B² L¹ 11:1-14:45. Events - Murmurings and journeyings.
M¹ 15:1-41. Laws for People.
L² 16:1-17:13. Events - Rebellion of Korah.
M² 18:1-19:22. Laws for priests and People.
L³ 20:1-25:18. Events - Journeyings and murmurings.
L¹ N¹ 11:1-12:16. Murmerings.
N² 13:1-14:45. The Spies.
N¹ r 11:1-34. Murmurings of People.
s 11:35. To Hazeroth.
r 12:1-15. Murmurings of Miriam and Aaron.
s 12:16. To Paran.
r u 1-. Complaint.
v -1-3. Plague - Taberah.
u 4-33-. Murmuring.
v -33,34. Plague - Kibroth-hattavah.1490 B.C.
Numbers 11)
1 And when the People complained (Heb.= were as complainers, Ps. 78:19. In this word another inverted nun (נ), to mark the fact of the People's turning back in their hearts. See note on 10:35), it displeased the Lord (Heb.= "was evil in the ears" or eyes): and the Lord heard it; and His anger was kindled;
and the fire of the Lord) burnt among them (those before the Law not punished, Ex. 14:11-15; 15:24-26; 16:2-4,9,20,27,28; 17:2-4. Punished after Law given. Ex. 32:27-35. Cp. Rom. 4:15), and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
2 And the People cried to Moses; and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched.
3 And he (Moses) called the name of the place Taberah (= burning): because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.
u w¹ y¹ 4-9. Flesh: lusting after it.
z¹ 10-15. Complaint of Moses.
x¹ 16,17. Elders. Command.
w² y² 18-20. Flesh: promise of it.
z² 21-23. Complaint of Moses.
x² 24-30. Elders. Obedience.
w³ y³ 31-32. Flesh: given.
z³ 33. Wrath of Yehovah.
4 And the mixed multitude (= camp followers, see Ex. 12:38) that was among them fell a lusting (Heb.= "lusted a lusting", emphatic for lusted exceedingly. Ps.106:14; 78:18-20): and the sons of Israel also wept again, and said, "Who shall give us flesh to eat?"
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: (6 items given of Egypt's food: seven of Canaan's, in Deut.8:8. 6=the human number, 7 = spiritual completeness)
6 But our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes."
7 And the manna (cp. John 6:31-33.1 Cor. 10:3) was as coriander seed, and the color thereof as the color of bdellium (Heb. "eye", put for that which it distinguishes).
8 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.
9 And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it (Manna between the 2 dews, cp. Ex. 16:13,14).
10 Then Moses heard the People weep throughout their families, every man in the entrance of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased (= it was evil in Moses' eyes also, as in v.1).
11 And Moses said to the Lord, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? and why have I not found favor in Your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people upon me?
12 Have I conceived all this People? have I begotten them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom', as a nursing father bears the sucking child, to the land which You swore to their fathers?
13 From which place should I have flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, 'Give us flesh, that we may eat.' (This is a figure of speech, the asking of a question, not for information, or for an answer)
14 I am not able to bear all this People alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.
15 And if You deal thus with me, kill me, I pray You, out of hand, if I have found favor in Your sight; and let me not see Your evil" ("evil" put for punishment due, more in the sense of trouble).
16 And the Lord 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 the congregation, that they may stand there with you.
17 And I will come down and talk with you there: and I will withdraw the spirit which is upon you (= Ruach, spirit put for the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Cp. 1 Cor.12:4), and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the People with thee, that you bear it not yourself alone.
18 And say you to the People, 'Separate yourselves against tomorrow (see "holy" Ex.3:5), and you all shall eat flesh: for you all 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 you all shall eat.
19 You all shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days (emphatic);
20 But even a whole month (= a month of days), until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome to you: because that you all have despised 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 You have said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
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?"
23 And the Lord said to Moses, "Is the Lord's hand (put for power exercised by it) waxed short? you shall see now whether My word shall come to pass to you or not."
24 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 tent of the congregation.
25 And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and withdrew the spirit that was upon him, and gave it to the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not add (i.e. did not add any more, or again, after that day. Cp. Ex. 11:6. Deut.5:22. Job 38:11. 1 Sam.19:24. Consider what happened on Pentecost day).
26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad (= favored of God), and the name of the other Medad (= love): and the spirit rested upon the seventy; and they were of them that were enrolled (see Ex. 17:14), but went not out (cp. 1 Sam. 10:22) to the tent of the congregation: and they prophesied in the camp (cp. Ps. 139:7).
27 And there ran the young man (to be described later), and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp."
28 And Joshua (= savior, or whose help is Yahaveh) the son of Nun (= fish, or posterity), the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, "My lord Moses, forbid them."
29 And Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? would God that all the Lord's People were prophets (Fig. Wishing. An expression of feeling by way of wishing or hoping for a thing), and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!" (This is the definition of a true prophet. Cp. v.17, and 12:6)
30 And Moses went into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
31 And there went forth a wind (Heb. ruach) from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp (cp. Ps. 78:27,28), as it were a day's journey on this side (= sunset to sunset), and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits (3 1/4') above the face of the earth (i.e. "flying above", so they could easily be caught, it does no say "deep").
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 homers (approx. 107 bushels. See Lev.27:16): and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth (cp. Ps. 78:27-31), before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague (cp. with Rev. when the People go whoring after anti-christ and then Christ returns).
34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah (= graves of lust): because there they buried the people that lusted.
35 And the People journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth (= villages); and abode at Hazeroth.