Numbers 11:34

Summary

The verse explains the origin of the place name Kibroth-hattaavah, stating that it was called this because the people who had craved (food) were buried there. The Hebrew ties the name directly to the burial event through a causal clause introduced by ki ("for", H3588A).

Key words

• yiqra ("he called" / "[it] was called", H7121H) — qal narrative verb, third-person masculine singular with no explicit subject; the construction is impersonal, functioning like a passive ("it was called") even though the verb form is active.
• Kivrot ("Kibroth", H6914) — masculine plural construct noun from the root for "grave/tomb," forming a construct chain with Hattaavah, literally "graves of the craving."
• ki ("for", H3588A) — subordinating particle introducing the causal clause that explains why the place received this name.
• qav'ru ("they buried", H6912) — qal perfect, third-person plural, marking a completed past action; the unspecified "they" refers back to the people generally.
• mit'avim ("craving", H0183) — hithpael participle, masculine plural, from the same root as ta'avah in the place name; the hithpael stem conveys a reflexive or intensive sense, "those who craved for themselves."

What the text says

The sentence divides into two parts joined by the causal particle ki ("for", H3588A). The first part states that someone called (yiqra, H7121H) the name of that place (shem ha-maqom ha-hu) "Kibroth-hattaavah" — a compound name built from kivrot ("graves", H6914) in construct with ha-ta'avah ("the craving"). The second part gives the reason: "there they buried (qav'ru, H6912) the people who craved (ha-mit'avim, H0183)."

A notable grammatical feature is the repetition of the root ta'avah/'avah ("desire, craving") in both the place name (Hattaavah) and the participle describing the people (ha-mit'avim). The participle is in the hithpael stem, which in this verbal system marks reflexive or self-directed action — "those craving for themselves" — linking the buried people's identity directly to the motive named in the place. The verb yiqra has no stated grammatical subject; the third-person masculine singular form functions impersonally, meaning "one called" or "it was called," rather than naming a specific caller.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders yiqra ("he/one called") with the passive form ekle:the: ("was called"), and the Vulgate similarly uses the passive Vocatusque est ("it was called"). The Hebrew verb form itself is grammatically active (third masculine singular, no stated subject), so the passive sense in Greek and Latin reflects how each version resolves the impersonal Hebrew construction, not a difference in underlying meaning. The Vulgate also adds qui desideraverat ("who had desired"), using a pluperfect verb to translate the participle ha-mit'avim, whereas the Hebrew uses a present-tense hithpael participle without indicating relative time between the craving and the burial.