(KJV) Numbers 111

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⥃The Complaints of the People

[1] And [when2] the people complained3, it displeased the Lord4: and the Lord heard [it]; and his anger was kindled; and the fire5 of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed [them that were] in the uttermost6 parts of the camp. [2] And the people cried7 unto Moses; and when Moses prayed8 unto the Lord, the fire9 was quenched10. [3] And he called the name of the place Taberah11: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.

[4] And the mixed12 multitude that [was] among them fell a lusting13: and the children14 of Israel also wept again15, and said, Who shall16 give us flesh to eat? [5] We remember the fish17, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers18, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: [6] But now our soul [is] dried away: [there is] nothing at all, beside this manna, [before] our eyes.19 [7] And the manna20 [was] as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of21 bdellium22. [8] [And] the people23 went about, and gathered [it], and ground [it] in mills, or beat [it] in a mortar, and baked [it24] in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it25 was as the taste of fresh oil. [9] And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.26

⥃The Complaint of Moses

[10] [¶]Then Moses heard the people weep throughout27 their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger28 of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses29 also was displeased. [11] And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou30 afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have31 I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? [12] Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them32 in thy bosom, as a nursing33 father beareth the sucking child, unto the land34 which thou swarest unto their fathers? [13] Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.35 [14] I am not able to bear all this people alone, because [it is] too heavy for me.36 [15] And if thou deal thus with me, kill me37, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not38 see my wretchedness39.

⥃Seventy Elders Anointed

[16] And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy40 men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers41 over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. [17] And I will come42 down and talk with43 thee there: and I will take44 of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they shall45 bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear [it] not thyself alone. [18] And say thou unto the people, Sanctify46 yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept47 in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for [it was] well48 with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. [19] Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;49 [20] [But] even a whole month50, until it come out at your nostrils, and it51 be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised52 the Lord which [is] among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? [21] 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.53 [22] 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?5455 [23] And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s56 hand waxed short? thou shalt57 see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

[24] And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered58 the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. [25] And the Lord came down59 in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took60 of the spirit that [was] upon him, and gave [it61] unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, [that], when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied62, and did not cease. [26] 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 out63 unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. [27] And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. [28] And Joshua64 the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, [one] of his young men, answered and said, My lord65 Moses, forbid them. [29] And Moses said unto him, Enviest66 thou for my sake? would67 God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, [and] that the68 Lord would put his spirit upon them! [30] And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

⥃The Quail and the Plague

[31] And there went forth a wind69 from the Lord, and brought70 quails71 from the sea, and let [them] fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey72 on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits73 [high] upon the face of the earth. [32] 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 homers74: and they spread [them] all abroad for themselves round about the camp. [33] And while75 the flesh [was] yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote76 the people with a very great plague. [34] And he called the name of that place Kibroth–hattaavah77: because there they buried the people that lusted. [35] [And] the people journeyed78 from Kibroth–hattaavah unto Hazeroth79; and abode at80 Hazeroth.

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  1. Num 11:1, The burning at Taberah quenched by Moses’ prayer; Num 11:4, The people lust for flesh, and lothe manna; Num 11:10, Moses complains of his charge; Num 11:16, God promises to divide his burden unto seventy elders, and to give the people flesh for a month; Num 11:21, Moses’ faith is staggered; Num 11:31, Quails are given in wrath at Kibroth–hattaavah. ↩

  2. Num 10:33, Num 20:2-5, Num 21:5; Exod 15:23-24, Exod 16:2-3, Exod 16:7, Exod 16:9, Exod 17:2-3; Deut 9:22; Lam 3:39; 1Cor 10:10; Jude 1:16 ↩

  3. or, were as it were complainers ↩

  4. Heb. it was evil in the ears of the Lord, Gen 38:10; 2Sam 11:27 *marg. Jas 5:4 ↩

  5. Num 16:35; Lev 10:2; Deut 32:22; 2Kgs 1:12; Job 1:16; Ps 78:21, Ps 106:18; Isa 30:33, Isa 33:14; Nah 1:5; Mark 9:43-49; Heb 12:29 ↩

  6. Deut 25:18 ↩

  7. Num 21:7; Ps 78:34-35; Jer 37:3, Jer 42:2; Acts 8:24 ↩

  8. Num 14:13-20; Gen 18:23-33; Exod 32:10-14, Exod 32:31-32, Exod 34:9; Deut 9:19-20; Ps 106:23; Isa 37:4; Jer 15:1; Amos 7:2-6; Jas 5:16; 1John 5:16 ↩

  9. Num 16:45-48; Heb 7:26; 1John 2:1-2 ↩

  10. Heb. sunk ↩

  11. that is, a burning, Deut 9:22 ↩

  12. Exod 12:38; Lev 24:10-11; Neh 13:3 ↩

  13. Heb. lusted a lust ↩

  14. 1Cor 15:33 ↩

  15. Heb. returned and wept ↩

  16. Ps 78:18-20, Ps 106:14; Rom 13:14; 1Cor 10:6 ↩

  17. Exod 16:3; Ps 17:14; Phil 3:19 ↩

  18. In Hebrew, kishshuim, in Arabic, kiththa, Chaldee, keta, and Syriac, kati, a species of cucumber peculiar to Egypt, smooth, of a longish cylindrical shape, and about a foot long. Prosper Alpinus says that it differs from the common sort by its size, colour, and softness; that its leaves are smaller, whiter, softer, and rounder; its fruit larger, greener, smoother, softer, sweeter, and more easy of digestion than ours. Hasselquist describes it in the same manner; and adds, that it is very little watery, but firm like a melon, sweet and cool to the taste, but not so cold as the watermelon, which is meant by the avutichim of the text. ↩

  19. Num 21:5; 2Sam 13:4 ↩

  20. Exod 16:14-15, Exod 16:31; 1Cor 1:23-24; Rev 2:17 ↩

  21. Heb. eye of it as the eye of ↩

  22. Gen 2:12 ↩

  23. Exod 16:16-18; John 6:27, John 6:33-58 ↩

  24. Exod 16:23 ↩

  25. Exod 16:31 ↩

  26. Exod 16:13-14; Deut 32:2; Ps 78:23-25, Ps 105:40 ↩

  27. Num 14:1-2, Num 16:27, Num 21:5; Ps 106:25 ↩

  28. Num 11:1; Deut 32:22; Ps 78:21, Ps 78:59; Isa 5:25; Jer 17:4 ↩

  29. Num 12:3, Num 20:10-13; Ps 106:32-33, Ps 139:21; Mark 3:5, Mark 10:14 ↩

  30. The complaint and remonstrance of Moses in these verses serve at once to shew the deeply distressed state of his mind, and the degradation of the minds of the people. Num 11:15; Exod 17:4; Deut 1:12; Jer 15:10, Jer 15:18, Jer 20:7-9, Jer 20:14-18; Mal 3:14; 2Cor 11:28 ↩

  31. Job 10:2; Ps 130:3, Ps 143:2; Lam 3:22-23, Lam 3:39-40 ↩

  32. Isa 40:11; Ezek 34:23; John 10:11 ↩

  33. Isa 49:15, Isa 49:23; Gal 4:19; 1Thess 2:7 ↩

  34. Gen 13:15, Gen 22:16-17, Gen 26:3, Gen 50:24; Exod 13:5 ↩

  35. Matt 15:33; Mark 8:4, Mark 9:23 ↩

  36. Exod 18:18; Deut 1:9-12; Ps 89:19; Isa 9:6; Zech 6:13; 2Cor 2:16 ↩

  37. 1Kgs 19:4; Job 3:20-22, Job 6:8-10, Job 7:15; Jonah 4:3, Jonah 4:8-9; Phil 1:20-24; Jas 1:4 ↩

  38. Jer 15:18, Jer 20:18; Zeph 3:15 ↩

  39. Two of Dr. Kennicott's manuscripts read, "their wretchedness." The Jerusalem Targum has the same, and adds, by way of explanation, "who are thine own people." ↩

  40. Gen 46:27; Exod 4:29, Exod 24:1, Exod 24:9; Ezek 8:11; Luke 10:1, Luke 10:17 ↩

  41. Deut 1:15, Deut 16:18, Deut 31:28 ↩

  42. Num 11:25, Num 12:5; Gen 11:5, Gen 18:21; Exod 19:11, Exod 19:20, Exod 34:5; John 3:13 ↩

  43. Num 12:8; Gen 17:3, Gen 17:22, Gen 18:20-22, Gen 18:33 ↩

  44. Num 27:18; 1Sam 10:6; 2Kgs 2:9, 2Kgs 2:15; Neh 9:20; Isa 44:3, Isa 59:20-21; Joel 2:28; John 7:39; Rom 8:9; 1Cor 2:12, 1Cor 12:4-11; 1Thess 4:8; 1Pet 1:22; Jude 1:19 ↩

  45. Exod 18:22; Acts 6:3-4 ↩

  46. Gen 35:2; Exod 19:10, Exod 19:15; Josh 7:13 ↩

  47. Num 11:1, Num 11:4-6; Exod 16:3-7; Judg 21:2 ↩

  48. Num 11:4-5, Num 14:2-3; Acts 7:39 ↩

  49. About a year before this, the people had been thus feasted for one day (Exod 16:13); but now such plenty was to be afforded them for a whole month, and they should use it so greedily, that at last they should entirely lothe the food for which they had so inordinately craved. ↩

  50. Heb. month of days, Exod 16:8, Exod 16:13 ↩

  51. Num 21:5; Ps 78:27-30, Ps 106:15; Prov 27:7 ↩

  52. 1Sam 2:30; 2Sam 12:10; Mal 1:6; Acts 13:41; 1Thess 4:8 ↩

  53. Num 1:46, Num 2:32; Gen 12:2; Exod 12:37, Exod 38:26 ↩

  54. There is certainly a considerable measure of weakness and unbelief manifested in these complaints and questions of Moses; but his conduct appears at the same time so very simple, honest, and affectionate, that we cannot but admire it, while we wonder that he had not stronger confidence in that God, whose stupendous miracles he had so often witnessed in Egypt. ↩

  55. 2Kgs 7:2; Matt 15:33; Mark 6:37, Mark 8:4; Luke 1:18, Luke 1:34; John 6:6-7, John 6:9 ↩

  56. That is, "Is the power of the Lord diminished?" That power which has been so signally displayed on your behalf, and which is as unchangeable as it is unlimited. Gen 18:14; Ps 78:41; Isa 50:2, Isa 59:1; Mic 2:7; Matt 19:26; Luke 1:37 ↩

  57. Num 23:19; 2Kgs 7:2, 2Kgs 7:17-19; Jer 44:28-29; Ezek 12:25, Ezek 24:14; Matt 24:35 ↩

  58. Num 11:16, Num 11:26 ↩

  59. Num 11:17, Num 12:5; Exod 34:5, Exod 40:38; Ps 99:7; Luke 9:34-35 ↩

  60. Num 11:17; 2Kgs 2:15; Jas 1:17 ↩

  61. From this place, Origen and Theodoret take occasion to compare Moses to a lamp, at which seventy others were lighted, without any diminution of its lustre. ↩

  62. By prophesying here we are to understand, their performing those civil and sacred functions for which they were qualified; exhorting the people to quiet and peaceable submission, and to trust and confidence in the providence of God. 1Sam 10:5-6, 1Sam 10:10, 1Sam 19:20-24; Jer 36:5-6; Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 11:28, Acts 21:9-11; 1Cor 11:4-5, 1Cor 14:1-3, 1Cor 14:32; 2Pet 1:21 ↩

  63. Exod 3:11, Exod 4:13-14; 1Sam 10:22, 1Sam 20:26; Jer 1:6, Jer 36:5 ↩

  64. Exod 17:9 ↩

  65. Mark 9:38-39; Luke 9:49-50; John 3:26 ↩

  66. 1Cor 3:3, 1Cor 3:21, 1Cor 13:4; Phil 2:3; Jas 3:14-15, Jas 4:5, Jas 5:9; 1Pet 2:1 ↩

  67. Acts 26:29; 1Cor 14:5; Phil 1:15-18 ↩

  68. Matt 9:37-38; Luke 10:2 ↩

  69. Exod 10:13, Exod 10:19, Exod 15:10; Ps 135:7 ↩

  70. Exod 16:13; Ps 78:26-29, Ps 105:40 ↩

  71. That the word selav means the quail, we have already had occasion to observe; to which we subjoin the authority of Mr. Maundrell, who visited Naplosa (the ancient Sichem), where the Samaritans live. Mr. Maundrell asked their chief priest what sort of animal he took the selav to be. He answered, they were a sort of fowls; and, by the description Mr. Maundrell perceived he meant the same kind with our quails. ↩

  72. Heb. the way of a day ↩

  73. That is, as the Vulgate renders, Volabantque in aere duobus cubitis altitudine super terram, "and they flew in the air, at the height of two cubits above the ground." ↩

  74. Exod 16:36; Ezek 45:11 ↩

  75. Ps 78:30-31, Ps 106:14-15 ↩

  76. Num 16:49, Num 25:9; Deut 28:27 ↩

  77. that is, the graves of lust, Num 33:16; Deut 9:22; 1Cor 10:6 ↩

  78. Num 33:17 ↩

  79. Num 12:16; Deut 1:1 ↩

  80. Heb. they were in, etc. ↩