Exodus 16:9-12

"And Moses said unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before Jehovah; for he hath heard your murmurings. And it came to pass as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of Jehovah appeared in the cloud. And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: Speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God."

It was a magnificent condescension on God's part that he heard the murmurings of Israel, not the prayers which they should have offered, but their murmuring complaints instead. This God did, no doubt, because of the genuine nature of their plight. They were hungry!

The glory mentioned in Exodus 16:10 was something similar to the glory that appeared in the pillar of fire by night; and here it was a pledge of God's concern and care for His people. The promise of quails in Exodus 16:11 is a mystery for some, due to there having been afterward another instance when Israel became tired of the manna and murmured for "flesh to eat," following which (Numbers 11:31-35), God sent a plague among them. These are not two variable accounts of the same event. There is not the slightest evidence of variable sources. There is nothing at all here except two events, both faithfully reported by God's servant Moses. The appearance of quails in this verse is not stressed at all, a scant ten words being devoted to it. They appeared here concurrently with the coming of the manna for the purpose, evidently, of suggesting that God had many ways by which the hunger of His people could be alleviated.

Many scholars have stressed the fact of the migratory quails making long flights until overcome by exhaustion, then light upon the ground where they may be literally picked up, or gathered. There are only two instances of such an appearance of quails during the whole forty years wanderings, only two are recorded; there might have been many; but it is usually understood that this was a rare phenomenon.[13]