Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

NUMBERS 11:12KJV
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Numbers 11:12 (KJV)

What does Numbers 11:12 mean?

Numbers 11:12 shows Moses speaking to God, asking if he is personally responsible for the entire people of Israel, using the image of a parent carrying a nursing child to express how overwhelmed he feels by the burden of leading them. Moses questions whether he is expected to care for the people as intimately and constantly as a parent would for a helpless infant.

Moses is talking directly to God in frustration because the people have been complaining about their hardships in the wilderness. He uses strong language and vivid imagery to highlight how impossible it feels for one person to bear the needs and complaints of so many. The verse captures Moses’ sense of exhaustion and his recognition that the responsibility for Israel belongs to God, not just to him.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 11:12

  • "conceived" (הָרִיתִי, hariti): This word means to become pregnant or to conceive. Moses uses it to ask if he is the literal parent of the people, emphasizing how unreasonable it is for him to carry all their burdens alone.
  • "Carry" (נָשָׂא, nasa’): This word means to lift, bear, or carry. Moses uses it to describe the heavy responsibility of caring for the people, like lifting a child close to one’s chest.
  • "bosom" (חֵיק, kheq): This refers to the chest or lap, a place of closeness and nurture. The image here is of a parent holding a child in a deeply personal and protective way.
  • "father" (אָמֵן, aman): This word often means to support or nourish, and here it is used for a nursing or nurturing figure, not just a biological father. It highlights the expectation of deep, ongoing care.

Why Numbers 11:12 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that Moses ever saw himself as the true source of Israel’s life or destiny; he is pointing out that only God can truly "carry" the people.
  • The strong parental imagery shows just how personal and exhausting leadership can feel, especially when people are needy or complaining.
  • Numbers 11:12 connects to the wider passage by setting up Moses’ plea for help, which leads to God appointing seventy elders to share the burden of leadership. This shows God’s care for both Moses and the people.

Where else these words appear

“child” Hebrew H3243 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 21:7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
  • 1 Samuel 1:23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
  • Isaiah 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

“bosom” Hebrew H2436 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 16:5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
  • 1 Kings 17:19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
  • Proverbs 21:14 A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.

“conceived” Hebrew H2029 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
  • Genesis 30:17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
  • 1 Chronicles 7:23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.

“father” Hebrew H539 · used in 102 verses

  • Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
  • 2 Kings 17:14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
  • Psalms 106:24 Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: