聖書注解書

Numbers 11:1. And when the people complained— The when inserted here much flattens the sense, and leads the mind to wrong ideas respecting this event. Read it thus, exactly conformable to the Hebrew, and the spirit of the passage will appear. Now the people greatly murmured: it was evil in the ears of the Lord: He heard it, and his anger was kindled, &c. Houbigant renders it, In the mean time the people murmured wickedly in the ears of the Lord, &c. following the Greek, which has it, γογγυζων πονηρα . We are not told what was the cause of these murmurs; but it is evident from Num 11:3 compared with Num 11:34 that it was something different from that mentioned in the 4th and following verses. The fire of the Lord means lightning. See 2 Kings 1:12.Job 1:16; Job 1:16. As the mixed multitude were in the uttermost parts of the camp, it is probable that this murmuring began with them, and that they were the persons now punished.

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Numbers 11:2. The fire was quenched— Εκοπασε, the LXX. it ceased. Scheuchzer is of opinion, as also is Le Clerc, that this destruction might be wrought by one of those fiery, blasting winds, which are incident to those countries, and mentioned in Scripture, Ezekiel 17:10; Eze 19:12 and by one of which Thevenot, in his Voyages, (part 1: b. 2 Chronicles 34 :) tells us, 2000 men perished in one night, in the year 1658.

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Numbers 11:3. Name of the place Taberah— The reason of the name Taberah, or burning, is given, as usual, in the next clause; because the fire of the Lord burnt among them: see 1Co 10:11-12 where the apostle applies this part of the sacred history for the instruction of Christians.

REFLECTIONS.—From the mercies they had experienced, and their promising beginnings, we might have expected a gracious issue to their journey; but, alas! what a change is here!

1. A spirit of murmuring is among them; why or wherefore it is hard to guess. They had every blessing their hearts could reasonably desire; and such extraordinary instances of God's love to them, as should have made them rejoice with joy unspeakable. But a discontented spirit will never be without cause of murmuring, even in the midst of mercies. God heard their repinings; for to him our most secret thoughts are fully known; and justly angry at their ingratitude, as he must ever be with those complainers who find fault with his provision for them, 2. He sends a fire of wrath among them, most probably by strokes of lightning from heaven. It burnt in the uttermost part of the camp; in the tribe of Dan probably, where the chief seat of the murmurers lay. God will not spare, if sinners provoke him; and happy for us if we take warning by others, and repent of the like sins, that we be not consumed with their plagues. 3. Thus did the people; they cried unto Moses; for in distress of soul God's slighted ministers will be the first to be applied to; and Moses kindly interceded for them, and the fire was stayed. The prayers of a righteous man avail much. It is a great blessing to have an interest in them. 4. The name given the place, Taberah, Burning. The place of the sinner's torment shortly will be everlasting burnings. Let us fear to murmur, lest we should likewise perish.

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Numbers 11:4. The mixt multitude— See Exodus 12:38. Infected by the example of this mixed multitude, the children of Israel returned again to their former murmurings, and bemoaned themselves for the want of the provisions they had fed upon in Egypt. "Their sin," says Bishop Kidder, "was much aggravated upon the following accounts: 1st, They declared their distrust of God's power and providence, whereof they had had so great experience; see Exodus 16:2.Psalms 78:22; Psalms 78:22; Psa 100:2 nd, They un-thankfully despised God and his former mercies. 3rdly, They covetously desired flesh, when they had much cattle of their own." Exo 32:35 with Numbers 32:4.

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Numbers 11:5. We remember the fish, &c.— The author of the observations remarks, that the fish of Egypt are eaten, in common, with pleasure by the inhabitants of that country; but that in April and May, which is the hot season there, they scarce eat any thing else but fish, with pulse and herbs; the great heat taking away their appetite for all sorts of meat. This is Bishop Pococke's account, vol. 1 p. 182 with whom other travellers agree. Whence some have thought, that this complaint of the Israelites arose from the peculiar sultriness of the weather, and their being accustomed, in these hot seasons, to eat fish, and refreshing vegetables. But it is evident from the text, that the complaint of Israel proceeded from a wayward and perverse kind of luxuriousness; and for that reason drew down such a severe animadversion from heaven. De Vitriacho tells us, that some of the more delicate Egyptians pined to death when Damiata was besieged (anno Dom. 1218.) though they had a sufficiency of corn, for want of the food they were used to; pompions, garlick, onions, fish, birds, fruit, herbs, &c. It appears, at least, very clear from ch. Num 10:11 that the Israelites did not arrive at this station till the latter end of May, if before June; and it seems to have been some time after their arrival that this murmuring arose; (Numbers 11:4.) so that either the hot south winds do not blow at the same time in the desart, as they are wont to do in Egypt, or this complaint did not arise from that cause.

The cucumbers, &c.— Those who are inclined to enter into a minute account of these plants, will find their curiosity gratified, by referring to the third volume of Scheuchzer's learned and laborious Physique Sacree. He translates the words rendered cucumbers and melons, by melons et citrouilles, melons and gourds; and he observes, that the ancients called all the fruits of that species cucumbers and melons. The word which we render leeks, he takes to signify a plant of the lotus kind, which grew in the low lands of Egypt; and which, he says, was of a very delicate taste, and held in great estimation. Homer says, that the lotus is the first of the plants which grew for the pleasure of the gods, Iliad 22. See Alpinus de plant. Egypt. p. 103. With respect to the onions and garlick, Scheuchzer further observes, upon the credit of the best travellers, that they are far better, and of a much sweeter taste in the east, than in our parts of the world. The Jews, and the Orientals in general, are to the present time very fond of them: and Calmet well remarks, that garlick was in so much request among the ancients, that Homer makes it a part of the entertainment which Nestor serves up to his guest Machaon. Iliad 11.

Honey new prest, the sacred flour of wheat, And wholesome garlick, crown'd the sav'ry treat. POPE.

Juvenal observes, at the beginning of his 15th Satire,

How Egypt, mad with superstition grown, Makes gods of monsters but too well is known—

'Tis mortal sin an onion to devour; Each clove of garlick is a sacred pow'r. Religious nations sure, and blest abodes, Where every garden is o'er-run with gods! DRYDEN.

Upon which Calmet and others have started a question, How the Israelites durst venture to violate the national worship, by eating those sacred plants? To which it may be replied, in the first place, that whatever might be the case with the Egyptians in later ages, it is not probable that they were arrived at such a pitch of superstition in Moses's time; for we find no footsteps thereof in the time of Herodotus, the most ancient of the Greek historians. 2nd, Juvenal, and the other writers who speak of this superstition, appear to be mistaken, in imagining those herbs to have been really the objects of religious worship. The priests, indeed, abstained from the use of them, and of several other vegetables: and this might give rise to the opinion of their being reverenced as divinities; but they were not prohibited to the people, as is plain from the testimonies of ancient writers; particularly Diodorus, lib. 1: p. 80.

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Numbers 11:6. Our soul is dried away— This expression is of the same import with that of the Psalmist; my heart is—withered like grass. The word נפשׁ nepesh, as we have before observed, is often used for the merely animal life, (see Genesis 2:7.) and the drying away here mentioned, may refer to their want of the moist, fishy, and vegetable food, for which they expressed so impetuous a desire. Their contempt of the manna is shewn by the way of speaking of it: There is nothing at all besides THIS manna before our eyes. Though they had some cattle, Num 11:22 yet it would seem that they had them not in such plenty or cheapness, that the populace could eat them for ordinary food.

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Numbers 11:7. The manna was as coriander-seed, &c.— This description of the manna, its excellence as a food, its immediate descent from God, and the easiness of its procural, appear to be subjoined by the sacred writer, to shew the ingratitude and luxury of the people in despising so agreeable a food.

REFLECTIONS.—One sin severely visited prevents not new provocations. 1. The mixed multitude, a mongrel breed, such as followed in hopes of sharing Israel's good, not to serve Israel's God, began the mutiny, and communicated the spirit of infection to the camp. A bad neighbourhood is dangerous, and sin contagious; nor are any so high in grace or attainments, but they need to watch and pray lest they enter into temptation. 2. They lusted for flesh to eat, dissatisfied with God's provision, and wanting to be their own caterers. Indulging our appetites, is usually our ruin: to gratify the body, men destroy the soul. 3. They distrusted God's power to supply their wants, though every day living by a miracle. Unbelief is a sin which miracles cannot cure. 4. They compare their present with their past estate, and draw the most ungrateful conclusions. They remember the leeks and onions, but not the task-masters of Egypt, and speak of that manna, the bread of heaven, as if it famished instead of fed them. Note; (1.) Ingratitude is among the greater sins. (2.) The discontented loath their very blessings, and seem solicitous to make themselves miserable. (3.) It is a strong mark of the curse of God upon the heart, to see repining in the midst of plenty.

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Numbers 11:12. As a nursing-father beareth the sucking child— This is a very lively expression to denote that tenderness and fatherly affection which princes ought to have for their people; and, on the other side, as expressive an emblem of the perverseness of the Israelites, wayward as an infant, which rises up with fury against the very nurse who gives it milk, and carries it in her bosom. Happy the people, whose sovereigns are nurses! Isaiah 49:23. Wretched the sovereigns, whose ungrateful and seditious subjects so ill requite their benefits!

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