Numbers 11:13

New American Standard Bible

"Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat so that we may eat!'

Parallel Translations

Geneva Bible (1587)
Where should I haue flesh to giue vnto al this people? for they weepe vnto me, saying, Giue vs flesh that we may eate.

George Lamsa Translation
Where can I find meat to give to all this people? For they weep protesting to me, saying, Give us meat, that we may eat.

Hebrew Names Version
Whence should I have flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Easy-to-Read Version
I don't have enough meat for all these people! And they continue complaining to me. They say, ‘Give us meat to eat!'

English Standard Version
Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.'

American Standard Version
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Bible in Basic English
Where am I to get flesh to give to all this people? For they are weeping to me and saying, Give us flesh for our food.

Contemporary English Version
They keep whining for meat, but where can I get meat for them?

Complete Jewish Bible
Where am I going to get meat to give to this entire people? — because they keep bothering me with their crying and saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!'

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they trouble me with their weeping, saying: Give us flesh, that we may eat.

King James Version (1611)
Whence should I haue flesh to giue vnto all this people? for they weep vnto me, saying, Giue vs flesh, that we may eate.

Amplified Bible
"Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep before me and say, 'Give us meat, so that we may eat.'

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Whence have I flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

English Revised Version
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Berean Standard Bible
Where can I get meat for all these people? For they keep crying out to me, 'Give us meat to eat!'

Lexham English Bible
From where do I have meat to give all these people? They weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat and let us eat!'

Literal Translation
Where shall I get flesh to give to all this people? For they weep to me, saying, Give to us flesh that we may eat.

New Century Version
Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, ‘We want meat!'

New English Translation
From where shall I get meat to give to this entire people, for they cry to me, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat!'

New King James Version
Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, "Give us meat, that we may eat.'

New Living Translation
Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!'

New Life Bible
Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? They cry in front of me, saying, ‘Give us meat so we may eat!'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Whence should, I, have flesh to give to all this people, - for they keep weeping by me saying, Oh give us flesh that we may eat!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whence should I have flesh to give to so great a multitude? They weep against me, saying: Give us flesh that we may eat.

Revised Standard Version
Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.'

Good News Translation
Where could I get enough meat for all these people? They keep whining and asking for meat.

King James Version
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Darby Translation
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
wherof ben fleischis to me, that Y `yyue to so greet multitude? Thei wepen bifore me, and seyn, `Yyue thou fleischis to vs that we ete;

Young's Literal Translation
Whence have I flesh to give to all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give to us flesh, and we eat.

World English Bible
Whence should I have flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Update Bible Version
From where should I have flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whence should I have flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Where shoulde I haue fleshe to geue vnto all this people, whiche weepe before me, saying: Geue vs fleshe that we may eate.

Christian Standard Bible®
Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are weeping to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Where shal I get flesh, to geue all this people? They wepe before me, and saye: Geue vs flesh, that we maye eate.

New Revised Standard
Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat!'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat that we may eat!'

Legacy Standard Bible
Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!'

Contextual Overview

⁴ Now the rabble who were among them had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat? ⁵ "We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶ but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna!" ⁷ Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. ⁸ The people would roam about and gather it and grind it between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of cake baked with oil. ⁹ When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down with it. ¹⁰ Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the LORD became very hot, and Moses was displeased. ¹¹ So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? ¹² "Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your arms, as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers'? ¹³ "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat so that we may eat!'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 15:33, Mark 8:4, Mark 9:23

Reciprocal: Leviticus 25:20 - General Psalms 78:19 - Can God Mark 6:37 - Shall Romans 4:20 - staggered

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people?.... This seems to countenance the Israelites in their lusting after flesh, as if it was no evil in them, and as if it was but right they should have what they desired, though it was out of his power to give it them:

for they weep unto me, saying, give us flesh, that we may eat; he seems to pity them, whereas he ought to have reproved them for their murmurings and ingratitude, and put them in mind of the manna which was provided for them every day, and with which they ought to have been content.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Occurrences at Kibroth-hattavah.

Numbers 11:4

The mixt multitude - The word in the original resembles our “riff-raff,” and denotes a mob of people scraped together. It refers here to the multitude of strangers (see Exodus 12:38) who had followed the Israelites from Egypt.

Numbers 11:5

The natural dainties of Egypt are set forth in this passage with the fullness and relish which bespeak personal experience.

Numbers 11:6-7

There is nothing at all ... - literally, “Nought at all have we except that our eyes are unto this manna;” i. e. “Nought else have we to expect beside this manna.” On the manna see Exodus 16:15 note; on bdellium see Genesis 2:12 note.

Numbers 11:10

The weeping was general; every family wept (compare Zechariah 12:12), and in a manner public and unconcealed.

Numbers 11:11-15

The complaint and remonstrance of Moses may be compared with that in 1 Kings 19:4 ff; Jonah 4:1-3, and contrasted with the language of Abraham (Genesis 18:23 ff) The meekness of Moses (compare Numbers 12:3) sank under vexation into despair. His language shows us how imperfect and prone to degeneracy are the best saints on earth.

Numbers 11:16

Seventy men of the elders of Israel - Seventy elders had also gone up with Moses to the Lord in the mount Exodus 24:1, Exodus 24:9. Seventy is accordingly the number of colleagues assigned to Moses to share his burden with him. To it, the Jews trace the origin of the Sanhedrim. Subsequent notices Numbers 16:25; Joshua 7:6; Joshua 8:10, Joshua 8:33; Joshua 9:11; Joshua 23:2; Joshua 24:1, Joshua 24:31 so connect the elders with the government of Israel as to point to the fact that the appointment now made was not a merely temporary one, though it would seem to have soon fallen into desuetude. We find no traces of it in the days of the Judges and the Kings.

Elders of the people, and officers over them - In English idiom, “elders and officers of the people.” Both elders and officers appear in Egypt (Exodus 3:16; Exodus 5:6 ff): the former had headed the nation in its efforts after freedom; the latter were the subordinate, though unwilling, agents of Egyptian tyranny. The two classes no doubt were working together; and from those who belonged to either, perhaps from those who were both eiders and officers, the council of Seventy was to be selected.

Numbers 11:17

I will take of the spirit which is upon thee - Render rather separate from the spirit, etc.; i. e. they shall have their portion in the same divine gift which thou hast.

Numbers 11:25

They prophesied - i. e. under the extraordinary impulse of the Holy Spirit they uttered forth the praises of God, or declared His will. Compare the marginal references.

And did not cease - Rather, and added not, i. e. they prophesied at this time only and not afterward. The sign was granted on the occasion of their appointment to accredit them in their office; it was not continued, because their proper function was to be that of governing not prophesying.

Numbers 11:26

Of them that were written - i. e. enrolled among the Seventy. The expression points to a regular appointment duly recorded and permanent.

Numbers 11:29

Enviest thou for my sake? - (Compare Mark 9:38 ff) The other members of the Seventy had been with Moses (compare Numbers 6:16, Numbers 6:24-25) when the gift of prophecy was bestowed on them. They received “of the spirit that was upon him,” and exercised their office visibly through and for him. Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp seemed to Joshua to be acting independently, and so establishing a separate center of authority.

Numbers 11:31

The southeast wind, which blew from the neighboring Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea, brought the quails Exodus 16:13.

Two cubits high - Better, “two cubits above the face of the ground:” i. e. the quails, wearied with their long flight, flew about breast high, and were easily secured by the people, who spread them all abroad for themselves Numbers 11:32, in order to salt and dry them. The quail habitually flies with the wind, and low.

Numbers 11:32

Ten homers - About 55 bushels. Compare Leviticus 27:16.

Numbers 11:33

Ere it was chewed - Better, ere it was consumed. See Numbers 11:19-20. The surfeit in which the people indulged, as described in Numbers 11:32, disposed them to sickness. God’s wrath, visiting the gluttonous through their gluttony, aggravated natural consequences into a supernatural visitation.

Numbers 11:34, Numbers 11:35

(Kibroth-hattaavah has been identified by Palmer with the extensive remains, graves, etc., at Erweis El Ebeirig, and Hazeroth “enclosures” with Ain Hadherah.)