Numbers · Majority Standard Bible
Numbers 11 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.
1 The people were complaining in the ears of Yahweh. When Yahweh heard it, his anger burned; and Yahweh’s fire burned among them, and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
2 And the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.
2 The people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire abated.
3 So that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them.
3 The name of that place was called Taberah, because Yahweh’s fire burned among them.
4 Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat?
4 The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly; and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?
5 We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
5 We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;
6 But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!”
6 but now we have lost our appetite. There is nothing at all except this manna to look at.”
7 Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin.
7 The manna was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium.
8 The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil.
8 The people went around, gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it. Its taste was like the taste of fresh oil.
9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.
9 When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
10 Then Moses heard the people of family after family weeping at the entrances to their tents, and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was also displeased.
10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent; and Yahweh’s anger burned greatly; and Moses was displeased.
11 So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me the burden of all these people?
11 Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why haven’t I found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers?
12 Have I conceived all this people? Have I brought them out, that you should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which you swore to their fathers’?
13 Where can I get meat for all these people? For they keep crying out to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
13 Where could I get meat to give all these people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; it is too burdensome for me.
14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 If this is how You are going to treat me, please kill me right now—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and let me not see my own wretchedness.”
15 If you treat me this way, please kill me right now, if I have found favor in your sight; and don’t let me see my wretchedness.”
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you.
16 Yahweh said to Moses, “Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; and bring them to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you.
17 And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
17 I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit which is on you, and will put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you don’t bear it yourself alone.
18 And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you have cried out in the hearing of the LORD, saying: ‘Who will feed us meat? For we were better off in Egypt!’ Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat.
18 “Say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, and you will eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you will eat.
19 You will eat it not for one or two days, nor for five or ten or twenty days,
19 You will not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,
20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and makes you nauseous—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you; because you have rejected Yahweh who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”
21 But Moses replied, “Here I am among 600,000 men on foot, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’
21 Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’
22 If all our flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?”
23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will come to pass.”
23 Yahweh said to Moses, “Has Yahweh’s hand grown short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and relayed to the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent.
24 Moses went out, and told the people Yahweh’s words; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them around the Tent.
25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again.
25 Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.
26 Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp.
26 But two men remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the Spirit rested on them. They were of those who were written, but had not gone out to the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.
27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
27 A young man ran, and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”
28 Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”
28 Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, “My lord Moses, forbid them!”
29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would place His Spirit on them!”
29 Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all Yahweh’s people were prophets, that Yahweh would put his Spirit on them!”
30 Then Moses returned to the camp, along with the elders of Israel.
30 Moses went into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
31 Now a wind sent by the LORD came up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp, about two cubits above the surface of the ground, for a day’s journey in every direction around the camp.
31 A wind from Yahweh went out and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the earth.
32 All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around the camp.
32 The people rose up all that day, and all of that night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them all out for themselves around the camp.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague.
33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, Yahweh’s anger burned against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very great plague.
34 So they called that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
34 The name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.
35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth, where they remained for some time.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth; and they stayed at Hazeroth.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Eldad
One of two men who remained in the camp when the seventy elders went out to the Tent, yet received the Spirit like them and prophesied in the camp.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 11:26–27
Medad
One of two men who remained in the camp when the seventy elders went out to the Tent, yet received the Spirit like them and prophesied in the camp.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 11:26–27
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (32)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 21:5; 2 Kings 1:12; Numbers 16:35; Exodus 16:9; 1 Corinthians 10:10
- 2 Numbers 21:7; James 5:16; Numbers 16:45–48; Exodus 32:31–32; Exodus 32:10–14
- 3 Deuteronomy 9:22
- 4 1 Corinthians 10:6; Exodus 12:38; Psalm 106:14; Psalm 78:18–20; 1 Corinthians 15:33
- 5 Exodus 16:3; Psalm 17:14; Philippians 3:19
- 6 Numbers 21:5; 2 Samuel 13:4
- 7 Exodus 16:31; Exodus 16:14–15; Genesis 2:12; 1 Corinthians 1:23–24; Revelation 2:17
- 8 Exodus 16:31; Exodus 16:16–18; John 6:27; Exodus 16:23; John 6:33–58
- 9 Exodus 16:13–14; Psalm 78:23–25; Psalm 105:40; Deuteronomy 32:2
- 10 Psalm 78:21; Numbers 16:27; Numbers 20:10–13; Psalm 106:32–33; Psalm 139:21
- 11 Deuteronomy 1:12; Exodus 5:22; Job 10:2; 2 Corinthians 11:28; Jeremiah 15:10
- 12 Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 40:11; Exodus 13:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; Genesis 50:24
- 13 Matthew 15:33; Mark 8:4; John 6:5–9; Mark 9:23
- 14 Exodus 18:18; Deuteronomy 1:9–12; Zechariah 6:13; 2 Corinthians 2:16; Isaiah 9:6
- 15 Jonah 4:3; 1 Kings 19:4; Philippians 1:20–24; Jonah 4:8–9; Jeremiah 20:18
- 16 Exodus 24:1; Exodus 24:9; Deuteronomy 16:18; Genesis 46:27; Luke 10:17
- 17 1 Samuel 10:6; Numbers 11:25; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 2 Kings 2:9; 2 Kings 2:15
- 18 Exodus 19:10; Acts 7:39; Exodus 16:3–7; Numbers 11:4–6; Numbers 11:1
- 20 Psalm 106:15; Numbers 21:5; Psalm 78:27–30; 1 Samuel 10:19; Acts 13:41
- 21 Exodus 12:37; Numbers 1:46; Genesis 12:2; Exodus 38:26; Numbers 2:32
- 22 2 Kings 7:2; Matthew 15:33; Luke 1:18; Luke 1:34; John 6:6–7
- 23 Isaiah 59:1; Isaiah 50:2; Genesis 18:14; Luke 1:37; Numbers 23:19
- 24 Numbers 11:16; Numbers 11:26
- 25 Numbers 11:17; Joel 2:28–29; 1 Samuel 10:10; Numbers 12:5; 1 Corinthians 14:1–3
- 26 Jeremiah 36:5; 1 Samuel 20:26; 1 Samuel 10:22; Exodus 3:11; Exodus 4:13–14
- 28 Luke 9:49–50; Mark 9:38–40; John 3:26; Joshua 1:1; Exodus 33:11
- 29 1 Corinthians 14:5; Matthew 9:37–38; James 4:5; Luke 10:2; James 5:9
- 31 Exodus 16:13; Psalm 78:26–29; Psalm 105:40; Exodus 15:10; Psalm 135:7
- 32 Ezekiel 45:11; Exodus 16:36
- 33 Psalm 78:30–31; Psalm 106:14–15; Numbers 25:9; Numbers 16:49; Deuteronomy 28:27
- 34 Deuteronomy 9:22; 1 Corinthians 10:6; Numbers 33:16
- 35 Numbers 33:17; Numbers 12:16; Deuteronomy 1:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… the outward act, the broth to the allurement of lust within, as it is written, And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept again and again and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?' When the angel, then, stretched out his staff and touched the rock, and fire rose …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
The seventy Elders were chosen; And the Lord came down in a cloud, and took of the Spirit that was upon Moses, and put it upon the seventy Elders; not that the Spirit was divided, but that His grace was distributed in proportion to the vessels, and the capacity of the recipients.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
They were called, and they came not; my lord Moses, forbid them." "I cannot forbid them," he says, "for this grace is from Heaven; nay, so far am I from forbidding them, that I myself am thankful for it.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Wait for the proper season; and oh that all the Lord's people may be prophets, whenever the Lord shall give His Spirit upon them!" saying this also prophetically, whenever the Lord shall give; "For as yet then He has not given it; so thou hast it not yet."--Had not then Abraham this, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)