Shortly after the Israelites began their journey from Mount Sinai to Canaan, some Israelites began demanding meat to relieve the monotony of their diet (Num 11:4-6). The complaints were driven by lust rather than need, but those complaints quickly escalated.
Seeing disaster on the horizon, Moses' interceded on behalf of the people and asked for help (vv 11-15). In answer to this plea for assistance, God instructed Moses to tell the people, "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat..." (v 18).
These instructions remind us of Exodus 19:10-11, where God commanded that the people be consecrated in preparation for his appearance at Sinai on the third day. In this case, God would be hosting a sort of banquet for the Israelites, providing the meat for which many had been clamoring.
God went on to say that this banquet had a special purpose. He would give them meat for a month so that they would eventually get sick of it and realize the error in their lustful ways (vv 19-20).
Marveling at the extent of the complaining in the camp, Moses wondered whether all the meat in the world would satisfy the people's cravings. God assured him, though, that he had matters under control (vv 21-23).
The meat came in the form of quail that fell around the camp. In a kind of frenzy the people hurried to gather as much as they could (vv 31-32). Verse 33 reports, "While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague."
Commentator Michael Morales explains that here God was not tricking the Israelites, inviting them to eat and then zapping them when they tried to do so. Psalm 78:29-31 pictures the plague coming before they had finished eating but after they had already had plenty to eat. In addition, it is likely that the people had not really "consecrated themselves" for the occasion. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says that they did not give thanks for the food.
The location of the banquet became known as Kibroth-Hataavah ("graves of craving") because of those who died from the plague.
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