Study Desk

Fire From the Lord

Now the people complained^(a) about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord ,^(b) and when he heard them his anger was aroused.^(c) Then fire from the Lord burned among them^(d) and consumed^(e) some of the outskirts of the camp.

When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed^(f) to the Lord ^(g) and the fire died down.

So that place was called Taberah,^[a](h) because fire from the Lord had burned among them.⁽ⁱ⁾

The rabble with them began to crave other food,^(j) and again the Israelites started wailing^(k) and said, "If only we had meat to eat!

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.^(l)

But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!^(m)"

The manna was like coriander seed⁽ⁿ⁾ and looked like resin.^(o)

The people went around gathering it,^(p) and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil.

When the dew^(q) settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

Moses heard the people of every family wailing^(r) at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.

He asked the Lord , "Why have you brought this trouble^(s) on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?^(t)

Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant,^(u) to the land you promised on oath^(v) to their ancestors?^(w)

Where can I get meat for all these people?^(x) They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!'

I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.^(y)

If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me^(z)—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin."

The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders^(aa) who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.^(ab) Have them come to the tent of meeting,^(ac) that they may stand there with you.

I will come down and speak with you^(ad) there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.^(ae) They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.^(af)

"Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves^(ag) in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,^(ah) "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!"^(ai) Now the Lord will give you meat,^(aj) and you will eat it.

You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days,

but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it^(ak)—because you have rejected the Lord ,^(al) who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'"^(am)

But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men^(an) on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!'

Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?"^(ao)

The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord 's arm too short?^(ap) Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.^(aq)"

So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent.

Then the Lord came down in the cloud^(ar) and spoke with him,^(as) and he took some of the power of the Spirit^(at) that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.^(au) When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied^(av)—but did not do so again.

However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them,^(aw) and they prophesied in the camp.

A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

Joshua son of Nun,^(ax) who had been Moses' aide^(ay) since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"^(az)

But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord 's people were prophets^(ba) and that the Lord would put his Spirit^(bb) on them!"^(bc)

Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail^(bd) in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits^[b] deep all around the camp, as far as a day's walk in any direction.

All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.^[c] Then they spread them out all around the camp.

But while the meat was still between their teeth^(be) and before it could be consumed, the anger^(bf) of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.^(bg)

Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,^[d](bh) because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth^(bi) and stayed there.

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

Miriam^(a) and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,^(b) for he had married a Cushite.

"Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?"^(c) And the Lord heard this.^(d)

(Now Moses was a very humble man,^(e) more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you." So the three of them went out.

Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud;^(f) he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward,

he said, "Listen to my words: "When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord , reveal^(g) myself to them in visions,^(h) I speak to them in dreams.⁽ⁱ⁾

But this is not true of my servant Moses;^(j) he is faithful in all my house.^(k)

With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles;^(l) he sees the form of the Lord .^(m) Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"⁽ⁿ⁾

The anger of the Lord burned against them,^(o) and he left them.^(p)

When the cloud lifted from above the tent,^(q) Miriam's skin was leprous^[a]—it became as white as snow.^(r) Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,^(s)

and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.^(t)

Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."

So Moses cried out to the Lord , "Please, God, heal her!^(u)"

The Lord replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face,^(v) would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp^(w) for seven days; after that she can be brought back."

So Miriam was confined outside the camp^(x) for seven days,^(y) and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

After that, the people left Hazeroth^(z) and encamped in the Desert of Paran.^(aa)