Quail
Quail make a single but memorable appearance in the biblical story. Interestingly, quail are native migratory birds whose yearly travels in the spring take them across the Sinai Peninsula, traveling from northern Africa back to Europe—the very time of year depicted in Exodus and Numbers when the people of Israel were trudging toward the Promised Land. Their migration leaves them so exhausted that they collapse on the ground and can be caught by hand. Thus, their appearance in Exodus is partly a naturally occurring event, although the number appearing in that account is greater than would be typical. Most likely the Hebrews had eaten quail in Egypt, so they would have been accustomed to the taste.
Quail make an annual migration across the Holy Land.
Complaints
Numbers 11 tells a tragic account of complaints, ungratefulness, pride, greed, and God’s response. Murmuring seemed to flow like the tides among the recently freed slave nation. No sooner had the fire of judgment provoked by complaints receded (Num. 11:1–3) than a new offense began to rise in the demand for meat. The attitude of entitlement on the part of the people angered God as well as Moses. In their complaints, people rewrote the history of their experience in Egypt. Their crushing subsistence as slaves was now described as a life of luxury and fine cuisine: “Remember all the free fish we ate in Egypt and the cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions, and garlic we had? But now we’ve lost our appetite! Everywhere we look there’s nothing but manna!” (Num. 11:5–6).
The people were soon hip-deep in quail, which God said they would have as a steady diet for a month to teach them a lesson. Apparently, the migration pattern indicates that God had intended to provide them with meat all along, but their attitudes turned the gift into an unpleasant experience. As God himself explained, “This is because they rejected the LORD who is here among them and cried in front of him, asking, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ ” (Num. 11:20).
Provision
Even Moses was amazed at God’s provision. Verses 21–22 describe his awareness that even if they slaughtered all the livestock they had with them, they would not be able to feed the armed men of Israel, let alone the whole nation. “The LORD asked Moses, ‘Is there a limit to the LORD’s power? Now you will see whether or not my words come true’ ” (Num. 11:23).
Quail became the symbol not only of God’s amazing, creative abundance, but also of the fine line between a generous gift and an unappreciated gesture that is wasted on the ungrateful.
God provided meat for the Israelites in the wilderness by sending quail in such abundance that they became tired of it.
Key Verse
The LORD sent a wind from the sea that brought quails and dropped them all around the camp. There were quails on the ground about three feet deep as far as you could walk in a day in any direction. All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered the quails. No one gathered less than 60 bushels. Then they spread the quails out all around the camp. While the meat was still in their mouths—before they had even had a chance to chew it—the LORD became angry with the people and struck them with a severe plague. That place was called Kibroth Hattaavah [Graves of Those Who Craved Meat] because there they buried the people who had a strong craving for meat. (Num. 11:31–34)