The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 39

some token thot God approved the action of que.ils at the honr announced, will sufficiently these his fe.ithiul servants, ond would support show that it is God himself who has you them, we.s needed. Hence the e.ppearance of under his charge and watches over you. Ver. 13.-The quails came up. The word the Lord to the congregation in the cloud here translated, "que.ils" has been supposed to (ver. 10). After this, when evening e.p- designate the flying-fish (Trigla Israelitarum prooched, the que.ils fell. A vast flight of of Ehrenberg), or a species of locust (Ludolf). this migratory bird, which often arrives in But Ps. lxxviii. 28, makes it clear that Are.hie. Petrme. from the see. (Diod. Sic. i. 60), " feathered fowls" are intended ; and modems generally, are agreed that the rendering fell to the ee.rth e.bout the Hebrew ce.mp, and, " quails'' is right. It has the authority of the being quite exhausted, le.y on the ground in e. Septue.gint, of Josephus, and of the Vulgate. ste.te which e.llowed of their being ta.ken by Diodorus says that "the inhabitants of Arabia the hand. The Israelites had thus e.bunde.nt Petrma prepared long nets, spread them near "flesh to ee.t" (ver. 8), for God "sent them the coast for me.ny stadia, e.nd thus caught a great number of que.ils which are in the habit mee.t enough" (Ps. l.x:xviii. 26). The next of coming in from the sea" (ii. 60). The morning, the remainder of the promise we.s que.il regularly migrates from Syria and fulfilled. When they e.woke, they found that Arabia in the e.utumn, e.nd winters in thr the vegetation e.bout the camp was covered interior of Africa, whence it retnrns north• with e. sort of dew, resembling hoar-frost, wards in immense masses in the spring (Schu- bert, Reise, vol. ii. p. 361 ). Kalisch thinks which was capable of easy detachment from that the pe.rticule.r species of quail intended is the leaves, e.nd which proved to be e.n edible the kata of the Arabs (Tetrao ~ lchata of substance. While they were in doubt e.bout Linnmus); but the common quail (Tetrao the phenomenon, Moses informed them that ooturni:i:) is preferred by most commentator.;. this was the "bree.d from hee.ven" which they When these birds approach the coast after a long flight over the Bed Sea, they e.re often so he.d been promised (ver. 15). At the se.me exhausted that they rather fe.ll to the ground time he instructed them as to the que.ntity the.n settle, e.nd are then easily taken by the which they should ge.ther, which he fixed e.t hand or killed with sticks. Their flesh is re- e.n omer for ee.ch member of their family garded by the natives e.s a delicacy. Covered (ver. 16). In attempting to ce.rry out these the oamp---i.e., covered all the ground be- tween the tents in which the Israelites lived instructions, mistakes were not unne.ture.lly in. the wilderness. The dew lay. Literally, made; some exceeded the set que.ntity, others "there we.s a layer of dew"-omething, i.e., fell short of it. But the result we.s found to lay on the ground outside the camp which be the se.me. Whatever the que.ntity gathered, looked like dew, e.nd was in part dew, but not when it we.s brought home e.nd mee.snred, the wholly so. Ver. H:.-When the dewthatlaywasgone e.mount was by miracle me.de to be exactly e.n up. The moisture which lay upon the herbage omer for ee.ch (ver. 18). Afterwards, Moses soon evaporated, drawn up by the sun ; and ge.ve e.notl;.er order. The whole of the me.one. then the miracle revealed itself. There re- we.s to be consumed ( ordine.rily) on the de.yon mained upon ea.eh leaf e.nd each ble.de of gre.ss which it we.s gathered. When some wilfully a delicate small subste.nce, compared here to disobeyed this command, the reserved me.one. hoar frost, e.nd elsewhere (Num. xi. 7) to "corie.nder seed," which was easily detached we.s found on the next de.y to he.ve become e.nd collected in bags or baskets. The thing bad-it he.d bred worms, e.nd gave out e.n we.s altogether a no\'elty to the Israelites, offensive odour. This circumste.nce put e. stop though e.nalogous in some degree to natural to the malpractice. processes still occurring in the country. These processes are of two kinds. At certain times Ver. 12.-At even. Literally, "between of the year there is a deposit of a glutinous the two evenings." For the meaning of the substance from the air upon leaves and even phrase, see the comment on eh. xii. 6. Ye upon stones, which ma.y be scraped off, and shall ee.t flesh. The que.ils, as e.ppee.rs by the which resembles thick honev. There is also subsequent narrative, were supplied, not regu- e.n exudation from various trees e.nd shrubs, larly, but only on rare occe.sious; in fact (so especie.lly the tame.risk, which is moderately far e.s appears), only here in the wilderness of hard, and is found both on the growing plant Sin, e.nd e.t Kibroth-hattae.vah in the wilder- e.nd on the fe.llen leaves beneath it, in tho ness of Pore.n (Num. xi. 81-34). They were shape of small, round, white or greyish not e. necessary, but e.n indulgence. Ye shall grains. It is this last which is the me.one. of know the.t I e.m the Lord. The miracle of commerce. The Biblical manna cannot ha t lie wanna. e.nd the timely appeara.nce of the identified with either of these two substance& 40 THE DOOK OF EXODUS. [en. XVI. 15-21.