Numbers 11: Craving and Complaint
Israel grumbles at hardship and craves the food of Egypt, while a weary Moses learns afresh that God's hand is never too short.
Numbers 11 (WEB)
1 The people were complaining in the ears of Yahweh. When Yahweh heard it, his anger was kindled; and Yahweh’s fire burnt among them, and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
2 The people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire abated.
3 The name of that place was called Taberah, because Yahweh’s fire burnt among them.
4 The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us flesh to eat?
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 we have lost our appetite. There is nothing at all except this manna to look at.”
7 The manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like the appearance of bdellium.
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 in the night, the manna fell on it.
10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent; and Yahweh’s anger was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.
11 Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated with 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 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 could I get meat to give to all this people? For they weep to me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
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 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 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 not bear it yourself alone.
18 “Say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you will eat flesh; for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, “Who will give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you flesh, and you will eat.
19 You will not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days,
20 but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you; because that you have rejected Yahweh who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”
21 Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, ‘I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.’
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 Yahweh said to Moses, “Has Yahweh’s hand grown short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not.”
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 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 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; and 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 told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”
28 Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, “My lord Moses, forbid 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 Moses went into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
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 The people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves around the camp.
33 While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, Yahweh’s anger was kindled against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very great plague.
34 The name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth; and they stayed at Hazeroth.
Numbers 11 (KJV)
1 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.
2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.
3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.
4 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?
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 garlick:
6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.
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.
10 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.
11 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?
12 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?
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.
14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 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.
19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
20 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?
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.
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 unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? thou shalt 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 gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.
25 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.
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 out 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 Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
29 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!
30 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
31 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.
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: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
33 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.
34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth–hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.
35 And the people journeyed from Kibroth–hattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.
Numbers 11 (ASV)
1 And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of Jehovah: and when Jehovah heard it, his anger was kindled; and the fire of Jehovah burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp.
2 And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto Jehovah, and the fire abated.
3 And the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of Jehovah burnt among them.
4 And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children 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 for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:
6 but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look upon.
7 And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.
8 The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, 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.
10 And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.
11 And Moses said unto Jehovah, Wherefore hast thou dealt ill with thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
12 Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land 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.
14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
16 And Jehovah 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 tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee.
17 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.
18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore Jehovah 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,
20 but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected Jehovah who 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.
22 Shall flocks and 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 Jehovah said unto Moses, Is Jehovah’s hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of Jehovah: and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent.
25 And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.
26 But there remained two 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 had not gone out unto the Tent; 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 Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
29 And Moses said unto him, Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all Jehovah’s people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!
30 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
31 And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, 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, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
32 And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
33 While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague.
34 And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted.
35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth.
Summary
Barely under way, the people complain about their hardships, and the Lord's fire breaks out at the edge of the camp until Moses prays and it dies down; the place is called Taberah. Then the mixed multitude among them craves other food, and the Israelites weep, remembering the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic of Egypt and despising the manna God provides. Moses, crushed by the burden of the people, pours out his despair to God, asking why he must carry them all and even wishing to die. God responds with grace: he tells Moses to gather seventy elders on whom he will put his Spirit to help bear the load, and the Spirit comes upon them so that they prophesy. To the people God promises meat, not for a day but for a whole month, until it becomes loathsome to them, because they have rejected the Lord who is among them. When Moses doubts how such a multitude could be fed, God answers that his hand is not too short. A wind brings vast quantities of quail, but while the meat is still in their mouths, the Lord strikes the greedy with a plague, and the place is named Kibroth Hattaavah, the graves of craving.
Main Characters
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who hears complaint with displeasure yet provides for Moses, sends his Spirit on the elders, and answers craving with both abundance and judgment.
- Moses — The exhausted leader who cries out under the weight of the people, learns that God will share the burden, and intercedes for Israel.
- The seventy elders — Men gathered at God's command to share Moses' load, on whom the Spirit rests so that they prophesy.
- The complaining people — Israel, with the mixed multitude among them, who crave the food of Egypt, despise the manna, and reject the Lord in their midst.
Key Verse
Numbers 11:23 (WEB)
Yahweh said to Moses, “Has Yahweh’s hand grown short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not.”
Lessons Learned
- Discontent despises God's provision and remembers the past falsely (Numbers 11:5-6).
- God graciously shares heavy burdens rather than leaving leaders to carry them alone (Numbers 11:16-17).
- God's power and resources are never too limited to keep his word (Numbers 11:23).
- Craving that crowds out God can be given what it demands to its own ruin (Numbers 11:33-34).
- Grumbling displeases God. The people complained, and “his anger was kindled” (Numbers 11:1, WEB). Persistent discontent against God's provision is a serious thing, not a harmless mood.
- Nostalgia can distort the truth. They recall Egypt's food “which we ate… for nothing” (Numbers 11:5, WEB), forgetting their slavery. Craving rewrites the past and blinds us to God's present goodness.
- God shares the burden. The Lord puts his Spirit on seventy elders so “they shall bear the burden… with you” (Numbers 11:17, WEB). God does not mean for his servants to carry everything alone.
- God's arm is never too short. “Has Yahweh’s hand grown short?” (Numbers 11:23, WEB). No need is too great and no promise too large for the God who supplies his people.
- What does Israel's complaining reveal about the human heart, even after great deliverance?
- Why is it so dangerous to remember the past falsely, as the people did about Egypt?
- How does God respond to Moses' despair, and what does this teach about shared burdens?
- What does God mean when he asks Moses whether his hand has grown short?
- Where are you tempted to grumble or crave instead of trusting God's provision for you?
- Even redeemed people quickly grumble when life is hard (11:1, 4-6), showing that deliverance does not automatically produce a thankful heart. Help the group see how easily we forget past mercies and how discontent dishonors a generous God.
- Israel remembers Egypt's food but not its chains (11:5). Craving paints the past in false colors and devalues God's daily gifts. Encourage honest examination of how longing for what we lack can distort our memory and our gratitude.
- God answers Moses' breaking point not with rebuke but with help, sharing his Spirit and the load among seventy elders (11:16-17). This shows God's compassion toward weary servants. Encourage leaders to seek and accept shared burdens.
- God's question to Moses (11:23) confronts our small view of his power. Nothing is too hard for him. Use this to strengthen the group's confidence that God can keep every promise, even when the need seems impossibly large.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name an area of discontent or craving. As leader, point gently to Christ, the true bread from heaven, and encourage trusting God's provision rather than letting craving rule the heart.