Their failure to know God’s ways is a sober reminder that unbelief still prevents us from experiencing the Lord’s best for our lives.
In Psalm 95:10, the LORD laments over Israel by saying, “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways” (v.10). This verse refers to the Israelites who left Egypt under Moses’s leadership around 1446 BC, only to wander until approximately 1406 BC, because of their persistent disbelief and rebellion. Their hearts led them astray, choosing doubt and distrust rather than faith in the God who had miraculously delivered them, and as a result they forfeited the full blessing of entering the Promised Land (Numbers 14:22-23). The Hebrew word for “err,” used in a moral sense, underscores that they strayed deep within, failing to grasp God’s faithful ways.
By describing how He loathed that generation, the LORD shows His deep grief over their unwillingness to trust Him. Though God repeatedly demonstrated His provision—such as providing water from a rock when they thirsted (Exodus 17:6)—they continued in unbelief, which ultimately kept them from possessing the rest God had for them (Psalm 95:11, Hebrews 4:3-5). Their error was not ignorance alone; it was a stubborn refusal to walk in His ways. In this sense, “they do not know My ways” highlights that genuine knowledge of God requires both trust and obedience, not merely external familiarity with His power.
This passage serves as a warning for believers throughout the ages to examine the state of our hearts. The same God who called ancient Israel also calls His people today to trust in His promises and follow His instructions. The tragedy of that generation was not that they lacked miracles, but that they erred in their hearts and never entered the fullness of what God intended for them.
Set to dark mode
Psalms 95:10 meaning
In Psalm 95:10, the LORD laments over Israel by saying, “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways” (v.10). This verse refers to the Israelites who left Egypt under Moses’s leadership around 1446 BC, only to wander until approximately 1406 BC, because of their persistent disbelief and rebellion. Their hearts led them astray, choosing doubt and distrust rather than faith in the God who had miraculously delivered them, and as a result they forfeited the full blessing of entering the Promised Land (Numbers 14:22-23). The Hebrew word for “err,” used in a moral sense, underscores that they strayed deep within, failing to grasp God’s faithful ways.
By describing how He loathed that generation, the LORD shows His deep grief over their unwillingness to trust Him. Though God repeatedly demonstrated His provision—such as providing water from a rock when they thirsted (Exodus 17:6)—they continued in unbelief, which ultimately kept them from possessing the rest God had for them (Psalm 95:11, Hebrews 4:3-5). Their error was not ignorance alone; it was a stubborn refusal to walk in His ways. In this sense, “they do not know My ways” highlights that genuine knowledge of God requires both trust and obedience, not merely external familiarity with His power.
This passage serves as a warning for believers throughout the ages to examine the state of our hearts. The same God who called ancient Israel also calls His people today to trust in His promises and follow His instructions. The tragedy of that generation was not that they lacked miracles, but that they erred in their hearts and never entered the fullness of what God intended for them.