Numbers 11 · Verse 21

Numbers 11:21

And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
Numbers 11:21, King James Version

Numbers 11:21 in other translations

BSBBut Moses replied, “Here I am among 600,000 men on foot, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’
WEBMoses said, “The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’
ASVAnd Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
YLTAnd Moses saith, ‘Six hundred thousand footmen are the people in whose midst I am; and Thou, Thou hast said, Flesh I give to them, and they have eaten, a month of days!
DARBYAnd Moses said, The people in whose midst I am are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou sayest, I will give them flesh that they may eat a whole month.
BBEThen Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, I will give them flesh to be their food for a month.
WebsterAnd Moses said, The people among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

What does Numbers 11:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 11:21-23
21-23. Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand ... Shall the flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them?--The great leader, struck with a promise so astonishing as that of suddenly furnishing, in the midst of the desert, more than two millions of people with flesh for a whole month, betrayed an incredulous spirit, surprising in one who had witnessed so many stupendous miracles. But it is probable that it was only a feeling of the moment--at all events, the incredulous doubt was uttered only to himself--and not, as afterwards, publicly and to the scandal of the people. (See on Nu 20:10). It was, therefore, sharply reproved, but not punished.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 11:16-23

Moses is to choose such as he knew to be elders, that is, wise and experienced men. God promises to qualify them. If they were not found fit for the employ, they should be made fit. Even the discontented people shall be gratified too, that every mouth may be stopped. See here, I. The vanity of all the delights of sense; they will cloy, but they will not satisfy. Spiritual pleasures alone will satisfy and last. As…

Read the full comment on Numbers 11:16-23 →

Numbers 11:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּאמֶר֮vai.yo.Merand he saidH559
מֹשֶׁה֒mo.ShehMosesH4872
שֵׁשׁ\־shesh-[are] sixH8337
מֵא֥וֹתme.'othundred<s>H3967
אֶ֙לֶף֙'e.lefthousandH505
רַגְלִ֔יrag.Lifoot soldier[s]H7273
הָעָ֕םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
אָנֹכִ֖י'a.no.KhiIH595
בְּקִרְבּ֑וֹbe.kir.Bo[am] in midst itsH7130
וְאַתָּ֣הve.'a.Tahand youH859
אָמַ֗רְתָּ'a.Mar.tayou have saidH559
בָּשָׂר֙ba.SarmeatH1320
אֶתֵּ֣ן'e.TenI will giveH5414
לָהֶ֔םla.Hemto <the> them
וְאָכְל֖וּve.'a.khe.Luand they will eatH398
חֹ֥דֶשׁCho.desha month ofH2320
יָמִֽים\׃ya.MimdaysH3117

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 11:21

  • Exodus 12:37

    And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

  • Numbers 1:46

    Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

  • Genesis 12:2

    And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

  • Exodus 38:26

    A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

  • Numbers 2:32

    These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1:46; 2:32; Ge 12:2; Ex 12:37; 38:26

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 11:20

    But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

  • Numbers 11:21

    And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

  • Numbers 11:22

    Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

Read all of Numbers 11

Numbers 11:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces dijo Moisés: Seiscientos mil de á pie es el pueblo en medio del cual yo estoy; y tú dices: Les daré carne, y comerán el tiempo de un mes.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Moïse dit: Il y a 600 000 hommes de pied dans ce peuple au milieu duquel je suis, et tu as dit: Je leur donnerai de la chair, et ils en mangeront un mois entier.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Mose sprach: 600000 Mann zu Fuß ist das Volk, in dessen Mitte ich bin, und du sprichst: Fleisch will ich ihnen geben, daß sie einen ganzen Monat essen!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ait Moyses: Sexcenta millia peditum hujus populi sunt: et tu dicis: Dabo eis esum carnium mense integro?