the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Quails
Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary
or We read of the Lord's giving Israel those birds for food upon two occasions. First, soon after they left Egypt in the wilderness of Zin, (Exodus 16:1-36) and the second time when they were encamped at Ribroth-hattaavah, which the margin of the Bible renders the graves of lusts. (Numbers 11:34) And upon both occasions this food was given to them in consequences of their rebellion; hence therefore it was in correction, and not in favour.
Various have been the opinions of men concerning the nature and kind of the quail. Moses called it Shalor. It is said to have been a small birth off great delicacy. The supply was so great the second time, that they victualled a camp of more than a million of persons for a whole month; so that they must have been like the shoals of pilchards on the western coast, every day covering the ground in multitudes.
I would refer the reader to those portions in the word of God for the history of those events, Exodus 16:1-36 and Numbers 6:11. And I would beg of him, when he hath diligently read those Scriptures, to consider what solemn lessons such views hold forth of God's people running counter to God's government. The Psalmist hath made a beautiful observation upon this self-will of Israel, and the lawful consequence of it, when saying, "they lusted exceedingly, or as the words are, they lusted a lust in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.," (Psalms 106:14-15) It is an awful thing to be gratified in the creature, when such gratifications tend to rebellion against the Creator. "Give me children (said Rachel to Jacob) or else I die." (Genesis 30:1) She had her desire, but she died in child-bearing. The child was a Benoni; that is, as she herself called him, (and is rendered in the margin of our Bibles) the son of my sorrow. (Genesis 35:18) Jonah's gourd was very refreshing to the prophet, but the disappointment, ended in sin. It is a blessed thing to let God choose forms, and this will be always right, but if we will ride restive, like Jeshurun, a fall must be the consequences. Children never carve for themselves but they cut their fingers. See Kibroth-Hattaavah.
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Hawker, Robert D.D. Entry for 'Quails'. Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/pmd/q/quails.html. London. 1828.
