Exodus 16:13
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.
What does Exodus 16:13 mean?
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).
