Numbers 11 · Verse 31

Numbers 11:31

And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

Numbers 11:31, King James Version

Numbers 11:31 in other translations

BSB	Now a wind sent by the LORD came up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp, about two cubits above the surface of the ground, for a day’s journey in every direction around the camp.
WEB	A wind from the LORD went out and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the earth.
ASV	And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
YLT	And a spirit hath journeyed from Jehovah, and cutteth off quails from the sea, and leaveth by the camp, as a day's journey here, and as a day's journey there, round about the camp, and about two cubits, on the face of the land.
DARBY	And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and drove quails from the sea, and cast them about the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and about a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the earth.
BBE	Then the Lord sent a wind, driving little birds from the sea, so that they came down on the tents, and all round the tent-circle, about a day's journey on this side and on that, in masses about two cubits high over the face of the earth.
Webster	And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

What does Numbers 11:31 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 11:31-35

31-35. There went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, &c.--These migratory birds (see on Ex 16:13) were on their journey from Egypt, when "the wind from the Lord," an east wind (Psa 78:26) forcing them to change their course, wafted them over the Red Sea to the camp of Israel. let them fall a day's journey--If the journey of an individual is meant, this space might be thirty miles; if the inspired historian referred to the whole host, ten miles would be as far as they could march in one day in the sandy desert under a vertical sun. Assuming it to be twenty miles this immense cloud of quails (Psa 78:27) covered a space of forty miles in diameter. Others reduce it to sixteen. But it is doubtful whether the measurement be from the center or the extremities of the camp. It is evident, however, that the language describes the countless number of these quails. as it were two cubits high--Some have supposed that they fell on the ground above each other to that height--a supposition which would leave a vast quantity useless as food to the Israelites, who were forbidden to eat any animal that died of itself or from which the blood was not poured out. Others think that, being exhausted with a long flight, they could not fly more than three feet above the earth, and so were easily felled or caught. A more recent explanation applies the phrase, "two cubits high," not to the accumulation of the mass, but to the size of the individual birds. Flocks of large red-legged cranes, three feet high, measuring seven feet from tip to tip, have been frequently seen on the western shores of the Gulf of Akaba, or eastern arm of the Red Sea [Stanley; Shubert].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 31 A wind from the Lord - An extraordinary one, not the effect of a natural cause. And brought quails, a bird which in great companies visits Egypt about the time of the year, March or April, at which the circumstance marked here took place. Mr. Hasselquist, the friend and pupil of the famous Linnaeus, saw many of them about this time of the year, when he was in Egypt. See his Travels, p. 209. Two cubits high upon the face of the earth - We may consider the quails as flying within two cubits of the ground; so that the Israelites could easily take as many of them as they wished, while flying within the reach of their hands or their clubs. The common notion is, that the quails were brought round about the camp, and fell there in such multitudes as to lie two feet thick upon the ground; but the Hebrew will not bear this version. The Vulgate has expressed the sense, Volabantque in aere duobus cubitis altitudine super terram. "And they flew in the air, two cubits high above the ground."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 11:31-35

God performed his promise to the people, in giving them flesh. How much more diligent men are in collecting the meat that perishes, than in labouring for meat which endures to everlasting life! We are quick-sighted in the affairs of time; but stupidity blinds us as to the concerns of eternity. To pursue worldly advantages, we need no arguments; but when we are to secure the true riches, then we are all forgetfulness. Those who are under the power of a carnal mind, will have their lusts fulfilled, though it be to the certain damage and ruin of their precious souls. They paid dearly for their feasts. God often grants the desires of sinners in wrath, while he denies the desires of his own people in love. What we unduly desire, if we obtain it, we have reason to fear, will be some way or other a grief and cross to us. And what multitudes there are in all places, who shorten their lives by excess of one kind or other! Let us seek for those pleasures which satisfy, but never surfeit; and which will endure for evermore.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Numbers 11:31 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְר֜וּחַve.Ru.achand a windH7307

נָסַ֣ע\׀na.Sa'it set outH5265

מֵאֵ֣תme.'Etfrom withH854

יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068

וַיָּ֣גָזvai.Ya.gozand it broughtH1468

שַׂלְוִים֮sal.VimquailsH7958

מִן\־min-fromH4480

הַיָּם֒hai.Yamthe seaH3220

וַיִּטֹּ֨שׁvai.yi.Toshand it left [them]H5203

עַל\־'al-atH5921

הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֜הha.ma.cha.Nehthe campH4264

כְּדֶ֧רֶךְke.De.rekhabout a journey ofH1870

י֣וֹםYoma dayH3117

כֹּ֗הKohthusH3541

וּכְדֶ֤רֶךְu.khe.De.rekhand about a journey ofH1870

יוֹם֙yOma dayH3117

כֹּ֔הKohthusH3541

סְבִיב֖וֹתse.vi.VotaroundH5439

הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑הha.ma.cha.Nehthe campH4264

וּכְאַמָּתַ֖יִםu.khe.'a.ma.Ta.yimand about two cubitsH520

עַל\־'al-aboveH5921

פְּנֵ֥יpe.Nei[the] surface ofH6440

הָאָֽרֶץ\׃ha.'A.retzthe groundH776

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 11:31

Exodus 16:13
And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.
Psalms 78:26-29
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
Psalms 105:40
The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
Exodus 15:10
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Psalms 135:7
He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
Exodus 10:19
And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.
Exodus 10:13
And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

a wind.
Ex 10:13,19; 15:10; Ps 135:7
and brought.
Ex 16:13; Ps 78:26-29; 105:40
quails.That the word {selav} means the quail, we have already had occasion to observe; to which we subjoin the authority of Mr. Maundrell, who visited Naplosa, (the ancient Sichem,) where the Samaritans live. Mr. Maundrell asked their chief priest what sort of animal he took the {selav} to be. He answered, they were a sort of fowls; and, by the description Mr. Maundrell perceived he meant the same kind with our quails.
a day's journey. Heb. the way of a day. and as it were twocubits. That is, as the Vulgate renders, {Volabantque in aëre duobus cubitis altitudine super terram,} "and they flew in the air, at the height of two cubits above the ground."

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Numbers 11:30
And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
Numbers 11:31
And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
Numbers 11:32
And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

Read all of Numbers 11

Numbers 11:31 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y salió un viento de Jehová, y trajo codornices de la mar, y dejólas sobre el real, un día de camino de la una parte, y un día de camino de la otra, en derredor del campo, y casi dos codos sobre la haz de la tierra.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il se leva, de par l’ Éternel, un vent qui fit venir de la mer des cailles, et les jeta sur le camp, environ une journée de chemin en deçà, et environ une journée de chemin en delà, tout autour du camp, et environ deux coudées sur la surface de la terre.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und ein Wind fuhr von Jehova aus und trieb Wachteln vom Meere herbei und warf sie auf das Lager, bei einer Tagereise hier und bei einer Tagereise dort, rings um das Lager, und bei zwei Ellen hoch über der Oberfläche der Erde.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Ventus autem egrediens a Domino, arreptans trans mare coturnices detulit, et demisit in castra itinere quantum uno die confici potest, ex omni parte castrorum per circuitum, volabantque in aëre duobus cubitis altitudine super terram.