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

NUMBERS 11:13KJV
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Numbers 11:13 (KJV)

What does Numbers 11:13 mean?

Numbers 11:13 shows Moses asking God where he could possibly get enough meat to feed all the Israelites, since the people are crying out to him for meat to eat. Moses is overwhelmed by the people's demands and feels unable to meet their needs.

In this verse, Moses is speaking directly to God about the complaints of the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. The people are tired of eating manna and are asking for meat, and Moses feels the weight of their dissatisfaction. This moment highlights Moses' frustration and sense of helplessness as a leader facing impossible expectations.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 11:13

  • "Whence" (מֵאַיִן, me'ayin) means "from where" or "how," emphasizing Moses' sense of having no possible source for what is being asked.
  • "Flesh" (בָּשָׂר, basar) refers specifically to meat, not just food in general, showing the people's craving for something different from manna.
  • "Weep" (בָּכָה, bakhah) means to cry or lament, indicating the depth of the people's dissatisfaction and emotional state.
  • "Give" (נָתַן, natan) is used twice, stressing the expectation that Moses should provide what the people want, even though he clearly cannot.

Why Numbers 11:13 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Moses is not just frustrated, but truly feels powerless and isolated as a leader, unable to meet the people's demands on his own.
  • The repeated use of "give" (נָתַן, natan) shows the unrealistic expectations placed on Moses, pointing to the need for God's intervention.
  • Numbers 11:13 sets up the following verses, where God responds to Moses' plea, making it a turning point in the story of Israel's wilderness journey.

Where else these words appear

“Whence” Hebrew H370 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 29:4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.
  • Judges 19:17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?
  • Job 28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

“weep” Hebrew H1058 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
  • Judges 21:2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
  • Esther 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.