Numbers 11:5 kjv
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:
Numbers 11:5 nkjv
We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
Numbers 11:5 niv
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost?also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
Numbers 11:5 esv
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
Numbers 11:5 nlt
"We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.
Numbers 11 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 16:3 | The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt, while we sat by the meat pots and ate all the bread we wanted! Instead, you have brought us into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” | Longing for "meat pots" and bread in Egypt, preferring death over hunger. |
| Exod 17:3 | But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses... "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" | Complaining against Moses and God due to perceived lack. |
| Num 11:4 | The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat!” | Direct context: the strong desire for meat beyond manna. |
| Num 11:6 | But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna! | The direct contrasting verse: their contempt for the manna. |
| Num 21:5 | They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” | Reiterates the detestation of manna and longing for Egypt. |
| Deut 8:2-3 | Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years... to humble you and to test you... He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. | Manna as spiritual instruction and testing of faith, not just food. |
| Deut 32:15 | But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. | Warning against prosperity leading to forgetting God. |
| Neh 9:16-17 | “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands... they stiffened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery." | Rebellion and desire to return to Egyptian bondage despite deliverance. |
| Pss 78:18-20 | They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved... They said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?... He also provided bread. But can he also supply meat for his people?” | Testing God with cravings; doubting His full provision. |
| Pss 78:29-31 | They ate their fill, for he gave them what they craved... While the food was still in their mouths, God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the strongest of them, cutting down the young men of Israel. | Consequences of demanding food from God out of craving, not trust. |
| Pss 106:13-15 | But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plans. In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test... Then he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a wasting disease among them. | Quickly forgetting God's deeds and giving in to carnal craving, leading to judgment. |
| Prov 23:2 | Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. | Warning against unrestrained appetite. |
| Jer 2:31-32 | “You yourselves, see the word of the Lord. Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of thick darkness?... My people have forgotten me for days without number." | Israel forgetting God and His faithfulness. |
| Phil 3:18-19 | For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach... | "Their god is their stomach," a NT echo of putting carnal appetites first. |
| Col 3:1-2 | Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. | Contrast between focusing on earthly vs. heavenly things. |
| Col 3:5 | Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. | Lust and evil desires linked to idolatry; parallels Israel's cravings. |
| 1 Cor 10:5-6 | Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. These things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. | Warning against repeating Israel's failures, especially desire for evil. |
| 1 Tim 6:6-8 | But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. | Contentment vs. craving; a biblical counter to discontent. |
| Heb 3:10 | That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.” | God's anger at their perpetually wandering hearts. |
| Heb 3:18 | And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? | Disobedience stemming from unbelief (discontent and craving). |
| Jude 1:16 | These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. | Describes grumblers following desires, relevant to Israel's complaint. |
| Jas 1:14-15 | But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is full-grown, it gives birth to death. | Progression from desire to sin to death, illustrated by Israel's craving. |
| Rev 2:4 | Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. | Forgetting foundational blessings and prior love for God. |
Numbers 11 verses
Numbers 11 5 Meaning
Numbers 11:5 expresses the Israelite's deep discontent with God's provision of manna, reflecting a nostalgic longing for the physical comforts and varied diet they "remembered" from their time in Egypt. This lament highlights their ungrateful hearts, focusing on earthly pleasures while neglecting the spiritual significance of God's miraculous deliverance and sustenance. It underscores a spiritual amnesia where they conveniently forgot the harsh slavery and remembered only perceived gustatory luxuries, preferring the fleshpots of Egypt to the wilderness journey led by God.
Numbers 11 5 Context
Numbers chapter 11 opens with the Israelites complaining, leading to God sending fire that consumes part of the camp. Immediately after this, the "rabble" (mixed multitude who left Egypt with them) within the Israelite camp begin to crave specific foods beyond the manna, infecting the native Israelites with their intense desires. This widespread complaining about the daily, miraculous provision of manna escalated into a passionate demand for meat, harkening back to the varied and rich diet they perceived themselves to have enjoyed in Egypt. The verse Num 11:5, with its detailed list of remembered Egyptian foods, is the direct expression of this deep-seated dissatisfaction and ungratefulness, comparing it unfavorably to the constant manna. The broader historical context is their journey through the wilderness after Sinai, where God had already demonstrated immense power in delivering them from slavery and providing for them daily. Their complaint represents a spiritual amnesia, forgetting the horrors of bondage and the mighty hand of God in favor of worldly comfort, showcasing a recurring theme of murmuring and testing God in the wilderness narratives.
Numbers 11 5 Word analysis
- We remember (וְזָכַרְנוּ, v'zakharnu): From the root zakar (זָכַר), "to remember." Here, it signifies a deliberate act of recall, but one that is selective and distorted. Their memory is focused on specific pleasures while conveniently omitting the profound hardship, forced labor, and bitter slavery they endured in Egypt. This is an ironic "remembering," indicating ingratitude and a lack of true perspective. It highlights a common human tendency to idealize past struggles by focusing only on their fleeting comforts.
- the fish (אֶת־הַדָּגָה, et-haddagah): From dag (דָּג), "fish." Fish were a staple, accessible, and cheap food source in Egypt, plentiful in the Nile River and its canals. Their craving for fish shows a desire for simple, mundane dietary variety beyond the manna.
- we ate (אָכַלְנוּ, akhalnu): From 'akhal (אָכַל), "to eat." This simple past tense verb emphasizes their personal experience of consumption.
- in Egypt (בְּמִצְרַיִם, b'mitzrayim): Referring to Egypt (Mitzrayim), the land of their bitter bondage. The contrast between their longing for Egyptian food and their deliverance from Egyptian slavery highlights their spiritual amnesia and misplaced priorities. They wished to return, mentally, to a place from which God had physically liberated them with a mighty hand.
- free of charge (חִנָּם, ḥinnām): This Hebrew word means "gratis," "for nothing," or "without cost." This is the most deeply ironic and significant phrase in the verse. The food in Egypt was by no means "free of charge" to slaves, who paid with their lives, their freedom, and their relentless, forced labor. They were oppressed and groaned under Pharaoh (Exod 2:23). This phrase reveals the depth of their self-deception and delusion, painting a romanticized picture of their enslavement, contrasting starkly with God's truly free and miraculous daily provision of manna. It implicitly devalues God's supernatural, genuine "free" gift.
- the cucumbers (אֶת־הַקִּשֻּׁאִים, et-haqishshu'im): From qishshu (קִשֻּׁא), a type of gourds or cucumbers. Common, watery, and refreshing vegetables, often consumed raw in ancient Egypt.
- the melons (וְאֶת־הָאֲבַטִּחִים, v'et-ha'abaṭṭiḥim): From abaṭṭiḥ (אֲבַטִּחַ), refers to watermelons, very popular in ancient Egypt for their refreshing quality, especially in hot climates.
- the leeks (וְאֶת־הֶחָצִיר, v'et-heḥaṣir): From ḥaṣir (חָצִיר), usually means "grass," but in this context, widely interpreted as leeks. These provided a sharp flavor and were a staple for even the poorest Egyptians.
- the onions (וְאֶת־הַבְּצָלִים, v'et-habeṣalîm): From beṣal (בְּצַל), onions. Extremely common and valued in ancient Egypt, even having religious significance for some.
- and the garlic (וְאֶת־הַשּׁוּמִים, v'et-hashshumim): From shum (שׁוּם), garlic. Another flavorful, common, and readily available food source for all social strata in Egypt.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt free of charge": This entire phrase encapsulates a powerful lament rooted in spiritual blindness and ungratefulness. "We remember" is a subjective and distorted memory. They conveniently choose to forget the brutal slavery, the cries of oppression, and God's powerful hand that brought them out. The term "free of charge" is a bitter irony, as they had paid with their very lives and liberty under taskmasters. This memory ignores the pain of bondage, selectively recollecting only the ease of acquiring certain foods. It stands in stark contrast to the reality that their daily manna was truly "free" and provided by God's grace.
- "the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic": The comprehensive list of common, yet flavorful, Egyptian vegetables highlights the specific nature of their craving. It's not just a vague desire for "food"; it's a longing for the sensory experience of a varied diet, with particular emphasis on taste and refreshment. This craving for specific, carnal gratifications showcases a people whose hearts were still set on the "fleshpots" of Egypt rather than on the spiritual journey God was leading them on. This desire for physical abundance becomes an obstacle to embracing God's unique provision and trusting His plan for their purification and formation in the wilderness. It speaks to a craving for the trivial rather than appreciating the miraculous.
Numbers 11 5 Bonus section
The specific foods listed in Numbers 11:5—fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic—were indeed staple elements of the ancient Egyptian diet, readily available and consumed by all social classes, including slaves. Their ubiquity in Egypt reinforces the point that the Israelites were not remembering rare delicacies, but rather common fare. This commonness further highlights the perceived "sacrifice" they felt they were making by eating only manna, no matter how miraculously provided or nourishing. The "rabble" or "mixed multitude" mentioned in the preceding verse (Num 11:4) is believed to have played a significant role in inciting this complaint. These were non-Israelites who joined the Exodus and may have lacked the deep spiritual conviction and understanding of God's covenant with Israel. Their worldly mindset, focused on physical comforts, acted as a spiritual contagion that quickly spread dissatisfaction among the Israelite camp, leading them to despise God's miraculous manna.
Numbers 11 5 Commentary
Numbers 11:5 vividly portrays the depth of the Israelite's ingratitude and spiritual forgetfulness after their liberation from Egypt. Despite witnessing numerous miracles and experiencing God's daily provision of manna, their hearts longed for the sensual delights of their past, even the life of slavery. Their selective memory chose to idealize a time of bondage by focusing on easily accessible, varied, and flavorful foods. The complaint about having eaten them "free of charge" is especially poignant and ironic, revealing a complete spiritual delusion. They failed to grasp that their freedom, along with the miraculous daily sustenance of manna, was truly God's gracious and abundant gift, something immeasurably more valuable than any "cheap" food available during their slavery. This verse underscores the spiritual danger of letting carnal appetites and nostalgic sentimentality for a sinful past overshadow God's divine provision and redemptive purposes. It represents a people who preferred their palate's pleasure to their covenant relationship with the living God, leading to severe consequences.