Bible Strands
Numbers 11:34
So they called that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the Israelites' actions immediately after God strikes them with a severe plague for demanding meat while it was still in their mouths. The account marks the moment of divine judgment during their wilderness transit before they continue to Hazeroth.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּקְרָא (va.yiqrāʾ) means "and he called," denoting the formal naming of the site. The compound name קִבְרֹת הַתַּאֲוָה (Qibrōt ha-Taʾāwâ) literally translates to "graves of craving," combining קִבְרֹת (qibrōt, "graves") and הַתַּאֲוָה (ha-taʾāwâ, "the craving").
The thread — The site functions as a wilderness camp in Numbers 33:16 and reappears in Deuteronomy 9:22 as one of three locations where the Israelites provoked the LORD. The New Testament treats the incident in 1 Corinthians 10:6 as a historical pattern to avoid craving evil things.
Why it lands — The text states that the Israelites named the burial site to memorialize the consequence of their idolatrous desire. It requires the reader to acknowledge that recorded history preserves the direct link between unlawful craving and divine judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he called the name of that place Kibroth–hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 9:22 You continued to provoke the LORD at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah.
- 1 Corinthians 10:6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
- Numbers 33:16 They set out from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.