Exodus 16:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.

NIV: That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

NASB: So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

CSB: So at evening quail came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp.

NLT: That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp.

The Lord predicted meat in the evening and bread in the morning (Exodus 16:12). These provisions were to help Israel remember His role as their loving and caring God (Exodus 16:6–7). Now the predictions have come true.

Quail are small birds, about half the size and less than a fourth the weight of a typical chicken. These have been caught and eaten for millennia. Nothing in the text suggests that the birds died; they simply arrived in large enough number to "cover" the Israelite camp. This miracle is singular; God will provide quail again (Numbers 11:31–33), but not as a blessing.

In the morning, the people notice a significant layer of dew: the wetness which condenses on the ground overnight. This will quickly be replaced with a strange but important substance: manna (Exodus 16:15, 31, 35). This food is not exactly bread, nor grain, nor a spice, but something unique (Numbers 11:7–8).

Exodus 16:13–30 explains the miraculous provision of meat and bread during Israel's journey through the wilderness. Quail—small birds—arrive at night. In the morning, the ground is covered in a strange substance. This becomes a bread-like food for Israel, later called "manna" (Exodus 16:31). It also symbolizes their daily dependence on God—it could not be kept longer than instructed, so the people had to continually trust the Lord to provide more. To further prove this, God instructs the people to rest on the seventh day of the week.

As the recently-rescued Israelites (Exodus 14:21–31) journey on, they complain about food. God provides them with manna: a grain-like substance which miraculously appears each morning. The people are given instructions about how to gather and use manna. Only on the sixth day of the week can they collect more and keep leftovers for the following day. That seventh day is to be a time of rest, called a "sabbath."

Israel has celebrated (Exodus 15:1) their miraculous escape through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–28). They have survived their first hardship (Exodus 15:23–25). God now provides manna in response to their complaints about food. He also begins to establish the concept of the seventh-day Sabbath. Soon, the Lord will send another miracle regarding water (Exodus 17:1–7) and the people will have their first military battle (Exodus 17:8–16). Shortly after this, Moses' father-in-law will arrive and offer some helpful advice (Exodus 18).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.

Accessed 6/15/2025 6:20:05 AM