What does Deuteronomy 2:14 mean?

It took us thirty-eight years to go from Kadesh-barnea to crossing the Zered Valley. By then, every fighting man from that generation had died, just as the Lord had promised. Deuteronomy 2:14 - Modern Text Bible

(This verse marks the end of a long period of wandering, during which the previous generation died off as God said they would.)