And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

NUMBERS 11:18KJV
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Numbers 11:18 (KJV)

What does Numbers 11:18 mean?

Numbers 11:18 records God’s instruction to Moses to tell the Israelites to prepare themselves, because the next day God would give them meat to eat in response to their complaints about lacking it. The verse highlights that the people had been longing for the food they remembered from Egypt and had openly expressed their dissatisfaction to God.

In this setting, Moses is relaying God’s message to the Israelites, who have been grumbling about their hardships in the wilderness and wishing for the comforts they had in Egypt. God tells them to "sanctify" themselves—set themselves apart or get ready—because He is about to respond directly to their request for meat, showing both His awareness of their complaints and His power to provide.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 11:18

  • "Sanctify" (קָדַשׁ, qadash): This word means to set apart or make holy. Here, it signals that the people should prepare themselves spiritually and physically for what God is about to do, treating the coming event as significant.
  • "Flesh" (בָּשָׂר, basar): This word means meat. The Israelites specifically wanted meat to eat, not just the manna God had been providing, and God uses their own words to show He is giving exactly what they asked for.
  • "Wept" (בָּכָה, bakah): This word means to cry or weep. The verse notes that the people’s complaints were not just spoken but deeply emotional, reaching "the ears of the LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH), emphasizing how seriously God took their grumbling.

Why Numbers 11:18 matters

  • Numbers 11:18 clarifies that God’s response is not just about providing food, but about addressing the Israelites’ attitude and longing for Egypt, which represented a lack of trust in God’s care.
  • The verse shows the seriousness with which God treats the people’s complaints, making clear that their words and emotions are heard and responded to by God.
  • This verse sets up the events that follow, where God’s provision of meat comes with consequences, highlighting the theme of desire, gratitude, and the dangers of longing for the past over trusting God’s present provision.

Where else these words appear

“well” Hebrew H2895 · used in 33 verses

  • Numbers 10:29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
  • 1 Kings 8:18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
  • Job 10:3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

“morrow” Hebrew H4279 · used in 52 verses

  • Genesis 30:33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
  • Joshua 4:6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
  • 1 Samuel 28:19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

“wept” 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.