilderness that the Israelites experienced after their exodus from Egypt. Hebrews 3:17 reflects on the consequence of the Israelites' rebellion against God, which was the death of many of them in the wilderness. Numbers 14:29 makes it clear that these deaths were a result of the Israelites' grumbling against God and His commands. |
| Numbers 14:32-33: But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. | Both passages refer to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Hebrews 3:17 refers to the Israelites' disobedience and the punishment they suffered as a result, which is described in Numbers 14:32-33. In Numbers 14:32-33, God declares that the Israelites will wander in the wilderness for forty years due to their faithlessness, and that their dead bodies will fall in the wilderness. |
| Numbers 26:64-65: But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. | Both passages refer to the Israelites' forty-year journey in the wilderness. Hebrews 3:17 refers to the Israelites' disobedience and the consequences of their sin, as their bodies fell in the wilderness. Numbers 26:64–65 speaks of the lack of those who were listed by Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had said that they would die in the wilderness. Caleb and Joshua were the only two who were spared. |
| Deuteronomy 2:15-16: For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished. “So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, | Both passages refer to the same event in which the Israelites were punished for their disobedience. Hebrews 3:17 describes how the Israelites were provoked by God for forty years and their punishment was that their bodies fell in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 2:15-16 explains that the hand of the LORD was against them and they perished from the camp. Both passages demonstrate God's judgment against the Israelites for their sin. |
| Jeremiah 9:22: Speak: “Thus declares the Lord, ‘The dead bodies of men shall fall like dung upon the open field, like sheaves after the reaper, and none shall gather them.’” | Both passages refer to the consequences of sin. Hebrews 3:17 is a reference to the Israelites in the wilderness, who were punished by God for their sins with forty years of wandering. Jeremiah 9:22 speaks of the dead bodies of men falling like dung upon an open field, a metaphor for the ultimate consequence of sin, which is death. |
| Jude 1:5: Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. | Both passages refer to the same event: God's punishment of the Israelites in the wilderness. Hebrews 3:17 refers to the forty year period in which the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and the bodies of those who sinned fell in the wilderness. Jude 5 refers to the same event, in which Jesus destroyed those who did not believe after saving the Israelites from Egypt. |
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for Your faithfulness to Your people. We thank You for the warning You gave to the Israelites in the wilderness, and for the example You set of Your justice and holiness. We thank You for Your patience and longsuffering, and for Your promise to never leave us or forsake us.
We pray for those who have tested Your faithfulness, and for those who have chosen not to believe in You. We pray that You would open their eyes to the truth of Your Word, and that You would draw them to Yourself. We pray for the courage to stand firm in our faith, even in the face of opposition.
We thank You for the hope and assurance that You give us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. We thank You for His death and resurrection, and for the salvation that it brings. May we never forget the price You paid for our redemption, and may we always be reminded of Your love for us.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
This reading plan reads through a single verse each day, six days a week, paired with the most-popular cross references for the verse. AI-generated (and human-reviewed) text provides an opening thought and concluding prayer along with an explanation for how each cross reference relates to the verse. In 2023, this reading plan works through Hebrews one verse at a time. Every seventh day is a catchup day. Want more info? Try this blog post.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.