Numbers 14:18
“The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Israel has heard the spies' fearful report and refused to enter the promised land, even plotting to return to Egypt. God threatens to disinherit them. Moses intercedes, pleading God's reputation among the nations and quoting back to God His own self-description of mercy and justice given at Sinai.
What Does Numbers 14:18 Mean?
Numbers 14:18 declares that the LORD is both deeply merciful and unshakably just -- He is longsuffering and abounding in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, yet He by no means clears the guilty. This is one of Scripture's great descriptions of God's character, drawn from the words He spoke to Moses at Sinai (Ex. 34:6-7). Moses quotes it back to God in the very moment Israel deserves judgment: after the spies' bad report, the people have rebelled and threatened to return to Egypt. Moses appeals not to Israel's worthiness but to God's own revealed nature. "Longsuffering" means slow to anger, patient over a long time with people who repeatedly fail. "Great mercy" speaks of God's steadfast, covenant love that does not run dry. And He forgives both "iniquity" (crookedness, perversity) and "transgression" (rebellion). Yet the verse refuses to make God's mercy into mere leniency: He will "by no means clear the guilty." Forgiveness is real, but sin is not pretended away; its consequences ripple outward, even to following generations. God is not torn between love and justice -- both are fully true of Him at once. His patience gives room for repentance, and His justice means evil is taken seriously.
This balanced portrait protects us from two errors. One imagines a God so severe that mercy is impossible; the other imagines a God so indulgent that sin does not matter. Scripture holds both together: God is gracious and forgiving, and He is righteous and just. Moses knew that the only safe ground for an appeal was God's own character. So can we. When we have failed, we do not bargain with our merits; we appeal to the God who is slow to anger and rich in mercy, while taking seriously that sin has real weight. The cross of Christ would ultimately reveal how mercy and justice meet -- but already here, God's people are taught to trust a God who both forgives and never winks at evil.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew phrase 'erek appayim' (longsuffering) literally means 'long of nose,' an idiom for slow to anger, while 'chesed' (mercy) is God's steadfast covenant love.
Cross References
“The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”
- Exodus 34:6
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
- Psalm 103:8
“The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.”
- Nahum 1:3
Application
When you have sinned, appeal not to your own goodness but to God's revealed character: slow to anger, rich in mercy, ready to forgive. At the same time, take sin seriously, for God does not pretend it away. Let His patience lead you to genuine repentance rather than to carelessness.