kibroth-hattaavah Summary and Overview

the graves of the longing or of lust, one of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness. It was probably in the Wady Murrah, and has been identified with the Erweis el-Ebeirig, where the remains of an ancient encampment have been found, about 30 miles NE of Sinai, and exactly a day's journey from 'Ain Hudherah. "Here began the troubles of the journey. First, complaints broke out among the people, probably at the heat, the toil, and the privations of the march; and then God at once punished them by lightning, which fell on the hinder part of the camp, and killed many persons, but ceased at the intercession of Moses (Num. 11:1, 2). Then a disgust fell on the multitude at having nothing to eat but the manna day after day, no change, no flesh, no fish, no high-flavoured vegetables, no luscious fruits...The people loathed the 'light food,' and cried out to Moses, 'Give us flesh, give us flesh, that we may eat.'" In this emergency Moses, in despair, cried unto God. An answer came. God sent "a prodigious flight of quails, on which the people satiated their gluttonous appetite for a full month. Then punishment fell on them: they loathed the food which they had desired; it bred disease in them; the divine anger aggravated the disease into a plague, and a heavy mortality was the consequence. The dead were buried without the camp; and in memory of man's sin and of the divine wrath this name, Kibroth-hattaavah, the Graves of Lust, was given to the place of their sepulchre" (Num. 11:34, 35; 33:16, 17; Deut. 9:22; compare Ps. 78:30, 31)., Rawlinson's Moses, p. 175. From this encampment they journeyed in a NEern direction to Hazeroth.

KIB'ROTH-HATTA'AVAH (graves of lust), one of the stations of Israel on their wandering through the wilderness; situated about 3 days' journey from Sinai and 15 miles from the Gulf of Akabah. Here it was that a wind from the Lord brought immense swarms of quails down upon the encampment while the people were clamoring for flesh-meat. They fed on them for a whole month, but then a great plague smote them and many of them died. Num 11:31-35; Num 33:16-17; Deut 9:22. Travellers have often in these regions encountered swarms of quails, flying with the wind and so low that two or three of them may be killed by one blow of a stick, and at Erweis el-Ebeirig, near Wady el-Hadherah (Hazaroth) Israelite remains have been found.