How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

DEUTERONOMY 1:12KJV
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Deuteronomy 1:12 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 1:12 mean?

Deuteronomy 1:12 records Moses asking how he can handle alone the difficulties, burdens, and disputes of the people of Israel. Moses is expressing that the responsibilities and challenges of leading such a large group are too much for one person to manage by himself.

In this verse, Moses is speaking directly to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. He is recalling the time when their numbers and issues became overwhelming for him as a single leader. This sets the stage for his later decision to appoint other leaders to help judge and guide the people.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 1:12

  • "Cumbrance" (תְּרָחָה, terakhah) refers to trouble or difficulty, not just physical weight but the ongoing problems and demands the people placed on Moses. This word highlights the emotional and administrative strain Moses felt.
  • "Burden" (מַשָּׂא, massa) often means a heavy load, something that must be carried. Here, it points to the overall weight of responsibility Moses bore for the people's welfare.
  • "Strife" (רִיב, riv) means disputes or quarrels. This shows that Moses was not only dealing with logistics and needs but also with conflicts and arguments among the people.

Why Deuteronomy 1:12 matters

  • Deuteronomy 1:12 clarifies that leadership in Israel was not just about authority but involved real, exhausting work and constant problem-solving.
  • The verse helps explain why Moses later appointed judges and leaders, showing that shared leadership was a practical solution to overwhelming responsibility.
  • This verse connects to the broader theme of Deuteronomy, where Moses reviews Israel’s history to teach lessons about faithfulness, responsibility, and wise governance.

Where else these words appear

“cumbrance” Hebrew H2960 · used in 2 verses

  • Isaiah 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

“How” Hebrew H349 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 44:34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
  • Judges 16:15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
  • Song of Solomon 1:7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

“burden” Hebrew H4853 · used in 60 verses

  • Exodus 23:5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
  • 2 Chronicles 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
  • Isaiah 23:1 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

“strife” Hebrew H7379 · used in 61 verses

  • Genesis 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
  • Job 31:35 Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
  • Proverbs 30:33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.