Numbers 11 34

Numbers 11:34 kjv

And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

Numbers 11:34 nkjv

So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.

Numbers 11:34 niv

Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

Numbers 11:34 esv

Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.

Numbers 11:34 nlt

So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means "graves of gluttony") because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt.

Numbers 11 verses

Numbers 11 34 Meaning

Numbers 11:34 records the naming of a specific location as Kibroth Hattaavah, meaning "Graves of Craving" or "Graves of Lust." This name was given because it was the place where the Israelites who had given in to their strong, ungodly craving for meat, complaining against the Lord and His provision, were struck down by a plague and buried. It stands as a perpetual memorial and warning of God's severe judgment against fleshly lust and rebellious ingratitude.

Numbers 11 34 Context

Numbers chapter 11 opens with the Israelites complaining, despite God's constant miraculous provision and presence. Their first complaint about their "misfortunes" led to fire from the Lord consuming parts of the camp (Taberah). Immediately after this, "the rabble among them" (a mixed multitude who had joined Israel from Egypt) indulged in a vehement longing for meat, lamenting their diet of manna, which they despised as "worthless food." This ungodly craving spread to the Israelites, leading them to weep and bitterly wish for the "fleshpots of Egypt." This act demonstrated not just discontent, but a deep-seated spiritual rebellion and rejection of God's gracious care. Moses, overwhelmed, interceded for the people and for himself. In response, God promised an overwhelming supply of quail but also announced a severe judgment to come with it. When the quail arrived, driven by the Spirit from the sea, the people greedily gathered them. While the meat was still being eaten, the Lord struck them with a very great plague, leading to many deaths. Verse 34 then names the burial site of those who perished due to their gluttonous craving and rebellion, solidifying its historical and spiritual significance.

Numbers 11 34 Word analysis

• So: Connects this action and naming to the immediate preceding divine judgment. It indicates a consequence of the events just described.

• he called: Refers to a recognized authority, likely Moses, or simply indicating a community consensus in naming the site. It denotes a deliberate act of identification and memorialization.

• the name: Significant in the ancient Near East, names were not just labels but revealed character, meaning, or a significant event. This naming solidified the memory of the event and its lesson.

• that place: Specific geographical location in the wilderness where this event occurred, reinforcing its historical reality.

• Kibroth Hattaavah (קִבְרוֹת הַתַּאֲוָה, qibrôṯ hattaʾăwāh):

  • Kibroth (קִבְרוֹת): Plural noun meaning "graves" or "burial places." Derived from the root Q-B-R, meaning "to bury." This signifies death and burial on a large scale.
  • Hattaavah (הַתַּאֲוָה): Composed of the definite article "Ha-" (הַ, "the") and "Taavah" (תַּאֲוָה). "Taavah" is a noun meaning "craving," "strong desire," "lust," or "appetite." While "taavah" can sometimes refer to a legitimate desire (e.g., Prov 10:24), here, with the definite article and in this context of judgment, it unequivocally denotes an inordinate, rebellious, and destructive longing, an idolatry of appetite that rejects God's goodness. It’s "the" particular craving that led to this catastrophic outcome.
    • This specific craving wasn't just for food, but rooted in ingratitude and unbelief, preferring "Egypt" to God's daily miracle.

• because: A direct causal connector. The naming is a direct consequence of what happened.

• there: Reinforces the specific locality. The place itself bore the testimony of the event.

• they buried: Refers to the people themselves, the survivors burying the dead, but implicitly also God's hand in causing the deaths that necessitated the burials.

• the people who had coveted: Translates the Hebrew verb הִתְאַוּוּ (hitʾawwū), a hitpa'el form of the root עָוָה (ʿāwāh) from which "taavah" (craving) derives. The hitpa'el form emphasizes the intensive, persistent, or reflexive nature of their action—they passionately craved, they caused themselves to crave. It highlights their internal state of sinful longing that led to their outward actions and subsequent judgment. It underscores that the cause of the deaths was the internal, insatiable, and rebellious craving of the people, not simply the meat itself.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "Kibroth Hattaavah": This name, "Graves of Craving," serves as a grim and perpetual reminder. It directly links uncontrolled, unholy desire with death and divine judgment. It signifies that consuming lust leads not to satisfaction but to destruction. The place literally embodies the consequence of the people's sinful desire.
  • "he called...because there they buried the people who had coveted": This entire phrase establishes a clear theological cause-and-effect. The place's name is not arbitrary but explicitly states the reason for the mass burials—it was because of their coveting. This makes the place a didactic landmark, continually teaching future generations about the perils of spiritual rebellion and excessive desire.

Numbers 11 34 Bonus section

• The naming of Kibroth Hattaavah follows a pattern in Numbers of places being named after events of rebellion or judgment (e.g., Taberah - "burning," Num 11:3; Massah and Meribah - "testing" and "strife," Exod 17:7, Num 20:13). These names acted as geographical markers of spiritual lessons for all generations.
• The incident at Kibroth Hattaavah, like other wilderness narratives, serves as a vital type and warning for future believers, as emphasized by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:6-7. The spiritual danger is not merely gluttony, but the "craving for evil things" that can consume and destroy.
• The quail incident highlights a sobering truth: God sometimes answers prayers or gives desires as a judgment. While they craved meat, the real underlying sin was spiritual dissatisfaction and ingratitude toward God's unfailing goodness and daily provision. This highlights that receiving what one demands can be a curse when sought out of ungodly motives, resulting in spiritual "leanness" (Ps 106:15).
• This account showcases the constant tension between divine grace (manna, quail) and human sin (complaint, craving), a recurring theme throughout Israel's wilderness wanderings and indeed throughout the human story.

Numbers 11 34 Commentary

Numbers 11:34 seals a tragic chapter in Israel's wilderness journey by permanently branding a location "Graves of Craving." This naming is far more than a geographical identifier; it is a profound theological statement and a lasting memorial of divine judgment. The "craving" (ta'avah) here goes beyond a simple desire for meat; it was an ungrateful rejection of God's miraculous manna, a preference for the slavery of Egypt over the liberty of God's presence, and a complete lack of faith in His ongoing provision. God met their craving with abundance but simultaneously with judgment, demonstrating that sometimes what one desires is given in wrath (Ps 106:15). The immense greed with which they gathered the quail (Num 11:32) underscored the uncontrolled nature of their lust. Kibroth Hattaavah serves as a timeless warning that idolatrous desire, even for seemingly mundane things like food, when it springs from a heart of discontentment and rebellion against God, inevitably leads to devastating consequences, signifying death to self, faith, and physical life. It underscores that God is holy and will not tolerate prolonged rebellion, particularly when it stems from a refusal to trust and be content with His sovereign care.