Numbers 11:19-29

19 You will eat, not one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,

20 {but for a whole month}, until it comes out from your nose and becomes as nausea to you; because you have rejected Yahweh, who [is] in your midst, and you wept before {his presence}, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?" '"

21 But Moses said, "[There are] six hundred thousand on foot, among whom I [am] in the midst, and you yourself said, 'I will give meat to them, and they will eat for a whole month.'

22 Should flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them? Should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be enough for them?"

23 And Yahweh said to Moses, "{Is Yahweh's power limited}? Now you will see if my word will happen or not."

24 So Moses went out, and he spoke the words of Yahweh to the people, and he gathered [together] seventy men from the elders of the people, and he {made them stand} all around the tent.

25 Then Yahweh went down in the cloud and spoke to him, and he took away the spirit that [was] on him, and he {put it} on the seventy elders. And as soon as the spirit was resting on them they prophesied, but they did not do it again.

26 But two men were left in the camp; the name of one [was] Eldad, and the name of the second [was] Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those who were written [down], but they did not go out to the tent, so they prophesied in the camp.

27 So a boy ran and told Moses and said, "Eldad and Medad [are] prophesying in the camp."

28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from time of his youth, answered, "Moses, my lord, stop them."

29 But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that he give all Yahweh's people prophets, that Yahweh put his spirit on them!"

Numbers 11:19-29 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 11

This chapter informs us of the complaints of the people of Israel, which brought the fire of the Lord upon them, and consumed many of them; and which, at the intercession of Moses, was quenched, and the place from thence called Taberah, Nu 11:1-3; and of the lusting of the mixed multitude after flesh, to increase which, they called to mind their food in Egypt; and to show their folly and ingratitude in so doing, the manna is described, Nu 11:4-9; and of the uneasiness of Moses, and his complaints of the heavy burden of the people upon him, Nu 11:10-15; and to make him easy, it is promised, that seventy of the elders of Israel should partake of his spirit, and assist in bearing the burden, Nu 11:16,17; and that the people should have flesh to serve them a whole month, Nu 11:18-20; at which last Moses expressed some degree of unbelief, Nu 11:21-23; however God fulfilled his promise with respect to both. Some of the spirit of Moses was taken and given to seventy elders, who prophesied, and two men are particularly taken notice of, who did so, Nu 11:24-30; quails in great numbers were brought by a wind to the people; but while they were eating them wrath came upon them, and they were smitten with a plague, whence the place was called Kibrothhattaavah, Nu 11:31-34; and from thence they removed to Hazeroth, Nu 11:35.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "until a period of one month"
• [b]. Literally "before his face"
• [c]. Literally "Is Yahweh's hand short?"
• [d]. Literally "caused them to stand"
• [e]. Or "gave it"
• [f]. Hebrew "the boy"
• [g]. That is, Yahweh