Numbers 11ESV
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Numbers11

English Standard Version

1And the in the of the Lord about their , and when the Lord it, his was , and the of the Lord among them and some of the .

2Then the cried to , and to the Lord, and the died .

3 the of was called , the of the Lord among them.

4Now the that was them a strong . And the of and , Oh we had to !

5We the we in cost , the , the , the , the , and the .

6But our is , and there is at this to look .

7Now the was like , and its like of .

8The went and it and it in or it in and it in and of it. And the of it was like the of baked with .

9When the the in the , the it.

10 the throughout their , at the of his . And the of the Lord , and .

11 to the Lord, have you with your ? And have I in your , that you the of me?

12Did I ? Did I give them , you should to me, them in your , as a a , to the you to give their ?

13 am I to get to to ? they before me and , us , that we may .

14I am to ; burden is for me.

15 you will me like this, me at , I in your , that I may my .

16Then the Lord to , for me of the of , you to be the of the and over them, and them to the of , and let them take their with you.

17And I will come and with you . And I will of the is you and it on them, and they shall the of the with you, so that you may it yourself .

18And to the , yourselves for , and you shall , you have in the of the Lord, , will give us to ? it was for us in . Therefore the Lord will you , and you shall .

19You shall just , two , , , ,

20 a , it at your and becomes to you, you have the Lord is you and have him, , did we of ?

21But , The among whom I number on , and you have , I will them , that they may a !

22Shall and be for them, and be for them? shall the of the be for them, and be for them?

23And the Lord to , Is the Lord ’s ? you shall whether my will come for you .

24So went and the the of the Lord. And he of the of the and them the .

25Then the Lord came in the and to him, and of the was him and it the . And as soon as the them, they . But they did doing it.

26Now in the , , and the , and the them. They were among those , but they had gone to the , and so they in the .

27And a and , and are in the .

28And the of , the of from his , , My , them.

29But to him, Are you for my sake? Would the Lord ’s were , that the Lord would his on them!

30And and the of the .

31Then a from the Lord , and it the and let them the , about a on this and a on the other , the , and about the .

32And the that and and the , and the . Those who gathered . And they them for themselves all the .

33While the was their , it was , the of the Lord was against the , and the Lord the with a .

34Therefore the of that was , they the who had the .

35 the to , and they remained at .

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Numbers 11.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The burning at Taberah. (1–3). The people lust for flesh, and loathe the manna. (4–9). Moses complains of his charge. (10–15). Elders appointed to divide the charge. Flesh meat promised. (16–23). The Spirit rests on the elders. (24–30). Quails are given. (31–35).

vv1-3

Here is the people's sin; they complained. See the sinfulness of sin, which takes occasion from the commandment to be provoking. The weakness of the law discovered sin, but could not destroy it; checked, but could not conquer it. They complained. Those who are of a discontented spirit, will always find something to quarrel or fret about, though the circumstances of their outward condition be ever so favourable. The Lord heard it, though Moses did not. God knows the secret frettings and murmurings of the heart, though concealed from men. What he noticed, he was much displeased with, and he chastised them for this sin. The fire of their wrath against God burned in their minds; justly did the fire of God's wrath fasten on their bodies; but God's judgments came on them gradually, that they might take warning. It appeared that God delights not in punishing; when he begins, he is soon prevailed with to let it fall.

vv4-9

Man, having forsaken his proper rest, feels uneasy and wretched, though prosperous. They were weary of the provision God had made for them, although wholesome food and nourishing. It cost no money or care, and the labour of gathering it was very little indeed; yet they talked of Egypt's cheapness, and the fish they ate there freely; as if that cost them nothing, when they paid dearly for it with hard service! While they lived on manna, they seemed exempt from the curse sin has brought on man, that in the sweat of his face he should eat bread; yet they speak of it with scorn. Peevish, discontented minds will find fault with that which has no fault in it, but that it is too good for them. Those who might be happy, often make themselves miserable by discontent. They could not be satisfied unless they had flesh to eat. It is evidence of the dominion of the carnal mind, when we want to have the delights and satisfaction of sense. We should not indulge in any desire which we cannot in faith turn into prayer, as we cannot when we ask meat for our lust. What is lawful of itself becomes evil, when God does not allot it to us, yet we desire it.

vv10-15

The provocation was very great; yet Moses expressed himself otherwise than became him. He undervalued the honour God had put upon him. He magnified his own performances, while he had the Divine wisdom to direct him, and Almighty power to dispense rewards and punishments. He speaks distrustfully of the Divine grace. Had the work been much less he could not have gone through it in his own strength; but had it been much greater, through God strengthening him, he might have done it. Let us pray, Lord, lead us not into temptation.

Cross References

Numbers 11

Paul warns believers not to lust after evil things as Israel lusted in the wilderness.

Supported by Matthew Henry

Deuteronomy names Taberah and Kibroth-hattaavah as places where Israel provoked the Lord to wrath.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v4Exodus 12:38allusion

Identifies the mixed multitude that instigated the intense craving for meat in the camp.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v4Psalms 106:14thematic

Summarizes Israel's intense lusting in the wilderness and their tempting of God.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v28Luke 9:49thematic

John's attempt to stop an outside miracle worker mirrors Joshua's attempt to silence Eldad and Medad.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v31Psalms 78:27thematic

Poetically describes the miraculous sending of feathered fowls like the sand of the sea.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v33Psalms 78:30thematic

Portrays God striking Israel with a plague while the meat was still in their mouths.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v7Exodus 16:31thematic

Compares the appearance and taste of the manna to the original Exodus description.

Supported by JFB

v14Deuteronomy 1:9thematic

Moses later recounts his inability to bear the immense burden of the people alone.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v151 Kings 19:4thematic

Elijah's despairing request for God to take his life mirrors Moses' request to be killed.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v17Nehemiah 9:20thematic

Nehemiah reflects on God giving His good Spirit to instruct Israel during their journeys.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v23Isaiah 50:2thematic

Echoes the Lord's question to Moses about whether His hand or power has been shortened.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v16Luke 10:1typology

Jesus appointing seventy disciples parallels Moses gathering seventy elders to assist in ministry.

Supported by John Calvin