Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And Moses said unto the Lord, wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?.... Or "done evil"^F13הרעת "malefecisti", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius. to him, that which was distressing to him, and gave him trouble; namely, setting him at the head of the people of Israel, and laying the government of them on his shoulders; which surely was doing him honour, though that is not to be expected without care and trouble; Moses does not seem to be in a good frame of spirit throughout the whole of this discourse with the Lord: the best of men are not always alike in their frames, and sometimes act contrary to that for which they are the most eminent, as Moses was for his, meekness and humility:

and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight; he had found much favour in the sight of God, to have so many wonderful things done by him in Egypt, to be the instrument of the deliverance of Israel from thence, to be the leader of them through the Red sea, to be taken up to the mount with God, and receive the law from him to give to that people; but the favour he complains of that was denied him, is, his not being excused, when he desired it, from taking on him the office he was called unto, of being the deliverer and ruler of the people, Exodus 4:10,

that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? with respect to matters heavier and more difficult; for as to lighter and lesser things, be was assisted and relieved by the officers placed over the various divisions of the people at the advice of Jethro, Exodus 18:21; government is a burdensome thing, and especially when a people are prone to mutiny and rebellion, as the people of Israel were.

Geneva Study Bible

(f) Or, how have I displeased you?

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

Not found favour — Why didst thou not hear my prayer, when I desired thou wouldest excuse me, and commit the care of this unruly people to some other person.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Numbers 11:11 And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

Ver. 11. Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant.] Antoninus the Emperor said often, Imperium oceanum esse malorum, that to be a governor of others is to be plunged into an ocean of miseries. Pope Adrian caused to be engraven upon his own tomb, Faelix si non imperitasset. Melancthon said, the three sorest labours of all were, Docentis, imperantis, parturientis, the labours of ministers, magistrates, and of travailing women.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Why didst thou not hear my prayer, when I desired thou wouldst excuse me, and commit the care and government of this unruly people to some other person? See Exodus 3:11 4:10.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

11.Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant — In a moment of weak faith the most honoured person on earth — honoured in bearing the largest part in the elevation of the race — deems himself the subject of special afflictions. But this was only momentary and exceptional in the history of Moses. He usually “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

Wherefore, &c. Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) Wherefore hast thou afflicted.—Literally, done evil to: the same verb, in a different conjugation, which is rendered “displeased” in Numbers 11:10.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Wherefore hast thou

The complaint and remonstrance of Moses in these verses serve at once to shew the deeply distressed state of his mind, and the degradation of the minds of the people.

15; Exodus 17:4; Deuteronomy 1:12; Jeremiah 15:10,18; 20:7-9,14-18; Malachi 3:14; 2 Corinthians 11:28

wherefore have

Job 10:2; Psalms 130:3; 143:2; Lamentations 3:22,23,39,40