Numbers / Chapter 11

Numbers 11

35 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The people's complaints ignite divine fire at the camp's edge (Taberah). Then the asafsuf ('mixed rabble') craves meat, triggering a deeper crisis: the people weep for Egyptian food, Moses buckles under the burden of leadership, God appoints seventy elders to share the prophetic spirit, and quail arrive in devastating abundance — followed by a plague at Kibroth-hattaavah ('graves of craving').

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Moses's raw anguish is extraordinary: he asks God, 'Did I conceive this people? Did I give birth to them?' (v. 12). The Hebrew uses maternal language — haray ('conceive') and yalad ('give birth') — for a male leader overwhelmed by his flock. The seventy elders receive the spirit and prophesy, but two men (Eldad and Medad) prophesy in the camp without going to the tent. Joshua wants them stopped; Moses replies, 'Would that all the LORD's people were prophets' (v. 29) — a vision of democratized prophecy.

Translation Friction

The rare hitpael participle ke-mit'onenim ('like those grumbling,' v. 1) describes habitual, self-pitying complaint — but the text never identifies what they complained about. We rendered it 'grumble bitterly' to preserve the vagueness. The cognate accusative hit'avvu ta'avah ('they craved a craving,' v. 4) is an intensified construction expressing compulsive desire that resists smooth English; we used 'intense craving' to capture the Hebrew emphasis.

Connections

The nostalgic food catalog (v. 5) — fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, garlic — recalls the Nile Delta's produce, with bitter irony: chinnam ('for free') erases that they were slaves. The seventy elders parallel the seventy who ate with God on Sinai (Exodus 24:1, 9). The place-name Kibroth-hattaavah (v. 34) inscribes the failure into the landscape, as Taberah does in verse 3. **Tradition comparisons:** Targum Onkelos interprets this chapter with notable Aramaic renderings: Double adjustment: 'the LORD heard' becomes the passive 'it was heard before the LORD,' and 'his anger was kindled' (fire metaphor) becomes 'his anger was strong' (strength metaphor), removing both th... (3 notable renderings in this chapter) See the [Targum Onkelos on Numbers](/targum/numbers).

Numbers 11:1

וַיְהִ֤י הָעָם֙ כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים רַ֖ע בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ וַיִּ֣חַר אַפּ֔וֹ וַתִּבְעַר־בָּם֙ אֵ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתֹּ֖אכַל בִּקְצֵ֥ה הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

The people began to grumble bitterly, and it was offensive in the hearing of the LORD. When the LORD heard it, His anger blazed, and the fire of the LORD burned among them, consuming people at the edges of the camp.

KJV And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The rare hitpael participle ke-mit'onenim ('like those grumbling/moaning') suggests habitual, self-pitying complaint rather than a specific grievance — the text never identifies what they complained about. The phrase ra be'oznei YHVH ('evil/offensive in the ears of the LORD') anthropomorphically portrays God as hearing and being grieved. The esh YHVH ('fire of the LORD') that consumed biktseh ha-machaneh ('at the edge/outskirts of the camp') struck the periphery — the vulnerable margins — perhaps where the less committed had positioned themselves.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)anti-anthropomorphism

"And it was heard before the LORD, and his anger was strong."

Double adjustment: 'the LORD heard' becomes the passive 'it was heard before the LORD,' and 'his anger was kindled' (fire metaphor) becomes 'his anger was strong' (strength metaphor), removing both the anthropomorphic hearing and the fire imagery.

Numbers 11:2

וַיִּצְעַ֥ק הָעָ֖ם אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתִּשְׁקַ֖ע הָאֵֽשׁ׃

The people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.

KJV And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The sequence reveals Moses's mediatorial role: the people cry to Moses (yits'aq — a desperate shriek), Moses prays to God (yitpallel — formal intercession), and the fire subsides (tishqa — 'sank down, was swallowed up'). The verb shaqa implies the fire was absorbed back into the ground rather than extinguished by water — a supernatural cessation matching the supernatural origin.
Numbers 11:3

וַיִּקְרָ֛א שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא תַּבְעֵרָ֑ה כִּֽי־בָעֲרָ֥ה בָ֖ם אֵ֥שׁ יְהֹוָֽה׃

That place was named Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them.

KJV And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The place-name Tav'erah derives from the root b-'-r ('to burn'), creating an etymological memorial: the location's very name — 'Burning' — permanently records the divine judgment. This naming convention (event → place-name) recurs throughout Numbers, inscribing Israel's failures into the landscape of their journey.
Numbers 11:4

וְהָֽאסַפְסֻף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ הִתְאַוּ֖וּ תַּאֲוָ֑ה וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ וַיִּבְכּ֗וּ גַּ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י יַאֲכִלֵ֖נוּ בָּשָֽׂר׃

The mixed rabble among them developed an intense craving, and the Israelites also resumed their weeping, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat?"

KJV And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The asafsuf ('mixed rabble, riffraff') — a contemptuous term for the non-Israelite group that left Egypt with them (Exodus 12:38) — instigated the craving. The cognate accusative hit'avvu ta'avah ('they craved a craving') is an intensified construction expressing overwhelming, compulsive desire. The contagion spread: gam benei Yisrael ('even the Israelites') joined in. Their question mi ya'akilenu vasar ('who will feed us meat?') is not a practical question but a complaint against God's provision.
Numbers 11:5

זָכַ֙רְנוּ֙ אֶת־הַדָּגָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַ֥ל בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם חִנָּ֑ם אֵ֣ת הַקִּשֻּׁאִ֗ים וְאֵת֙ הָֽאֲבַטִּחִ֔ים וְאֶת־הֶחָצִ֥יר וְאֶת־הַבְּצָלִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַשּׁוּמִֽים׃

"We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt at no cost — the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic!"

KJV We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The nostalgic catalog of Egyptian foods — dagah ('fish'), kishu'im ('cucumbers'), avatichim ('melons/watermelons'), chatsir ('leeks'), betsalim ('onions'), shumim ('garlic') — represents the Nile Delta's abundant produce. The word chinnam ('for free, at no cost') is bitterly ironic: they were slaves, so the food was 'free' only because they had no freedom to spend wages. Selective memory idealizes bondage while erasing its horrors.
Numbers 11:6

וְעַתָּ֛ה נַפְשֵׁ֥נוּ יְבֵשָׁ֖ה אֵ֣ין כֹּ֑ל בִּלְתִּ֖י אֶל־הַמָּ֥ן עֵינֵֽינוּ׃

"But now our appetite has withered away. There is nothing at all — our eyes see nothing but this manna."

KJV But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase nafshenu yeveishah ('our soul/appetite is dried up') expresses both physical and psychological desolation — their entire being feels desiccated. The contemptuous ein kol bilti el ha-man einenu ('there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes') dismisses God's miraculous daily provision as monotonous and inadequate. The demonstrative tone — 'this manna' — drips with disdain for the divine gift.
Numbers 11:7

וְהַמָּ֕ן כִּזְרַע־גַּ֖ד ה֑וּא וְעֵינ֖וֹ כְּעֵ֥ין הַבְּדֹֽלַח׃

The manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance resembled the look of bdellium resin.

KJV And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator interrupts the complaint with a parenthetical description of the manna (vv. 7-9), subtly countering the people's ingratitude. The man ('manna') is compared to zera-gad ('coriander seed') in shape and size — small, round grains. Its eino ('appearance, color') resembled bedolach ('bdellium'), a translucent aromatic resin — pale, lustrous, and beautiful. Far from the dull substance the people describe, the narrator presents manna as visually striking.
Numbers 11:8

שָׁ֩טוּ֩ הָעָ֨ם וְלָֽקְט֜וּ וְטָחֲנ֣וּ בָרֵחַ֗יִם א֤וֹ דָכוּ֙ בַּמְּדֹכָ֔ה וּבִשְּׁלוּ֙ בַּפָּר֔וּר וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ עֻג֑וֹת וְהָיָ֣ה טַעְמ֔וֹ כְּטַ֖עַם לְשַׁ֥ד הַשָּֽׁמֶן׃

The people would go around gathering it, then grind it in hand mills or crush it in mortars, cook it in pots, and make it into flatcakes. Its flavor was like the taste of rich cream.

KJV And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The description of manna preparation reveals its versatility: shatu ('they roamed about') to gather it, then tachanu vareichayim ('ground it in mills') or dakhu bammedokhah ('crushed it in a mortar'), bishlu baparur ('cooked it in a pot'), and asu oto ugot ('made it into cakes/flatbreads'). The phrase leshad ha-shamen ('the cream/richness of oil') describes its taste — leshad suggests moisture, freshness, richness. The manna was a complete, adaptable food source, underscoring the irrationality of the complaint.
Numbers 11:9

וּבְרֶ֧דֶת הַטַּ֛ל עַל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה לָ֑יְלָה יֵרֵ֥ד הַמָּ֖ן עָלָֽיו׃

When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna would descend with it.

KJV And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The manna arrives with the nighttime dew (tal) — beredeth ha-tal ('when the dew descended') upon the camp, yered ha-man alav ('the manna would come down upon it'). The parallel descent of dew and manna associates the miraculous food with natural phenomena, presenting it as heaven's gift embedded within creation's rhythms. The manna appears each night, fresh and reliable, yet the people treat this daily miracle with contempt.
Numbers 11:10

וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־הָעָ֗ם בֹּכֶה֙ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֔יו אִ֖ישׁ לְפֶ֣תַח אׇהֳל֑וֹ וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֤ף יְהֹוָה֙ מְאֹ֔ד וּבְעֵינֵ֥י מֹשֶׁ֖ה רָֽע׃

Moses heard the people weeping by their family groups, each person at the entrance of their tent. The LORD's anger blazed intensely, and Moses too was deeply troubled.

KJV Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The scene is devastating: bokheh lemishpechotav ('weeping family by family') — this was not isolated grumbling but organized, household-by-household lamentation. Each person ish lefetach oholo ('at the entrance of their tent') made the weeping public and visible. Two reactions follow: vayyichar-af YHVH me'od ('the LORD's anger burned greatly') and uve'einei Mosheh ra ('and in Moses's eyes it was bad/distressing'). Moses is caught between divine wrath and human misery.
Numbers 11:11

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֗ה לָמָ֤ה הֲרֵעֹ֙תָ֙ לְעַבְדֶּ֔ךָ וְלָ֛מָּה לֹא־מָצָ֥תִי חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ לָשׂ֗וּם אֶת־מַשָּׂ֛א כׇּל־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה עָלָֽי׃

Moses said to the LORD, "Why have you brought such misery on your servant? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you place the burden of this entire people on me?

KJV And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses's anguished prayer opens with two lamah ('why?') questions directed at God — an extraordinary act of raw honesty. The phrase hareota le'avdekha ('you have done evil/harm to your servant') is remarkably bold — Moses accuses God of mistreating him. The massa ('burden, load') of kol-ha'am hazeh ('this entire people') is crushing. Moses does not question God's existence or power, but his justice in assigning such an unbearable task.
Numbers 11:12

הֶאָנֹכִ֣י הָרִ֗יתִי אֵ֚ת כׇּל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אִם־אָנֹכִ֖י יְלִדְתִּ֑יהוּ כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֨ר אֵלַ֜י שָׂאֵ֣הוּ בְחֵיקֶ֗ךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשָּׂ֤א הָאֹמֵן֙ אֶת־הַיֹּנֵ֔ק עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתָּ לַאֲבֹתָֽיו׃

Did I conceive this entire people? Did I give birth to them, that you should tell me, 'Carry them against your chest, the way a caretaker carries a nursing infant,' all the way to the land you swore to their ancestors?"

KJV Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses uses shocking maternal imagery: he'anokhi hariti ('Did I conceive?') and anokhi yelidtihu ('Did I give birth to them?'). The demand to sa'ehu vecheiqekha ('carry them in your bosom/chest') ka'asher yissa ha-omen et ha-yoneq ('as a wet-nurse/guardian carries a sucking child') casts the leadership role as intimate parental nurture. The omen ('guardian, nurse') is grammatically masculine — a male caretaker nursing an infant. Moses's point: this parental role belongs to God, not to him.
Numbers 11:13

מֵאַ֤יִן לִי֙ בָּשָׂ֔ר לָתֵ֖ת לְכׇל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּֽי־יִבְכּ֤וּ עָלַי֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר תְּנָה־לָּ֥נוּ בָשָׂ֖ר וְנֹאכֵֽלָה׃

"Where am I supposed to get meat for this entire people? They keep weeping at me, saying, 'Give us meat to eat!'

KJV Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The question me'ayin li vasar ('from where would I have meat?') highlights the practical impossibility — no flocks or supply lines could feed hundreds of thousands. The people's demand tenah-lanu vasar venokhelah ('give us meat and let us eat!') treats Moses as their personal provisioner. The verb yivku alai ('they weep upon/against me') conveys the relentless emotional pressure of constant public weeping directed at Moses personally.
Numbers 11:14

לֹֽא־אוּכַ֤ל אָנֹכִי֙ לְבַדִּ֔י לָשֵׂ֖את אֶת־כׇּל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֥י כָבֵ֖ד מִמֶּֽנִּי׃

I cannot carry this entire people by myself — it is too heavy for me.

KJV I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses's confession lo-ukhal anokhi levaddi laset ('I am not able alone to carry') echoes Jethro's earlier warning in Exodus 18:18. The word kaved ('heavy') — the same root as kavod ('glory') — ironically connects the weight of leadership with the weightiness of God's presence. What should produce glory has become an unbearable burden because the people refuse to cooperate with God's plan.
Numbers 11:15

וְאִם־כָּ֣כָה ׀ אַתְּ־עֹ֣שֶׂה לִּ֗י הׇרְגֵ֤נִי נָא֙ הָרֹ֔ג אִם־מָצָ֥אתִי חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ וְאַל־אֶרְאֶ֖ה בְּרָעָתִֽי׃ {פ}

If this is how you are going to treat me, then please kill me right now — if I have found any favor in your sight — and do not let me witness my own ruin."

KJV And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses reaches his breaking point: horgeni na harog ('kill me, please — yes, kill me!'). The infinitive absolute harog before the imperative intensifies the plea to almost desperate insistence. The paradoxical phrase im-matsati chen be'einekha ('if I have found favor in your eyes') frames death as an act of divine mercy — being killed would be a kindness compared to continued suffering. The phrase ve'al-er'eh bera'ati ('let me not see my misery/ruin') reveals Moses would rather die than watch the situation deteriorate further.
Numbers 11:16

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶסְפָה־לִּ֞י שִׁבְעִ֣ים אִישׁ֮ מִזִּקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָדַ֔עְתָּ כִּי־הֵ֛ם זִקְנֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם וְשֹׁטְרָ֑יו וְלָקַחְתָּ֤ אֹתָם֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וְהִֽתְיַצְּב֥וּ שָׁ֖ם עִמָּֽךְ׃

The LORD said to Moses, "Gather seventy men from Israel's elders — men you recognize as the people's true elders and officials — and bring them to the Tent of Meeting, where they will stand alongside you.

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God responds not with rebuke but with structural relief. The shiv'im ish ('seventy men') echoes the seventy elders who ascended Sinai with Moses (Exodus 24:1, 9). The qualification asher yadata ('whom you know') empowers Moses to select proven leaders, not appointees by divine lottery. These must be both ziqnei ha'am ('elders of the people' — recognized community authorities) and shotrav ('its officials' — administrative functionaries). The location ohel mo'ed ('Tent of Meeting') sacralizes their appointment.
Numbers 11:17

וְיָרַדְתִּ֗י וְדִבַּרְתִּ֣י עִמְּךָ֮ שָׁם֒ וְאָצַלְתִּ֗י מִן־הָר֛וּחַ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָלֶ֖יךָ וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וְנָשְׂא֤וּ אִתְּךָ֙ בְּמַשָּׂ֣א הָעָ֔ם וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֥א אַתָּ֖ה לְבַדֶּֽךָ׃

I will come down and speak with you there. I will draw off some of the spirit that rests on you and place it on them, so they will share the burden of the people with you, and you will no longer carry it alone."

KJV And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb ve'atsalti ('I will draw off, set aside') from the root '-ts-l ('to reserve, withdraw') describes God taking min-ha-ruach asher alekha ('from the spirit that is upon you') — not creating new spiritual endowment but distributing Moses's existing portion. This does not diminish Moses (as the rabbis noted, like lighting candles from a flame without reducing it), but it extends his spiritual authority to others. The goal is shared burden-bearing: venas'u ittekha ('they shall carry with you').

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)literal

"And I will set apart from the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them."

Onkelos renders the distribution of Moses' spirit to the seventy elders literally. The spirit (rucha) is treated as a divine gift that can be shared without diminishment.

Numbers 11:18

וְאֶל־הָעָ֨ם תֹּאמַ֜ר הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּ לְמָחָר֮ וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֣ם בָּשָׂר֒ כִּ֡י בְּכִיתֶם֩ בְּאׇזְנֵ֨י יְהֹוָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֤י יַאֲכִלֵ֙נוּ֙ בָּשָׂ֔ר כִּי־ט֥וֹב לָ֖נוּ בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְנָתַ֨ן יְהֹוָ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם בָּשָׂ֖ר וַאֲכַלְתֶּֽם׃

"Tell the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because you are going to eat meat. You have wept in the LORD's hearing, saying, 'Who will give us meat to eat? We had it better in Egypt!' So the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it.

KJV And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The command hitkaddeshu lemachar ('consecrate yourselves for tomorrow') typically precedes a theophany or sacred event — here it precedes divine judgment disguised as answered prayer. God's words echo the people's own complaint back to them: bekhitem be'oznei YHVH ('you have wept in the LORD's ears') and ki-tov lanu beMitsrayim ('it was good for us in Egypt'). The ominous repetition — venatan YHVH lakhem vasar va'akhaltem ('the LORD will give you meat and you will eat') — carries an edge: God will give them exactly what they demanded.
Numbers 11:19

לֹ֣א י֥וֹם אֶחָ֛ד תֹּאכְל֖וּן וְלֹ֣א יוֹמָ֑יִם וְלֹ֣א ׀ חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה יָמִ֗ים וְלֹא֙ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה יָמִ֔ים וְלֹ֖א עֶשְׂרִ֥ים יֽוֹם׃

You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or even twenty days —

KJV Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The escalating enumeration — yom echad ('one day'), yomayim ('two days'), chamishah yamim ('five days'), asarah yamim ('ten days'), esrim yom ('twenty days') — builds suspense through five stages of denial before the climax in verse 20. Each number doubles or surpasses the previous, creating a rhetorical crescendo that heightens the shock of God's actual answer.
Numbers 11:20

עַ֣ד ׀ חֹ֣דֶשׁ יָמִ֗ים עַ֤ד אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵא֙ מֵֽאַפְּכֶ֔ם וְהָיָ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם לְזָרָ֑א יַ֗עַן כִּֽי־מְאַסְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־יְהֹוָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֔ם וַתִּבְכּ֤וּ לְפָנָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה יָצָ֥אנוּ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

but for an entire month — until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes revolting to you — because you have rejected the LORD who is among you, weeping before Him and saying, 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?'"

KJV But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The climax: chodesh yamim ('a month of days' — a full month). The graphic image ad asher-yetse me'appekhem ('until it comes out of your nostrils') describes gorging to the point of nausea. The word zara ('loathsome, revolting') signifies physical revulsion. The theological indictment is devastating: me'astem et-YHVH asher beqirbekhem ('you have rejected the LORD who is in your midst'). Their craving for Egypt's food amounts to rejection of God's presence — the One who dwells among them.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)shekinah

"Because you have distanced yourselves from before the LORD whose Shekinah is among you."

God's being 'in your midst' is rendered as 'whose Shekinah is among you.' Israel's rejection is described as distancing from the Shekinah-presence, making sin a relational separation from divine indwelling.

Numbers 11:21

וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ מֹשֶׁה֒ שֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֙לֶף֙ רַגְלִ֔י הָעָ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י בְּקִרְבּ֑וֹ וְאַתָּ֣ה אָמַ֗רְתָּ בָּשָׂר֙ אֶתֵּ֣ן לָהֶ֔ם וְאָכְל֖וּ חֹ֥דֶשׁ יָמִֽים׃

Moses said, "The people I am among number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, 'I will give them meat to eat for an entire month'!

KJV And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Even Moses struggles with the logistics: shesh-me'ot elef ragli ('six hundred thousand foot soldiers') represents an enormous population. The number matches the census of fighting men in Numbers 1:46. Moses's tone borders on incredulity — not doubting God's truthfulness but grappling with the practical impossibility. His response echoes Sarah's laughter — faith confronted by the sheer scale of the divine promise.
Numbers 11:22

הֲצֹ֧אן וּבָקָ֛ר יִשָּׁחֵ֥ט לָהֶ֖ם וּמָצָ֣א לָהֶ֑ם אִ֣ם אֶֽת־כׇּל־דְּגֵ֥י הַיָּ֛ם יֵאָסֵ֥ף לָהֶ֖ם וּמָצָ֥א לָהֶֽם׃ {פ}

Could enough flocks and herds be slaughtered for them to be satisfied? Could all the fish in the sea be gathered for them and still be enough?"

KJV Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses's rhetorical questions expose his failure of imagination: ha-tson uvakar yishachet lahem ('shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them?') and kol-degei ha-yam ye'asef lahem ('shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them?') — each followed by u-matsa lahem ('and would it suffice them?'). Moses considers only natural resources — livestock and fish — unable to conceive of God's ability to provide through other means. The question parallels Psalm 78:19-20: 'Can God spread a table in the wilderness?'
Numbers 11:23

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה הֲיַ֥ד יְהֹוָ֖ה תִּקְצָ֑ר עַתָּ֥ה תִרְאֶ֛ה הֲיִקְרְךָ֥ דְבָרִ֖י אִם־לֹֽא׃

The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's hand too short? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true for you."

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's response is a single devastating question: ha-yad YHVH tiqtsar ('is the hand of the LORD shortened/insufficient?'). The 'hand' represents power and capability; a 'short hand' means inability to reach or accomplish. The challenge attah tir'eh ('now you will see') shifts from theological argument to empirical demonstration — Moses will witness firsthand whether God's devar ('word, promise') is reliable. The phrase hayiqrekha devari ('will my word meet/encounter you') uses the verb q-r-h, implying that God's word will track Moses down and confront him with its fulfillment.
Numbers 11:24

וַיֵּצֵ֣א מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיְדַבֵּר֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיֶּאֱסֹ֞ף שִׁבְעִ֥ים אִישׁ֙ מִזִּקְנֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם וַֽיַּעֲמֵ֥ד אֹתָ֖ם סְבִיבֹ֥ת הָאֹֽהֶל׃

Moses went out and relayed the LORD's words to the people. He gathered seventy men from the people's elders and stationed them around the Tent.

KJV And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses's immediate obedience: vayyetse ('he went out') from God's presence, vayedabber ('and spoke') the divine message, vayye'esof shiv'im ish ('and gathered seventy men'). He positioned them sevivot ha-ohel ('around/surrounding the Tent of Meeting') — encircling the sacred space where God would descend. The physical arrangement — a ring of elders around the Tent — visually represents the distribution of authority from center to periphery.
Numbers 11:25

וַיֵּ֨רֶד יְהֹוָ֥ה ׀ בֶּעָנָן֮ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלָיו֒ וַיָּ֗אצֶל מִן־הָר֙וּחַ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלָ֔יו וַיִּתֵּ֕ן עַל־שִׁבְעִ֥ים אִ֖ישׁ הַזְּקֵנִ֑ים וַיְהִ֗י כְּנ֤וֹחַ עֲלֵיהֶם֙ הָר֔וּחַ וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וּ וְלֹ֥א יָסָֽפוּ׃

The LORD descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He drew off some of the spirit that was on Moses and placed it on the seventy elders. When the spirit rested on them, they prophesied — but they did not do so again.

KJV And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The theophany: vayyered YHVH be'anan ('the LORD descended in a cloud'). The verb vayya'atsel ('He drew off, set apart') describes the spirit's distribution. When ha-ruach ('the spirit') settled on the elders, they vayitnab'u ('prophesied') — likely ecstatic speech confirming divine authorization. The crucial phrase velo yasafu is debated: it could mean 'they did not cease' (prophesied continuously) or 'they did not continue/add' (prophesied only once, as a sign). Most scholars favor the latter — this was a one-time validation of their appointment, not an ongoing prophetic ministry.
Numbers 11:26

וַיִּשָּׁאֲר֣וּ שְׁנֵֽי־אֲנָשִׁ֣ים ׀ בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֡ה שֵׁ֣ם הָאֶחָ֣ד ׀ אֶלְדָּ֡ד וְשֵׁם֩ הַשֵּׁנִ֨י מֵידָ֜ד וַתָּ֧נַח עֲלֵהֶ֣ם הָר֗וּחַ וְהֵ֙מָּה֙ בַּכְּתֻבִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָצְא֖וּ הָאֹ֑הֱלָה וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וּ בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

Two men had remained in the camp — one named Eldad and the other named Medad. The spirit rested on them as well; they were among those registered but had not gone out to the Tent. They prophesied right there in the camp.

KJV But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Eldad (El-dad — 'God has loved') and Medad (Me-dad — perhaps 'beloved') remained ba-machaneh ('in the camp') despite being ba-ketuvim ('among the registered/written ones') — officially appointed but physically absent from the Tent. The reason for their absence is unspecified, generating much rabbinic speculation (humility? impurity? different reason?). Crucially, the spirit reached them anyway — vattanach aleihem ha-ruach ('the spirit rested upon them') — demonstrating that divine empowerment is not confined to sacred geography. They prophesied ba-machaneh ('in the camp'), among the common people.
Numbers 11:27

וַיָּ֣רׇץ הַנַּ֔עַר וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לְמֹשֶׁ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֶלְדָּ֣ד וּמֵידָ֔ד מִֽתְנַבְּאִ֖ים בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

A young man ran and reported to Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!"

KJV And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The na'ar ('young man, attendant') — unnamed — vayyarats ('ran') with urgency to report what he perceived as an unauthorized spiritual event. His alarm suggests he viewed prophesying outside the Tent's sanctioned space as irregular or threatening. The present participle mitnab'im ('are prophesying') indicates ongoing activity — Eldad and Medad were still at it when the report arrived.
Numbers 11:28

וַיַּ֜עַן יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֗וּן מְשָׁרֵ֥ת מֹשֶׁ֛ה מִבְּחֻרָ֖יו וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנִ֥י מֹשֶׁ֖ה כְּלָאֵֽם׃

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses's attendant since his youth, spoke up and said, "My lord Moses, stop them!"

KJV And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Yehoshua bin-Nun, identified as mesharet Mosheh ('Moses's minister/attendant') mibbechurav ('from his chosen ones' or 'from his youth'), reacts protectively. His plea adoni Mosheh kela'em ('my lord Moses, restrain them!') reveals concern for Moses's unique authority — if anyone can prophesy, what distinguishes Moses? Joshua's jealousy on Moses's behalf mirrors later conflicts over unauthorized spiritual activity (Mark 9:38-39). The verb kala' ('restrain, imprison, stop') suggests forcible suppression.
Numbers 11:29

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה הַֽמְקַנֵּ֥א אַתָּ֖ה לִ֑י וּמִ֨י יִתֵּ֜ן כׇּל־עַ֤ם יְהֹוָה֙ נְבִיאִ֔ים כִּי־יִתֵּ֧ן יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־רוּח֖וֹ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

Moses replied, "Are you jealous on my account? If only all the LORD's people were prophets — if only the LORD would place His spirit on every one of them!"

KJV And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses's response is among the most magnanimous statements in Scripture. His question ha-meqanne atah li ('are you being jealous for my sake?') gently rebukes Joshua's possessiveness. Then the breathtaking wish: u-mi yitten kol-am YHVH nevi'im ('who would grant that all the LORD's people were prophets!') — the optative mi yitten ('who will give' = 'if only!') expresses deep longing. Moses envisions universal prophetic endowment — ki-yitten YHVH et-rucho aleihem ('that the LORD would place His spirit upon them'). Joel 2:28-29 later echoes this hope.
Numbers 11:30

וַיֵּאָסֵ֥ף מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה ה֖וּא וְזִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Then Moses withdrew to the camp — he and the elders of Israel.

KJV And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The brief notice vayye'asef Mosheh el-ha-machaneh ('Moses was gathered/withdrew to the camp') uses the passive-reflexive form of '-s-f ('to gather, withdraw'). Moses returns from the Tent of Meeting with the newly empowered elders accompanying him — hu ve-ziqnei Yisrael ('he and the elders of Israel'). The scene shifts from the elder-appointment narrative to the quail narrative.
Numbers 11:31

וְר֜וּחַ נָסַ֣ע ׀ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהֹוָ֗ה וַיָּ֣גׇז שַׂלְוִים֮ מִן־הַיָּם֒ וַיִּטֹּ֨שׁ עַל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֜ה כְּדֶ֧רֶךְ י֣וֹם כֹּ֗ה וּכְדֶ֤רֶךְ יוֹם֙ כֹּ֔ה סְבִיב֖וֹת הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וּכְאַמָּתַ֖יִם עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃

A wind went out from the LORD and swept quail in from the sea, dropping them around the camp — about a day's walk in every direction — piled roughly three feet deep on the ground.

KJV And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The ruach ('wind') serves as God's instrument, driving salvim ('quail' — small migratory birds that cross the Sinai region) min ha-yam ('from the sea' — likely the Gulf of Aqaba or the Mediterranean). The verb vayyagaz ('cut off, drove') suggests the wind intercepted the birds' flight path. The verb vayyittosh ('let fall, abandoned') describes the exhausted quail collapsing. The scale is staggering: ke-derekh yom koh u-khe-derekh yom koh ('about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on that side') in every direction, piled ke-ammatayim ('about two cubits' — roughly three feet) deep upon the ground.
Numbers 11:32

וַיָּ֣קׇם הָעָ֡ם כׇּל־הַיּוֹם֩ הַה֨וּא וְכׇל־הַלַּ֜יְלָה וְכֹ֣ל ׀ י֣וֹם הַֽמׇּחֳרָ֗ת וַיַּֽאַסְפוּ֙ אֶת־הַשְּׂלָ֔ו הַמַּמְעִ֕יט אָסַ֖ף עֲשָׂרָ֣ה חֳמָרִ֑ים וַיִּשְׁטְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ שָׁט֔וֹחַ סְבִיב֖וֹת הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

The people were on their feet all that day, all that night, and all the next day gathering the quail. The person who gathered the least collected ten homers. They spread the birds out all around the camp to dry.

KJV And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The frantic gathering lasted kol ha-yom hahu vekhol ha-lailah vekhol yom ha-mochorat ('all that day, all night, and all the next day') — thirty-six continuous hours of compulsive collecting. The minimum haul — ha-mam'it asaf asarah chomarim ('the one who gathered least collected ten homers') — equals roughly sixty bushels per person. The verb vayyishtchu ('they spread out') describes laying the birds out shatochat ('spread flat') around the camp for drying and preservation — an ancient method of curing meat.
Numbers 11:33

הַבָּשָׂ֗ר עוֹדֶ֙נּוּ֙ בֵּ֣ין שִׁנֵּיהֶ֔ם טֶ֖רֶם יִכָּרֵ֑ת וְאַ֤ף יְהֹוָה֙ חָרָ֣ה בָעָ֔ם וַיַּ֤ךְ יְהֹוָה֙ בָּעָ֔ם מַכָּ֖ה רַבָּ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃

The meat was still between their teeth — before it was even chewed — when the LORD's anger blazed against the people, and the LORD struck the people with an extremely severe plague.

KJV And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The timing is shocking: ha-basar odennu bein shinneihem ('the meat was still between their teeth') — terem yikkaret ('before it was cut/chewed') — the judgment fell mid-bite. The verb yikkaret ('was cut off') may mean 'chewed' or 'consumed/finished.' God's anger (af YHVH) and the resulting makkah rabbah me'od ('a very great plague/strike') demonstrate that getting what you crave can itself become the instrument of judgment. The nature of the plague is unspecified — disease, divine fire, or sudden death.
Numbers 11:34

וַיִּקְרָ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא קִבְר֣וֹת הַֽתַּאֲוָ֑ה כִּי־שָׁם֙ קָֽבְר֔וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם הַמִּתְאַוִּֽים׃

That place was named Kibroth-hattaavah — "Graves of Craving" — because it was there they buried the people who had been consumed by desire.

KJV And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The place-name Qivrot ha-Ta'avah ('Graves of Craving') is a bitter memorial: qivrot ('graves') combined with ta'avah ('desire, craving, lust'). The etymological note ki-sham qavru et-ha'am ha-mit'avvim ('because there they buried the people who were craving') creates a permanent wordplay — those consumed by ta'avah ('craving') were buried in ta'avah ('craving'). The desire itself became their grave. The hitpael participle mit'avvim ('those craving') indicates ongoing, habitual desire — they never stopped wanting.
Numbers 11:35

מִקִּבְר֧וֹת הַֽתַּאֲוָ֛ה נָסְע֥וּ הָעָ֖ם חֲצֵר֑וֹת וַיִּהְי֖וּ בַּחֲצֵרֽוֹת׃ {פ}

From Kibroth-hattaavah the people traveled on to Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

KJV And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The travel notice marks the transition: from Qivrot ha-Ta'avah ('Graves of Craving') to Chatserot ('Hazeroth' — meaning 'enclosures' or 'courtyards'). The verb vayyihyu ('and they stayed/remained') indicates a more extended encampment. Hazeroth becomes the setting for the next crisis — Miriam and Aaron's challenge to Moses's authority in chapter 12. The people move on geographically but not spiritually; each new location brings a new test.
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