Numbers 11:8-18

8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and brake it with a quernstone, either pounded it in a mortar, and seethed it in a pot (and boiled it in a pot); and made thereof little cakes of the (same) savour as of bread made with oil.
9 And when [the] dew came down in the night upon the tents, also manna came down together therewith.
10 Then Moses heard the people weeping by families, and each of them by the doors of their tents; and the strong vengeance of the Lord was wroth greatly, but also the grouching was seen (as) unsufferable to Moses. (And Moses heard all the people crying with their families, by the entrances to their tents; and the Lord was greatly angered, and provoked to take strong vengeance, and Moses also thought that the grumbling was insufferable.)
11 And he said to the Lord, Why hast thou tormented thy servant? why find I not grace before thee? and why hast thou put the burden of all this people onto me? (And he said to the Lord, Why hast thou so tormented thy servant? why do I not find grace before thee? and why hast thou put the burden of all of these people onto me?)
12 whether I have conceived all this multitude, either have begotten it, that thou say to me, Bear thou them in thy bosom, as a nurse is wont to bear a little young child, and bear thou this people into the land for the which thou swore to their fathers? (have I conceived all this multitude, or have I begotten them, so that now thou can say to me, Carry thou them in thy bosom, like a nurse is wont to carry about a young child, and carry thou these people into the land for which thou swore to their fathers?)
13 whereof be meats to me, that I feed so great a multitude? They weep before me, and say, Give us flesh, that we eat; (where shall I find enough meat, so that I can feed so great a multitude? They weep before me, and say to me, Give us flesh, so that we can eat it;)
14 I may not alone sustain all this people, for it is grievous to me. (I cannot sustain all these people alone, for this is too heavy a burden for me/for they be too heavy a burden for me.)
15 If in other manner it seemeth to thee, I beseech thee, that thou slay me, and that I find grace in thine eyes, that I be not punished, or travailed, with so great evils. (If it seemeth to thee otherwise, then I beseech thee, that thou kill me, and so I shall receive grace from thee, and I shall no longer be punished, or travailed, with such great evil.)
16 And the Lord said to Moses, Gather thou to me seventy men of the elder men of Israel, whom thou knowest to be (the) eld(er) men, and (the) masters of the people; and thou shalt lead them to the door of the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace (and thou shalt bring them to the entrance to the Tabernacle of the Covenant), and thou shalt make them to stand there with thee,
17 that I come down, and speak to thee; and I shall take away of thy spirit, and I shall give to them, that they sustain with thee the burden of the people, and not thou alone be grieved. (and I shall come down, and speak with thee; and I shall take away some of the spirit that is upon thee, and I shall give it to them, so that they can help sustain the burden of the people along with thee, and so that not only thou be travailed.)
18 And thou shalt say to the people, Be ye hallowed; tomorrow ye shall eat flesh; for I heard you say, Who shall give us the meats of flesh? it was well to us in Egypt; that the Lord give you flesh, (And thou shalt say to the people, Be ye purified; for tomorrow ye shall eat some flesh; for I heard you say, Who shall give us flesh to eat? yea, it was well with us in Egypt; and so the Lord shall give you flesh to eat,)

Numbers 11:8-18 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.