Numbers 11:5
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The people aren't just listing food; they're highlighting the gratuitous nature of these provisions in Egypt ("freely"). This implies they weren't just remembered for their taste, but for being readily available and cheap—a stark contrast to their current dependent state on manna. Their longing isn't simply for flavor, but for a perceived freedom and abundance that their labor in Egypt once afforded them, which they now feel is missing.
The Israelites have been eating manna, the bread God provided daily in the wilderness, but they've grown tired of it. This has led to grumbling and discontent, a dangerous spiritual attitude that has already angered God, resulting in a fire that broke out in the camp. In their dissatisfaction, they start reminiscing about the variety of food they miss from Egypt, listing common and readily available foods like fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
Do you ever find yourself romanticizing the past, especially when things get tough? The Israelites did just that, and it led them down a dangerous path.
The Israelites, weary and complaining in the wilderness, start reminiscing about their time in Egypt. They don't just remember any food; they specifically recall the 'fish... cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.'
A Deliberate Selection
This wasn't a random list. These were common, affordable, and readily available foods in Egypt, especially for laborers. The commentators note that Egyptian cucumbers were large and flavorful, watermelons were refreshing in the heat, and onions and garlic were staples, often given as part of rations. They were good things, and it’s understandable why people would miss them.
Forgetting the Price
But here's the crucial part: they forgot the cost. Their 'freely' eaten food in Egypt came at the price of brutal slavery, back-breaking labor, and oppression. They conveniently overlooked the whips, the brick-making, and the general misery of their existence. Their nostalgia was a powerful tool of discontent, blinding them to the hard reality they had escaped.
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Complaining can feel harmless, but this verse shows how it can twist our perspective and lead us astray from God's provision.
The Israelites' complaints weren't just about missing food; they were a direct indictment of God's care and leadership.
The Soul's Emptiness
They declare, 'our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.' This 'drying away' speaks of a spiritual withering. They felt empty, not because of a lack of physical food (God was providing manna!), but because their hearts were filled with longing for Egypt and bitterness towards their current situation.
Manna's True Value
The manna was God's miraculous provision, a daily gift directly from heaven. It sustained them physically. Yet, in their discontent, they saw it as monotonous ('nothing at all') and a reminder of what they lacked, rather than a testament to God's faithfulness in their difficult journey. Their desires for Egyptian luxuries blinded them to the heavenly sustenance God was providing.
Understand the original words
Mitsrayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
A land representing the place of past slavery, oppression, and idolatry. In biblical typology, it frequently symbolizes the world and the former life of sin from which God has redeemed His people.
This complaint highlights the deep-seated discontent among the Israelites. Despite God's miraculous provision of manna, they fixate on the familiar, readily available foods of Egypt, revealing a spiritual longing for what they knew over trusting in God's promises.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites leave Egypt after centuries of slavery, beginning their journey to the Promised Land.
c. 1446-1406 BC— this verse
Wilderness Wanderings
The Israelites spend 40 years wandering in the Sinai desert, dependent on God for sustenance through manna and quail.
During Wilderness Wanderings
Complaints and Rebellions
Throughout their journey, the Israelites repeatedly grumble and rebel against Moses and God, longing for the familiar comforts of Egypt.
This passage speaks to contentment with one's current circumstances, directly contrasting with the Israelites' discontent and longing for past comforts despite God's provision.
1 Corinthians 10:6This verse directly uses the Israelites' craving for the 'desirable things' of Egypt as a warning against lusting after evil things, highlighting the spiritual danger in their nostalgia.
Exodus 16:3This passage shows the Israelites' initial complaints about lacking food in the desert, setting the stage for the later, more specific complaints about Egyptian food mentioned in Numbers 11.
Psalm 78:18-19This psalm recounts the Israelites testing God by demanding the food they remembered from Egypt, mirroring the complaint in Numbers 11 and showing this was a recurring pattern of distrust.
Hebrews 11:24-25Moses chose to identify with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin, a stark contrast to the Israelites who preferred temporary Egyptian comforts over God's promises.
jfbNumbers 11:5: "We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:"
- We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely—(See on [74]Ex 7:17). The people of Egypt are accustomed to an almost exclusive diet of fish, either fresh or sun-dried, during the hot season in April and May—the very season when the Israelites were travelling in this desert. Lower Egypt, where were the brick-kilns in which they were emp…
ellicottNumbers 11:5: "We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:"
(5) We remember the fish . . . — Classical writers and modern travellers agree in bearing testimony to the abundance of the fish in the Nile and in the neighbouring canals and reservoirs. The cucumbers in Egypt are of great size and finely flavoured. The watermelons serve to moderate the internal heat which the climate produces. (See The Land and…
The people aren't just listing food; they're highlighting the gratuitous nature of these provisions in Egypt ("freely"). This implies they weren't just remembered for their taste, but for being readily available and cheap—a stark contrast to their current dependent state on manna. Their longing isn't simply for flavor, but for a perceived freedom and abundance that their labor in Egypt once afforded them, which they now feel is missing.
The Israelites have been eating manna, the bread God provided daily in the wilderness, but they've grown tired of it. This has led to grumbling and discontent, a dangerous spiritual attitude that has already angered God, resulting in a fire that broke out in the camp. In their dissatisfaction, they start reminiscing about the variety of food they miss from Egypt, listing common and readily available foods like fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
The Israelites have been eating manna, the bread God provided daily in the wilderness, but they've grown tired of it. This has led to grumbling and discontent, a dangerous spiritual attitude that has already angered God, resulting in a fire that broke out in the camp. In their dissatisfaction, they start reminiscing about the variety of food they miss from Egypt, listing common and readily available foods like fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
"We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic." — The people aren't just listing food; they're highlighting the gratuitous nature of these provisions in Egypt ("freely"). This implies they weren't just remembered for their taste, but for being r…
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