Original Word: זָרָא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: zara'
Pronunciation: zah-rah
Phonetic Spelling: (zaw-raw')
KJV: loathsome
NASB: loathsome
Word Origin: [from H2114 (זוּר - To be a stranger) (in the sense of estrangement)]

1. disgust

From zuwr (in the sense of estrangement) (compare zarah); disgust -- loathsome.

see HEBREW zuwr

see HEBREW zarah

Numbers 11:20 – “but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ ”

Narrative Setting

The word appears in the midst of Israel’s journey from Sinai, when the manna that had daily testified to the Lord’s covenant care was scorned (Numbers 11:6). The people lusted for meat, recalling Egypt with nostalgia. Moses interceded; the Lord granted quail in overwhelming abundance, yet with the sober warning that the very gift would become “loathsome” (זָרָא) to them. The term functions as the hinge of a deliberate irony: what the flesh craves without regard for God soon becomes revolting.

Moral and Spiritual Implications

1. Ingratitude toward gracious provision breeds spiritual nausea. The same heart that despised manna would, within days, despise the quail.
2. Desire detached from devotion mutates into bondage (cf. Psalm 106:14–15). The Lord’s message is not anti-desire but pro-worship; when worship is displaced, legitimate appetite becomes idolatry.
3. Divine discipline often employs the very object of sinful craving (Proverbs 27:7; Romans 1:24). “He sent them meat in abundance… but while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them” (Psalm 78:25–31).

Covenantal Dimensions

The episode confronts Israel with the first commandment. By labeling the miracle-meat “loathsome,” the Lord exposes the breach of covenant love: “you have rejected the Lord, who is among you.” Presence is the covenant’s treasure (Exodus 29:45); to prize onions of Egypt over the God who dwells in the camp is covenant infidelity. The revulsion word underscores the relational rupture.

Intertextual Echoes

• Numbers 21:5 – similar contempt for manna results in fiery serpents.
• Deuteronomy 8:3 – manna interpreted as a test teaching reliance on every word of God.
• Psalm 78 and Psalm 106 – historical psalms highlight the episode as emblematic of national unbelief.
• 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 – Paul cites the wilderness grumblers as a sober paradigm for the church.
• Philippians 2:14 – believers are called to the opposite spirit: “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”

Typological and Christological Lines

Manna prefigures Jesus Christ, the true bread from heaven (John 6:31-35). To loathe manna anticipates the rejection of Christ by many who sought miracles yet spurned His words (John 6:60-66). The quail-episode therefore warns against a utilitarian approach to the Lord: delight in His gifts while despising His person leads to eventual revulsion.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Cultivate grateful remembrance of past mercies; ingratitude blinds the heart to present grace.
• Teach contentment as spiritual formation (1 Timothy 6:6-8). Satisfaction in God inoculates against idolatrous craving.
• Address grumbling early; it is not a harmless mood but a theological statement about God’s character.
• When disciplining, note the Lord’s pattern: He sometimes grants the desire to unveil its emptiness. Shepherds should pray for holy revulsion toward sin in the flock.
• Preach Christ as the sufficient and satisfying bread: “Whoever comes to Me will never hunger” (John 6:35).

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 2214 highlights the moment when heaven-sent provision becomes detestable because the heart has turned from the Provider. The single occurrence serves as a lens on the perversity of sin, the faithfulness of divine discipline, and the call to wholehearted satisfaction in the Lord.