Hebrews 3:17
But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Original Language Analysis
τίσιν
with whom
G5101
τίσιν
with whom
Strong's:
G5101
Word #:
1 of 15
an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)
τοῖς
G3588
τοῖς
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
7 of 15
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
ἁμαρτήσασιν
with them that had sinned
G264
ἁμαρτήσασιν
with them that had sinned
Strong's:
G264
Word #:
8 of 15
properly, to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), i.e., (figuratively) to err, especially (morally) to sin
ὧν
whose
G3739
ὧν
whose
Strong's:
G3739
Word #:
9 of 15
the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, that
τὰ
G3588
τὰ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
10 of 15
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Cross References
Numbers 14:29Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,Numbers 14:22Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;Jude 1:5I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.Jeremiah 9:22Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
Historical Context
The wilderness corpses (Numbers 14:29) became a vivid memorial to unbelief's consequences. This generation received God's temporal judgment, typifying eternal judgment on unbelief.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the reality of God's wrath against sin deepen your appreciation of Christ's atonement?
- What does this passage teach about the connection between unbelief and practical sin?
Analysis & Commentary
Another rhetorical question: 'with whom was He angry forty years?' Answer: those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness. The connection between sin, divine anger, and death is explicit. The Reformed doctrine of original sin recognizes that sin brings both physical death and, apart from grace, eternal death. God's wrath against sin is not vindictive but the necessary response of holy justice.