In “until they had been finished” Jefferson Vann explains what Deuteronomy 2:14-18 tells us about God’s final punishment of sinners.
Deuteronomy 2:14-18 (JDV)
Deuteronomy 2:14 The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley was thirty-eight years until the entire generation of fighting men had been finished from the camp, as Yahveh had sworn to them.
Deuteronomy 2:15 Indeed, Yahveh’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp until they had all been finished.
Deuteronomy 2:16 “When all the fighting men had died among the people,
Deuteronomy 2:17 Yahveh spoke to me, and this is what he said:
Deuteronomy 2:18 ‘Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar.
until they had been finished
This passage describes the fate of the generation of fighting men who had the chance to conquer the promised land under Moses, but refused to get into the fight. They had listened to the majority report that only spoke of the danger of the land and the people, so they chose to turn back. As a result, “Yahveh’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp.”
Gill explains what it meant for the hand of the Lord to be against these fighting men:
“For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them,…. His power was exerted in a way of wrath and vengeance on them, for their murmurings at the report of the spies; and therefore, it is no wonder they were consumed, for strong is his hand, and high is his right hand; and when lifted up it falls heavy, and there is no standing up under it, or against it: it smote them with one disease or another, or brought one judgment or another upon them: as the sword of Amalek, by which many were cut off, and the plague at Shittim in the plains of Moab, in which died 24,000; besides the destruction of Korah and his company, which was quickly after the affair of the spies, and the plague at that time, of which died 14,700; and thus, by one stroke after another, he went on to destroy them from among the host until they were consumed, even all of them but two, as follows” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible).
The only two who escaped this consumption were the two scouts who had given the minority report: the one that encouraged the Israelites to take the land in confidence that God would be with them. These were Joshua and Caleb.
So, for thirty-eight years, the Israelites wandered in the open country. David Guzmic says “this was a period when they just took up time, waiting for the generation of unbelief to die so that the generation of faith could take the Promised Land” (Enduring Word Bible Commentary).
When we read these Old Testament stories, we have to realize that the events described are actual events in which God interacts with his people, and each of these events help us to understand what God is like. If we believe that God is unchanging in his character, then we should expect his reaction to rebellion and sin in these Old Testament stories to give us understanding about how he will deal with rebellion and sin on an ultimate and cosmic level.
In other words, our understanding of the final judgment should begin here, in the Old Testament, where God first encounters those who rebel against his will, incurring judgment and condemnation on themselves.
In that light, I would like to draw your attention to some important statements made in today’s text. These statements help us to formulate principles about God’s plan for dealing with sin and rebellion ultimately.
finished
First, God’s plan was to finish off these rebellious fighting men, and he took 38 years to accomplish that plan.
The Hebrew verb tamam (תָּמַם) describes the completing of a project, the coming to an end of a period of activity. Later in Deuteronomy, the verb is used of the completion of the Torah by Moses.
“When Moses had finished writing down on a scroll every single word of this instruction, he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of Yahveh’s covenant, and this is what he said: ‘Take this book of the instruction and place it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahveh your God so that it may stay there as a witness against you'” (Deuteronomy 31:24-26 JDV).
“Then Moses recited the words of this song from start to finish in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:30 NET).
The word does not imply an unending process. In fact, it requires the process it is describing to come to an end. It is also found in the description of the completion of the mourning for Moses after his death.
“And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended“ (Deuteronomy 34:8 ESV).
So, tamam tells us something about hell.
God’s plan for judging and condemning the rebellious warriors was executed during a period of time, and that judgment came to an end when that generation of warriors was finished off. That is how God does judgment. He does not prolong his judgment any longer than necessary.
eliminated
Secondly, God’s purpose was to eliminate the rebellious warriors, not to preserve them.
Another Hebrew verb, very similar to tamam, was used to express this truth. In fact, the words are so similar that I suspect wordplay is involved. This verb is hamam (הָמַם), to eliminate.
Deuteronomy 2:15 Indeed, Yahveh’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp until they had all been finished.
This is the word Jeremiah used to describe how Babylon treated Israel, devouring its people and leaving the land like an empty vessel (Jeremiah 51:34).
died
Thirdly, the text says plainly that these warriors died. That was the wages of their sin. The completion (tamam) of their sentence was death.
Deuteronomy 2:16 “When all the fighting men had died among the people…”
The wages of sin is always the same. The wages of Adam’s sin was death. As a consequence of our ancestor’s rebellion, the whole race dies.
But we also sin, and the wages of that sin must be paid. It cannot be paid by us, because we already die for our ancestors’ rebellion.
That is why there is a resurrection, of both the saved and the lost. When we are raised, we can live eternally, unless we have rebelled against God.
The bad news is, like those warriors in the open country, we have rebelled, and face the judgment of elimination and exclusion from the future promised land.
The good news — the gospel good news — is: Jesus has died in our place, so we can be raised to eternal life. Cling to the cross, my friends! All those not found in Christ will be finished off, eliminated, and die for their sins. They will never reach the promised land. They will not inherit eternal life.
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For more about God’s final punishment, see:
consequences of rejecting God’s love
men and gods will be destroyed
contending together for the faith
translation notes on Philippians 1:27-30
two case studies – the meaning of ἀπόλλυμι in Acts
How hell will really glorify God
The consequences of separation
An Eastern Orthodox Perspective
A final punishment bibliography
Αἰώνιος in the New Testament – the fourth attributive instances
Αἰώνιος | aiónios in the New Testament – the first attributive occurrences
Αἰώνιος in the New Testament – the second attributives
Αἰώνιος in the New Testament – three rare instances
Αἰώνιος in the New Testament – the four adverbial instances
Hell is an apologetics concern
only two destinies | Permanent Life | Permanent Death
Revelation 22:14,15 & the Fate of the Wicked
Death not Life – The Doctrine of Destruction Established
Endless Conscious Torment repels
Conditionalism makes the good news (gospel) of Jesus actually “good news”
About Jefferson Vann
Jefferson Vann is a teacher, Bible translator, and avid blogger. "My hope is that everyone who reads my writings will have an opportunity to understand the gospel, and will know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior." He has written books on theology and Bible commentary. You can read more of Jeff's writing at Devotions | Jefferson Vann | Commands of Christ | Learning Koine Greek Together
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