We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

NUMBERS 11:5KJV
Know the Bible

Numbers 11:5 (KJV)

What does Numbers 11:5 mean?

Numbers 11:5 records the Israelites remembering and longing for the foods they ate in Egypt, listing fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, which they say they ate "freely." The verse shows their dissatisfaction with their current situation in the wilderness and their desire for the variety and abundance of food they once had as slaves in Egypt.

In this verse, the people of Israel are speaking to Moses, expressing their complaints about the manna God is providing during their journey through the desert. Their memories focus on the specific foods of Egypt, highlighting how they are now missing the flavors and comforts of their past, even though that past included slavery. This longing for Egypt sets the stage for the larger theme of grumbling and lack of trust in God's provision that runs through this chapter.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 11:5

  • "Remember" (זָכַר, zakhar, H2142) means to recall or bring to mind. Here, it emphasizes how the Israelites are focusing on the past, possibly with some exaggeration or selective memory, rather than their current reality.
  • "Freely" (חִנָּם, khinnam, H2600) is often understood as "for nothing" or "without cost." This word adds irony, since the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and their food was not truly free; their memory glosses over the hardship.
  • The specific foods—"fish" (דָּג, dag, H1710), "cucumbers" (קִשּׁוּא, qishshu, H7180), "melons" (אֲבַטִּיחַ, avattiakh, H20), "leeks" (חָצִיר, chatsir, H2682), "onions" (בָּצָל, batsal, H1211), and "garlick" (שׁוּם, shum, H7762)—are all named to paint a vivid picture of the variety and richness they remember from Egypt, contrasting sharply with the monotony of manna.

Why Numbers 11:5 matters

  • Numbers 11:5 helps clarify that the Israelites' complaints were not just about hunger, but about missing the variety and pleasures of their old life, even if that life was harsh.
  • The verse highlights how memory can be selective, focusing on good things from the past while ignoring the suffering that came with them.
  • This longing for Egypt, despite their liberation, sets up a recurring theme in the wilderness journey: the struggle to trust God’s provision and the temptation to look back rather than forward.

Where else these words appear

“fish” Hebrew H1710 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
  • Deuteronomy 4:18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
  • Ezekiel 29:5 And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

“leeks” Hebrew H2682 · used in 20 verses

  • 1 Kings 18:5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
  • Psalms 103:15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
  • Isaiah 35:7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

“freely” Hebrew H2600 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 29:15 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
  • Job 9:17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
  • Proverbs 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?