Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Numbers 32:27 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 27. 27But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Numbers 32:27 within “Moses Makes the Bargain Conditional and Public,” locates this action inside the complete leadership case rather than granting unchecked power; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: But your servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord says.
Moses accepts only if they cross until the land is subdued
This verse is one part of that explanation in Numbers 32:20–27. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Numbers 32:20–27
Read Numbers 32:27 with 32:20–27. It within “Moses Makes the Bargain Conditional and Public,” locates this action inside the complete leadership case rather than granting unchecked power; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: But your servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord says. The complete unit establishes this contextual meaning: Moses accepts the proposal if the warriors cross before the LORD until the land is subdued, warns that failure will find them out, permits building towns and pens, and hears their formal commitment concerning children, livestock, and armed service.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Moses Makes the Bargain Conditional and Public contributes this unit's leadership movement to Numbers' progress from Sinai through wilderness crisis to Moab: Moses accepts the proposal if the warriors cross before the LORD until the land is subdued, warns that failure will find them out, permits building towns and pens, and hears their formal commitment concerning children, livestock, and armed service. At 32:27, the verse within “Moses Makes the Bargain Conditional and Public,” locates this action inside the complete leadership case rather than granting unchecked power; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: But your servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord says.
What Remains True
Because Numbers 32:27 within “Moses Makes the Bargain Conditional and Public,” locates this action inside the complete leadership case rather than granting unchecked power; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: But your servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord says, its proportionate enduring truth is this: Healthy authority shares burden, hears petitions, names failure, plans succession, and does not confuse appointment with exemption from review. This unit also keeps the following boundary explicit: Your sin will find you out does not mean every exposed hardship proves secret sin, and the bargain does not authorize coercive contracts or sacred threats.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Numbers 32:20–27 — Moses Makes the Bargain Conditional and PublicSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Numbers 32:20–27, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Numbers
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, release 2.2, 2021
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, numbers, speeches, poems, legal clauses, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Num.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 32:20–27
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Numbers with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, source files dated 2026-08-08
Supports: Unit-bounded translation, syntax, lexical, ritual, legal, number, name, poetic, and selected textual notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Numbers PDF, complete 134-page PDF, translation and translator notes attached to 32:20–27
Open source ↗