Wesley Corpus

Chapter XI The punishment of the murmurers stopt by the prayer of Moses, ver. 1 - 3. The fresh murmuring of the people, ver. 4 - 6. The description of manna, ver. 7 - 9. The murmuring of Moses, ver. 10 - 16. God's answer, ver. 16 - 23. The appointment of the seventy elders, ver. 24 - 30. Quails sent with a plague, ver. 31 - 35. Complained - Or, murmured, the occasion whereof seems to be their last three days journey in a vast howling wilderness, and thereupon the remembrance of their long abode in the wilderness, and the fear of many other tedious journeys, whereby they were like to be long delayed from coming to the land of milk and honey, which they thirsted after. The fire of the Lord - A fire sent from God in an extraordinary manner, possibly from the pillar of cloud and fire, or from heaven. The uttermost parts - Either because the sin began there among the mixed multitude, or in mercy to the people, whom he would rather awaken to repentance than destroy; and therefore he sent it into the skirts and not the midst of the camp. The people - The murmurers, being penitent; or others for fear. Taberah - This fire; as it was called Kibroth - hattaavah from another occasion, Nu 11:34,35, and Num 33:16. It is no new thing in scripture for persons and places to have two names. Both these names were imposed as monuments of the peoples sin and of God's just judgment. Israel also - Whose special relation and obligation to God should have restrained them from such carriage. Flesh - This word is here taken generally so as to include fish, as the next words shew. They had indeed cattle which they brought out of Egypt, but these were reserved for breed to be carried into Canaan, and were so few that they would scarce have served them for a month. Freely - Either without price, for fish was very plentiful, and fishing was there free, or with a very small price. And this is the more probable because the Egyptians might not taste of fish, nor of the leeks and onions, which they worshipped for Gods, and therefore the Israelites, might have them upon cheap terms.