Numbers 11:32
New International Version
All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp.

New Living Translation
So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry.

English Standard Version
And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

Berean Standard Bible
All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around the camp.

King James Bible
And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

New King James Version
And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

New American Standard Bible
And the people spent all that day, all night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered ten homers) and spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

NASB 1995
The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

NASB 1977
And the people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers), and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

Amplified Bible
The people spent all that day and all night and all the next day and caught and gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves around the camp [to cure them by drying].

Christian Standard Bible
The people were up all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quail—the one who took the least gathered sixty bushels —and they spread them out all around the camp.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The people were up all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quail—the one who took the least gathered 50 bushels—and they spread them out all around the camp.

American Standard Version
And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

Contemporary English Version
The people picked up quails for two days--each person filled at least ten large baskets. Then they spread them out to dry.

English Revised Version
And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered the quails. No one gathered less than 60 bushels. Then they spread the quails out all around the camp.

Good News Translation
So all that day, all night, and all the next day, the people worked catching quails; no one gathered less than fifty bushels. They spread them out to dry all around the camp.

International Standard Version
The people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all through the next day, gathering quails. The one who gathered least gathered enough to fill ten omers, as they spread out all around the camp.

Majority Standard Bible
All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around the camp.

NET Bible
And the people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail. The one who gathered the least gathered ten homers, and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

New Heart English Bible
The people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves around the camp.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves around the camp.

World English Bible
The people rose up all that day, and all of that night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them all out for themselves around the camp.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the people rise all that day, and all the night, and all the day after, and gather the quails—he who has least has gathered ten homers—and they spread them out for themselves around the camp.

Young's Literal Translation
And the people rise all that day, and all the night, and all the day after, and gather the quails -- he who hath least hath gathered ten homers -- and they spread them out for themselves round about the camp.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the people will rise up all that day and all the night, and all the day of the morrow, and will gather the quails: the few gathered ten homers; and they will spread for themselves a spreading round about the camp.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The people therefore rising up all that day, and night, and the next day, gathered together of quails, he that did least, ten cores: and they dried them round about the camp.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, the people, rising up, gathered quails all that day and night, and the next day; he who did least well gathered ten homers. And they dried them throughout the camp.

New American Bible
So all that day, all night, and all the next day the people set about to gather in the quail. Even the one who got the least gathered ten homers of them. Then they spread them out all around the camp.

New Revised Standard Version
So the people worked all that day and night and all the next day, gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the people rose all that day and all that night and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he that gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out in the sun for themselves round about the camp.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the people arose all that day and all night and all day after it and they gathered the quails; the one that gathered ten cors had little, and they spread them out like a spread all around the camp.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails; he that gathered least gathered ten heaps; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the people rose up all the day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered quails; he that gathered least, gathered ten measures; and they refreshed themselves round about the camp.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Quail and the Plague
31Now a wind sent by the LORD came up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp, about two cubits above the surface of the ground, for a day’s journey in every direction around the camp. 32All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around the camp. 33But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague.…

Cross References
Exodus 16:13
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

Psalm 78:26-29
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might. / He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea. / He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. ...

Psalm 106:14-15
They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. / So He granted their request, but sent a wasting disease upon them.

John 6:31-33
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” / Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. / For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Exodus 16:8
And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

1 Corinthians 10:6
These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.

Exodus 16:12
“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”

Psalm 105:40
They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

John 6:49-51
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. / This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. / I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

Exodus 16:2-3
And there in the desert the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. / “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”

1 Corinthians 10:11
Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Deuteronomy 8:3
He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Matthew 4:4
But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Exodus 16:35
The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

John 6:58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”


Treasury of Scripture

And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

homers

Exodus 16:36
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

Ezekiel 45:11
The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.

Jump to Previous
Abroad Camp Heaps Quail Quails Rose Round Spent Spread Stood Ten Themselves
Jump to Next
Abroad Camp Heaps Quail Quails Rose Round Spent Spread Stood Ten Themselves
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














All that day and night and all the next day
This phrase emphasizes the relentless and exhaustive effort of the Israelites in gathering quail. The Hebrew context suggests a continuous, almost frantic activity, highlighting the intensity of their desire and the abundance of the provision. Historically, this reflects the human tendency to overindulge when faced with abundance, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture as a caution against greed and lack of trust in God's provision.

the people went out and gathered quail
The act of gathering quail signifies the fulfillment of God's promise to provide meat for the Israelites, as previously stated in Numbers 11:18-20. The Hebrew word for "gathered" (אָסַף, 'asaph) implies a collection or harvest, indicating that this was a divinely orchestrated event. Archaeologically, quail migrations in the Sinai region are well-documented, providing a natural explanation for this miraculous provision, yet the timing and scale underscore divine intervention.

No one gathered less than ten homers
A "homer" is a large unit of measure, approximately 220 liters or 58 gallons. The phrase underscores the abundance of quail provided by God, far exceeding the people's needs. This abundance serves as a reminder of God's ability to provide beyond human expectations, yet it also foreshadows the consequences of their greed, as later verses reveal the plague that follows their overindulgence.

and they spread them out all around the camp
Spreading the quail around the camp suggests preparation for consumption, possibly drying or preserving the meat. This action reflects the human inclination to secure and hoard resources, often driven by fear of scarcity. In a broader scriptural context, it serves as a metaphor for the futility of relying on material abundance for security, contrasting with the biblical call to trust in God's ongoing provision.

(32) Ten homers.--The homer, which was equal to ten ephahs, or a hundred omers, appears to have contained between five and six bushels, according to the Rabbinists, but according to Josephus about double that quantity.

Verse 32. - And the people stood up... next day. A statement which shows us how greedy the people were, and how inordinately eager to supply themselves with an abundance of animal food. They were so afraid of losing any of the birds that they stayed up all night in order to collect them; probably they only ceased gathering and began to cat when the available supply was spent. Ten homers. It is difficult to calculate the capacity of the homer, especially as it may have varied from age to age. If it contained ten ephahs, as seems to be implied in Ezekiel 45:11, and if the estimate of the Rabbinists (which is less than that of Josephus) be correct that the ephah held nearly four and a half gallons of liquid measure, then half a million of men must have collected more quails apiece than would have filled a 450 gallon tub. No doubt the total number was something enormous, and far above anything that could have been supplied by natural agencies. The gift of quails, like that of manna, was one of the gifts of nature proper to that region Divinely multiplied and extended, so as to show forth in the most striking way the boundless power and beneficence of God. They spread them all abroad. In order to dry them in the sun, as the Egyptians used to do with fish (Herod., 2:77), and as the South Americans do with beef. Flesh thus cured does not need salt, which the Israelites would not have in sufficient quantities.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
All
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

that
הַה֨וּא (ha·hū)
Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day
הַיּוֹם֩ (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

and night,
הַלַּ֜יְלָה (hal·lay·lāh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

and all
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the next
הַֽמָּחֳרָ֗ת (ham·mā·ḥo·rāṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4283: The morrow, tomorrow

day,
י֣וֹם (yō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3117: A day

the people
הָעָ֡ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

stayed up
וַיָּ֣קָם (way·yā·qām)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

gathering
וַיַּֽאַסְפוּ֙ (way·ya·’as·p̄ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

the quail.
הַשְּׂלָ֔ו (haś·śə·lāw)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7958: The quail

No one gathered
אָסַ֖ף (’ā·sap̄)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

less than
הַמַּמְעִ֕יט (ham·mam·‘îṭ)
Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 4591: To pare off, lessen, in, to be, small, few

ten
עֲשָׂרָ֣ה (‘ă·śā·rāh)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 6235: Ten

homers,
חֳמָרִ֑ים (ḥo·mā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2563: A bubbling up, of water, a wave, of earth, mire, clay, a heap, a chomer, dry measure

and they spread them out
וַיִּשְׁטְח֤וּ (way·yiš·ṭə·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7849: To spread, spread abroad

all around
סְבִיב֖וֹת (sə·ḇî·ḇō·wṯ)
Adverb
Strong's 5439: A circle, neighbour, environs, around

the camp.
הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ (ham·ma·ḥă·neh)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 4264: An encampment, an army


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OT Law: Numbers 11:32 The people rose up all that day (Nu Num.)
Numbers 11:31
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