Keluaran 16:13

16:13 In the evening the quail ¹  came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp.

Bilangan 11:31

Provision of Quail

11:31 Now a wind ²  went out ³  from the Lord and brought quail ⁴  from the sea, and let them fall ⁵  near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about three feet ⁶  high on the surface of the ground.

[16:13]  ¹ sn These are migratory birds, said to come up in the spring from Arabia flying north and west, and in the fall returning. They fly with the wind, and so generally alight in the evening, covering the ground. If this is part of the explanation, the divine provision would have had to alter their flight paths to bring them to the Israelites, and bring them in vast numbers.

[11:31]  ² sn The irony in this chapter is expressed in part by the use of the word רוּחַ (ruakh). In the last episode it clearly meant the Spirit of the Lord that empowered the men for their spiritual service. But here the word is “wind.” Both the spiritual service and the judgment come from God.

[11:31]  ³ tn The verb means “burst forth” or “sprang up.” See the ways it is used in Gen 33:12, Judg 16:3, 14; Isa 33:20.

[11:31]  ⁴ sn The “quail” ordinarily cross the Sinai at various times of the year, but what is described here is not the natural phenomenon. Biblical scholars looking for natural explanations usually note that these birds fly at a low height and can be swatted down easily. But the description here is more of a supernatural supply and provision. See J. Gray, “The Desert Sojourn of the Hebrews and the Sinai Horeb Tradition,” VT 4 (1954): 148-54.

[11:31]  ⁵ tn Or “left them fluttering.”

[11:31]  ⁶ tn Heb “two cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) in length.