Numbers 11:18
in Numbers 11And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you have cried out in the hearing of the LORD, saying: ‘Who will feed us meat? For we were better off in Egypt!’ Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
KJV
And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
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This verse in Numbers 11
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Sanctify yourselves against to morrow
on Numbers 11:18-20
The word used for preparing a nation to meet God at Exodus 19:10 is used here for preparing to eat meat, and the meat comes as a sentence rather than as a kindness. The measure climbs by steps, one day, two days, five, ten, twenty, and then a whole month until it comes out at their nostrils and is loathsome to them. Verse 20 names the offence in the plainest terms the chapter uses, that they have despised the LORD which is among them and have asked why they came out of Egypt. Psalm 78:29-31 tells the same episode and says he gave them their own desire.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
A commentator
Philoxenus of Mabbug13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence · Written before 523.
proposed
And again when Moses saw that they lusted, and were made unclean by their lust, he said to them, "Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow that ye may eat flesh," as if a man were to say, Because your persons have been made unclean by your lusts, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), that is, to put themselves into a posture to receive such a proof of God's power as should be a token both of mercy and judgment. Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel, Amos iv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And say thou unto the people,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh--that is, "prepare yourselves," by repentance and submission, to receive to-morrow the flesh you clamor for. But it is evident that the tenor of the language implied a severe rebuke and that the blessing promised would prove a curse.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָעָ֨ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| תֹּאמַ֜ר | tomar | you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּ | hitkadeshu | sanctify yourselves | H6942 → | 171 times |
| לְמָחָר֮ | lemachar | for tomorrow | H4279 → | 52 times |
| וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֣ם | vaakhaltem | and you will eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| בָּשָׂר֒ | basar | meat | H1320 → | 270 times |
| כִּ֡י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בְּכִיתֶם֩ | bekhitem | you have wept | H1058 → | 114 times |
| בְּאָזְנֵ֨י | beazenei | in [the] ears of | H241 → | 187 times |
| יְהוָ֜ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לֵאמֹ֗ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| מִ֤י | mi | who? | H4310 → | 423 times |
| יַאֲכִלֵ֙נוּ֙ | yaakhilenu | will he cause to eat us | H398 → | 810 times |
| בָּשָׂ֔ר | basar | meat | H1320 → | 270 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| ט֥וֹב | tov | it was good | H2895 → | 45 times |
| לָ֖נוּ | lanu | for <the> us | ||
| בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם | bemitzrayim | in Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| וְנָתַ֨ן | venatan | and he will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לָכֶ֛ם | lakhem | to <the> you | ||
| בָּשָׂ֖ר | basar | meat | H1320 → | 270 times |
| וַאֲכַלְתֶּֽם׃ | vaakhaltem | and you will eat | H398 → | 810 times |
וְאֶל־and to
veel-H413 →5510 times
הָעָ֨םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
תֹּאמַ֜רyou will say
tomarH559 →5305 times
הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּsanctify yourselves
hitkadeshuH6942 →171 times
לְמָחָר֮for tomorrow
lemacharH4279 →52 times
וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֣םand you will eat
vaakhaltemH398 →810 times
בָּשָׂר֒meat
basarH1320 →270 times
כִּ֡יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
בְּכִיתֶם֩you have wept
bekhitemH1058 →114 times
בְּאָזְנֵ֨יin [the] ears of
beazeneiH241 →187 times
יְהוָ֜הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לֵאמֹ֗ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
מִ֤יwho?
miH4310 →423 times
יַאֲכִלֵ֙נוּ֙will he cause to eat us
yaakhilenuH398 →810 times
בָּשָׂ֔רmeat
basarH1320 →270 times
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
ט֥וֹבit was good
tovH2895 →45 times
לָ֖נוּfor <the> us
lanu
בְּמִצְרָ֑יִםin Egypt
bemitzrayimH4714 →641 times
וְנָתַ֨ןand he will give
venatanH5414 →2011 times
יְהוָ֥הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לָכֶ֛םto <the> you
lakhem
בָּשָׂ֖רmeat
basarH1320 →270 times
וַאֲכַלְתֶּֽם׃and you will eat
vaakhaltemH398 →810 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 19:10Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes
it leads to
- Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Leviticus 11:44–45
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.
- Genesis 35:2
So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments.
- Leviticus 11:25
and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.
- Hebrews 10:22
Through
Numbers 11:1Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed…
it leads to
- Numbers 21:5
and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”
- 2 Kings 1:12
Again Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed…
- Numbers 16:35
And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
- Numbers 21:5
Through
Acts 7:39But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
it leads to
- Numbers 14:3–4
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
- Numbers 14:3–4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence.