Psalm 78:27-31
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This verse highlights that the miraculous supply of quails was not just about quantity, but also about God's direct intervention, likening them to "winged fowl" deliberately made to fall, suggesting He momentarily grounded even the birds' natural flight. This emphasizes that even in satisfying their desires, God was demonstrating His sovereign control over creation.
he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas; he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved. But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm recounts Israel's history, emphasizing their repeated sinfulness despite God's abundant provision and miracles. This verse describes one such instance in the wilderness, where God, responding to their grumbling for meat, sent massive quantities of birds—quails—that fell around their camp like dust and sand. This event, though a miraculous supply, ultimately led to judgment due to Israel's insatiable desires and their continued unfaithfulness.
God provided abundantly for the Israelites in the desert, but their response wasn't gratitude. How can a miracle become a source of sin?
Psalm 78 recounts Israel's history to teach future generations. In this instance, God answers the Israelites' grumbling and complaints by sending quails in immense numbers.
A Copious Shower of Meat
The text vividly describes this miraculous provision: 'He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.' This wasn't just a few birds; the imagery of 'dust' and 'sand' emphasizes an overwhelming quantity. The commentaries suggest this refers to the second miraculous feeding of quails mentioned in Numbers 11.
From Provision to Provocation
While this seems like a purely positive event – God meeting their needs – the context reveals a darker side. The 'expositors' note that this provision came after the people 'went on to sin yet more' and 'tempted God' by demanding food. Calvin points out that this wasn't a provision granted out of favor like manna, but a fulfillment of 'gluttonous desires,' granted in wrath. This highlights a crucial truth: God's powerful actions, even when providing, can be met with human sin and discontent, turning a blessing into a test of faith.
Birds don't typically fall from the sky like rain. What does this miracle reveal about the God who commands the natural world?
The sheer abundance of quails, described as raining down like dust and sand, points to God's absolute sovereignty over His creation.
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Winds as God's Servants
The commentaries mention that the quails were brought by winds. Psalm 78:26 speaks of God 'caus[ing] an east wind to blow' and 'rais[ing] up the south wind.' This shows that even the natural forces—the winds—are instruments at God's disposal. They aren't random; they obey His command.
Beyond Natural Explanation
As Barnes notes, the term 'feathered fowls' or 'fowl of wing' is a poetic way to emphasize that these were creatures that normally flew freely. God, in His power, somehow overcame their natural ability to escape, causing them to fall into the Israelite camp. Poole emphasizes this supernatural aspect: God 'took away from them the use of their wings, and made them to fall into the hands of the Israelites.' This wasn't just a large flock happening to fly low; it was a deliberate, supernatural intervention demonstrating His dominion over the skies and the creatures within them.
Understand the original words
šə’ēr · Hebrew Noun
'Meat' in this context refers to animal flesh provided as food. Theologically, it highlights God's provision for physical needs, even when that provision comes in response to human ingratitude or testing.
maḥăneh · Hebrew Noun
A 'camp' refers to the designated place where God’s people gathered, particularly during the wilderness journey. It symbolizes the community of God under His presence, which is often a site of both divine grace and human rebellion.
miškan · Hebrew Noun
'Dwellings' refers to the tents or habitations of the people. It carries the nuance of the place where one rests or lives, representing the space over which individuals exercise stewardship or where they await God's blessing.
ta’ăwâ · Hebrew Noun
'Craving' or 'lust' refers to an intense, often selfish desire for something outside of God’s established order or provision. It denotes a heart condition that prioritizes human appetite over contentment with God’s will.
aph · Hebrew Noun
A display of God’s holiness and justice in response to human rebellion or sin; it is not a capricious emotional outburst but a settled, righteous opposition to evil.
The psalm's vivid description of God raining meat upon the Israelites is rooted in the actual event of quail falling in the wilderness, a powerful but also dangerous display of God's provision and judgment.
c. 1440 BC
Israelites depart Egypt
Following God's miraculous deliverance from slavery, the Israelites began their journey through the wilderness towards the Promised Land.
c. 1440 BC— this verse
Manna and Quail provided
During the wilderness journey, God provided manna daily and later sent large flocks of quails in response to the Israelites' complaints about lack of food.
c. 1440 BC
Murmurings and Punishment at Kibroth-hattaavah
The Israelites' persistent grumbling and craving for meat led to God sending quails in overwhelming numbers, but also brought His judgment upon many of them.
c. 1070 BC - 1010 BC
Period of the Judges
This era in Israel's history was marked by cycles of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance, with the tribe of Ephraim often prominent in rebellion.
c. 1010 BC
David Anointed King
David was chosen and anointed as king, establishing a new dynasty and ushering in a golden age for Israel after a period of turmoil.
Post 1010 BC
Authorship of Psalm 78
The psalm, reflecting on Israel's history and likely composed after the establishment of David's kingdom, uses past events to teach and warn the current generation.
This passage describes the initial miraculous provision of food, where quails came up and covered the Israelite camp, mirroring the immense quantity mentioned in Psalms 78:27.
Numbers 11:31-32This is the primary historical account of God raining down quails, detailing how they were brought by a wind and gathered in vast quantities, directly supporting the imagery in the psalm.
Psalm 105:40This psalm, like Psalms 78, recounts God's faithfulness to Israel, mentioning that He 'asked, and He brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven,' linking the provision of birds to God's sustenance.
Psalm 106:15This psalm also reflects on Israel's wilderness experience, noting that God 'gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul,' which adds a layer of consequence to the abundance described in Psalms 78:27.
ellicottPsalms 78:27: "He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:"
(27) No doubt there is poetical hyperbole here, but for the enormous numbers of quails that are now caught, see the article quoted above.
pulpitPsalms 78:27: "He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:"
Verse 27. - He rained flesh also upon them. With the expression, "rained flesh," comp. Exodus 16:4, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven;" and see also Genesis 19:24 and Exodus 9:23. As dust; i.e. "as thick as dust" (Prayer book Version). The quails lay "as it were two cubits high" for the distance of a day's journey round about each encampment (see Numbers 11:31). And feathered fowls like…
This verse highlights that the miraculous supply of quails was not just about quantity, but also about God's direct intervention, likening them to "winged fowl" deliberately made to fall, suggesting He momentarily grounded even the birds' natural flight. This emphasizes that even in satisfying their desires, God was demonstrating His sovereign control over creation.
The psalm recounts Israel's history, emphasizing their repeated sinfulness despite God's abundant provision and miracles. This verse describes one such instance in the wilderness, where God, responding to their grumbling for meat, sent massive quantities of birds—quails—that fell around their camp like dust and sand. This event, though a miraculous supply, ultimately led to judgment due to Israel's insatiable desires and their continued unfaithfulness.
The psalm recounts Israel's history, emphasizing their repeated sinfulness despite God's abundant provision and miracles. This verse describes one such instance in the wilderness, where God, responding to their grumbling for meat, sent massive quantities of birds—quails—that fell around their camp like dust and sand. This event, though a miraculous supply, ultimately led to judgment due to Israel's insatiable desires and their continued unfaithfulness.
"he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas; he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved…" — This verse highlights that the miraculous supply of quails was not just about quantity, but also about God's direct intervention, likening them to "winged fowl" deliberately made to fall, suggesting…
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Last reviewed October 2026
