וְהַיָּמִ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־הָלַ֣כְנוּ ׀ מִקָּדֵ֣שׁ בַּרְנֵ֗עַ עַ֤ד אֲשֶׁר־עָבַ֙רְנוּ֙ אֶת־נַ֣חַל זֶ֔רֶד שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנֶ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה עַד־תֹּ֨ם כָּל־הַדּ֜וֹר אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ מִקֶּ֣רֶב הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר נִשְׁבַּ֥ע יְהוָ֖ה לָהֶֽם׃
Adapun lamanya waktu perjalanan kami dari Kadesh-Barnea sampai kami menyeberangi sungai Zered adalah tiga puluh delapan tahun, sampai seluruh angkatan itu, yaitu para prajurit, habis dari tengah-tengah perkemahan, seperti yang telah disumpahkan Yang Mahakekal kepada mereka.
Chizkuni
והימים אשר הלכנו מקדש ברנע, “and the number of years it took us to walk from Kadesh Barnea to the Wadi Zered were 38 years.” Not all of these years were spent walking, of course, but the total period including the encampments was 38 years, until the last of the men of military ages at the time of the Exodus had died. The reason why the river Zered is named here is that it was the first of several rivers the Israelites crossed on their march north.
Rashbam
והימים אשר הלכנו מקדש ברנע, from the place from which the spies had been sent out, 38 years had elapsed, seeing that the spies had been sent out in the second year after the Exodus.
Rav Hirsch
V. 14. אנשי המלחמה, diejenigen, welche zur Zeit der Kundschaftersendung das kriegsfähige Alter hatten, die demzufolge bei der damals bereits beabsichtigten Besitznahme des Landes hätten tätig sein sollen, aus gottvergessenem Kleinmut jedoch vor dieser Aufgabe zurückgeschreckt waren.