Numbers 11:14 kjv
I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
Numbers 11:14 nkjv
I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.
Numbers 11:14 niv
I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
Numbers 11:14 esv
I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.
Numbers 11:14 nlt
I can't carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!
Numbers 11 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 18:17-18 | Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good... you will surely wear out..." | Jethro's warning about Moses' solo leadership |
| Ex 18:21-22 | "...you shall select from all the people able men... and let them judge..." | Jethro advises delegation of leadership |
| Nu 11:11 | Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant..." | Moses' immediate complaint leading to v. 14 |
| Nu 11:16-17 | "...gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel... and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them..." | God's direct response and provision for the burden |
| Deut 1:9 | "At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to carry you alone.’" | Moses recounts his past difficulty in his address to Israel |
| Isa 40:11 | "He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom..." | God as the ultimate Carrier of His people |
| Ps 55:22 | "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." | Encouragement to give burdens to the Lord |
| Ps 68:19 | "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation." | God as the daily Burden-bearer |
| Matt 11:28-30 | "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” | Christ offering rest from burdens, contrasting earthly weight |
| Gal 6:2 | "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." | Principle of mutual burden-sharing in the church |
| 2 Cor 12:9-10 | "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness... for when I am weak, then I am strong.” | God's strength perfected in human weakness, resonating with Moses' confession |
| Phil 4:13 | "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." | Believer's reliance on divine strength |
| John 15:5 | "Apart from me you can do nothing." | Christ's statement on human dependence |
| Eph 4:11-12 | "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry..." | Diverse spiritual gifts and shared ministry within the Body |
| 1 Cor 12:12-27 | "...the body is one and has many members... if one member suffers, all suffer together..." | Analogy of the Body of Christ where responsibilities are shared |
| 1 Pet 5:7 | "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." | Trusting God with all burdens and worries |
| Heb 4:15 | "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” | Christ's understanding of human weakness and struggles |
| Heb 12:1 | "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely..." | Laying aside burdens to run the race |
| Neh 9:18-19 | "they made for themselves a molten calf... But you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud did not depart from them by day to lead them..." | God's unfailing presence and leadership despite Israel's rebellion and leader's distress |
| Deut 34:10 | "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." | The uniqueness of Moses, highlighting the burden he carried as God's personal representative |
Numbers 11 verses
Numbers 11 14 Meaning
Numbers 11:14 captures Moses' raw confession of inadequacy to God. He declares his inability to continue bearing the immense burden of leading the entirety of the rebellious Israelite people alone. The verse articulates his weariness and the overwhelming nature of the responsibility, emphasizing that the spiritual and practical weight is far too heavy for a single person to manage.
Numbers 11 14 Context
Numbers 11:14 occurs amidst a severe crisis in the Israelite wilderness journey. The people, after recent provision of manna, grumble intensely for meat (Nu 11:4-6). This "craving" or "lusting" of the people becomes a deep source of frustration for Moses. Their persistent weeping at the tent doors and God's anger ignites a deep weariness in Moses. Overwhelmed by their incessant complaints and rebellious spirit (Nu 11:10), Moses cries out to God, questioning His leadership and his own capacity (Nu 11:11-15). Verse 14 is Moses' direct admission of human frailty under an unbearable divine calling. This sets the stage for God's merciful provision not only of meat but also of the seventy elders, delegating the burden and providing assistance for Moses. Historically, this incident reflects the harsh realities of leading a vast, disparate population through a hostile desert environment, particularly a people prone to doubt and rebellion, requiring immense patience and divine empowerment.
Numbers 11 14 Word analysis
- I: (Heb.
’ānōḵī/ אָנֹכִי) - Refers specifically to Moses. This is a personal cry, highlighting his solitary struggle despite his unique position as God's chosen mediator and leader. - am not able: (Heb.
lo’ ’ūkāl/ לֹא אוּכַל) - Literally "I am not strong enough" or "I cannot." This expresses utter incapacity, not unwillingness. It's a confession of deep exhaustion and overwhelming helplessness in the face of the monumental task. This points to the limitations of even the most Spirit-filled human. - to carry: (Heb.
nāśā’/ נָשָׂא) - To lift, bear, support. This verb carries a sense of continuous effort and sustained burden. It signifies carrying responsibility, physical weight, or even the spiritual load of the people's sin and rebellion. This responsibility often fell on leadership to "carry" the people through challenges, guiding and sustaining them. - all this people: (Heb.
kōl-hā‘ām hazzeh/ כָּל־הָעָם הַזֶּה) - Emphasizes the sheer multitude and their collective, uniform behavior of discontent. "This people" (often used negatively in scripture by God and Moses) refers to their stiff-necked, rebellious, and demanding nature, adding a moral weight to the physical numbers. - alone: (Heb.
lĕḇaddî/ לְבַדִּי) - By myself, independently. This word underscores Moses' feeling of isolation in leadership. Despite having a helper like Aaron, the ultimate, governing responsibility lay solely on Moses, magnifying his burden. - because: (Heb.
kî/ כִּי) - "For" or "surely." Introduces the reason for his inability, serving as an emphatic explanation. - it is too heavy: (Heb.
kāḇēḏ mimmeNnî/ כָּבֵד מִמֶּנִּי) - Literally, "heavy from me" or "heavier than me."Kavedmeans heavy, weighty, grievous, difficult, severe, or burdensome. It encapsulates both physical and emotional/spiritual pressure. This burden surpassed his personal strength and capacity, draining his spirit. This highlights the magnitude of leading a people chosen by God, who despite being delivered, continued to rebel against His purposes.
Numbers 11 14 Bonus section
The scene in Numbers 11:14 foreshadows the principle of shared leadership and the distribution of spiritual gifting within God's people. Moses' inability "alone" teaches that immense divine tasks are often accomplished through communal effort empowered by God's Spirit. This crisis also showcases God's empathy for His human leaders; He does not rebuke Moses for his honesty but provides tangible support. This illustrates that transparency about weakness can open the door for God's perfect power to be made manifest. Furthermore, it underlines the prophetic nature of true leadership—not an effortless task of mere instruction but a weighty burden that often involves intercession, empathy, and bearing the people's faults before God.
Numbers 11 14 Commentary
Numbers 11:14 offers a poignant glimpse into the profound human cost of divinely appointed leadership. Moses, the singular recipient of direct divine communication and the architect of the exodus, reveals the breaking point of human endurance. His cry "I am not able to carry all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me" is not a failure of faith but an honest confession of human limitation. It highlights that even the greatest spiritual leaders operate within the bounds of their human capacity. The "weight" here is multifaceted: the logistics of sustaining millions in a desert, their constant complaints, their rebellious spirit, and the personal responsibility of mediating between a holy God and a stubborn people. This confession precedes God's compassionate response to lighten Moses' load by instituting the seventy elders (Nu 11:16-17), a clear pattern of God's provision for His burdened servants through shared ministry.