📖 Biblical Definition
The generation of Israelites who left Egypt under Moses but died in the wilderness without entering the Promised Land — consequence of their unbelief at Kadesh-Barnea, when ten of the twelve spies brought back an evil report (Num 13-14). All males twenty and older died over the next forty years except Caleb and Joshua. Their failure becomes a perpetual NT warning: "let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Heb 4:11).
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Israelites who left Egypt but died in wilderness; perpetual NT warning.
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The generation that left Egypt under Moses but died in the wilderness without entering Canaan. Consequence of their unbelief at Kadesh-Barnea (Num 13-14): ten of twelve spies brought back an evil report ("there we saw the giants"); the people refused to go up; YHWH's verdict was that no male twenty years and older would enter the land. They wandered forty years until that generation died — only Caleb and Joshua survived to enter. Hebrews 3-4 makes the wilderness generation a sustained warning to NT believers about the danger of failing to enter God's rest through unbelief.
📖 Key Scripture
Numbers 14:23 — "Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it."
1 Corinthians 10:5-6 — "But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted."
Hebrews 3:19 — "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Often read with too much sympathy for the doubting generation; Scripture treats their failure as solemn warning.
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Modern readers sometimes sympathize with the wilderness generation: they faced real giants. Scripture is sterner: they had seen YHWH split the sea and provide manna; they refused to trust Him for the land. Hebrews 3-4 cites them as warning.
Recover the warning: unbelief at the threshold can cost an entire generation the land. Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts (Heb 3:15).
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
From Numbers 13-14 narrative.
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['Hebrew', 'H4057', 'midbar', 'wilderness']
['Hebrew', 'H1755', 'dor', 'generation']
Usage
"Could not enter because of unbelief."
"Forty years' wandering until the generation died."
"Today, harden not your hearts."