The Jewish people rejected the pleas of Joshua and Caleb, and decided to stone them. G‑d intervened, His glory appearing over the Tabernacle. G‑d informs Moses of His decision to instantaneously wipe out the Israelites in a massive plague due to their persistent lack of faith. Moses successfully invoked G‑d's mercy and pointed out that this mass execution will cause a mammoth desecration of G‑d's name. "People will assume that G‑d lacked the power to defeat the Canaanites in battle, so He instead slaughtered His people," Moses argued. Although G‑d agreed not to immediately wipe out the Israelites, that generation would not enter the Land. G‑d instructs the Jews to reverse course, and to head back to the desert.