Numbers 11:4

Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat?

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrator records the Israelites and a mixed group weeping and complaining after the Lord’s fire destroyed the camp's outskirts at Taberah. Their question, “Who will feed us meat?” is directed toward Moses and God as they recount their past provisions.

The words — The text emphasizes הִתְאַוּוּ (hit'awu), meaning "they craved," and תַּאֲוָה (ta'awah), meaning "a craving," to describe their intense desire for different food. It also notes וַיִּבְכּוּ (wayyibku), "they wept," marking their vocal protest.

The thread — This cycle of craving and testing God recurs in Psalms 106:14 and functions as a negative example in 1 Corinthians 10:6. The complaining group is previously identified as a mixed multitude that departed Egypt in Exodus 12:38.

Why it lands — The passage documents a historical moment of complaint and requires readers to recognize how romanticizing past provisions fuels present discontent. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of how preference overrides trust in current circumstances.

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

וְהָֽאסַפְסֻף֙ve./ha./saf.Sufand/ the/ rabble אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹbe./kir.B/o[was] in/ midst/ its הִתְאַוּ֖וּhit.'a.Vuthey craved תַּאֲוָ֑הta.'a.Vaha craving וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּva/i.ya.Shu.vuand/ they returned וַיִּבְכּ֗וּva/i.yiv.Kuand/ they wept גַּ֚םgamalso בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people of יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsrael וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּva/i.Yo.me.Ruand/ they said מִ֥יmiwho?יַאֲכִלֵ֖נוּya.'a.khi.Le./nuwill he cause to eat/ us בָּשָֽׂר׃ba.Sarmeat

King James Version

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?

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 10:6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
Exodus 12:38 And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
Psalms 106:14 They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert.
Psalms 78:18 They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
Leviticus 24:10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite.
Nehemiah 13:3 As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Romans 13:14 Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.