The Meaning of Numbers 11:31 Explained

Numbers 11:31

KJV: 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.

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.

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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Numbers 11:31 Mean?

Study Notes

two cubits high upon the face of all the earth
The correct rendering is, "about two cubits above the face of the earth," that is, within reach of the people that they might slay them for food. The statement is not that the quails were piled up from the face of the earth two cubits deep. The level of their flight was two cubits above the earth.

Context Summary

Numbers 11:26-35 - "the Graves Of Lust"
It is delightful to note the proof of the nobility of Moses' nature in the answer he gave to the tidings concerning Eldad and Medad. They might not be of the designated group of elders, and might not have gone out to the Tabernacle, as in Numbers 11:16. They remind us of the unordained and simple disciples of Acts 11:19, etc. But there was no envy in Moses' nature. He would have been only thankful if all had reached a degree of grace even beyond his own attainment.
The quails came. They flew in prodigious flocks, which darkened the air. Exhausted by their long flight, they hovered within three feet of the ground, and so were easily captured. But the passionate haste in eating brought its own terrible nemesis to the Israelites. The story became engraved in the very name given to their halting place, Psalms 106:15. My soul, beware lest thou also be precipitated by thy passionate desires into that gravel Galatians 5:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 11

1  The burning at Taberah quenched by Moses' prayer
4  The people crave meat, and loathe manna
10  Moses complains of his charge
16  God promises to divide his burden unto seventy elders,
18  and to give the people meat for a month
21  Moses' faith is staggered
31  Quails are given in wrath at Kibroth Hattaavah

What do the individual words in Numbers 11:31 mean?

Now a wind went out from Yahweh and it brought quail from the sea and left [them] fluttering near the camp about journey of a day on this side and about journey of a day on the other side all around the camp and about two cubits above the surface of the ground
וְר֜וּחַ נָסַ֣ע ׀ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֗ה וַיָּ֣גָז שַׂלְוִים֮ מִן־ הַיָּם֒ וַיִּטֹּ֨שׁ עַל־ הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֜ה כְּדֶ֧רֶךְ י֣וֹם כֹּ֗ה וּכְדֶ֤רֶךְ יוֹם֙ כֹּ֔ה סְבִיב֖וֹת הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וּכְאַמָּתַ֖יִם עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ

וְר֜וּחַ  Now  a  wind 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
נָסַ֣ע ׀  went  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָסַע  
Sense: to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart.
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַיָּ֣גָז  and  it  brought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גּוּז  
Sense: to pass over, pass away.
שַׂלְוִים֮  quail 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שְׂלָו  
Sense: quail.
הַיָּם֒  the  sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
וַיִּטֹּ֨שׁ  and  left  [them]  fluttering 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָטַשׁ  
Sense: to leave, permit, forsake, cast off or away, reject, suffer, join, spread out or abroad, be loosed, cease, abandon, quit, hang loose, cast down, make a raid, lie fallow, let fall, forgo, draw.
עַל־  near 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֜ה  the  camp 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
כְּדֶ֧רֶךְ  about  journey 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, common singular construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
י֣וֹם  of  a  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
כֹּ֗ה  on  this  side 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
וּכְדֶ֤רֶךְ  and  about  journey 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Noun, common singular construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
יוֹם֙  of  a  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
כֹּ֔ה  on  the  other  side 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
סְבִיב֖וֹת  all  around 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.
הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה  the  camp 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
וּכְאַמָּתַ֖יִם  and  about  two  cubits 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Noun, fd
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
עַל־  above 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
פְּנֵ֥י  the  surface 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָאָֽרֶץ  of  the  ground 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.