וַיֹּאמֶר֮ מֹשֶׁה֒ שֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֙לֶף֙ רַגְלִ֔י הָעָ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י בְּקִרְבּ֑וֹ וְאַתָּ֣ה אָמַ֗רְתָּ בָּשָׂר֙ אֶתֵּ֣ן לָהֶ֔ם וְאָכְל֖וּ חֹ֥דֶשׁ יָמִֽים׃
Musa berkata: “Bangsa yang di tengah-tengahnya aku berada ini berjumlah enam ratus ribu laki-laki yang berjalan kaki, tetapi Engkau berfirman: ‘Aku akan memberi mereka daging, dan mereka akan memakannya sebulan penuh.’
Rabbeinu Bahya
אחד עשר יום מחורב, “eleven days’ journey (distance) from Mount Chorev.” These words are also part of the rebukes. Moses reminded the people that the traveling time from Mount Chorev to Kadesh Barnea is normally eleven days. The people had traversed this distance in only three days. This very fact should make them understand that the reason they had remained in the desert for so many years was only due to their sins. Had they not sinned G’d would have shortened their travel time instead of lengthening it.
How did the people travel during the three days we just mentioned? The Torah tells us that the people broke camp after having remained around Mount Sinai since the 1st of Sivan in the first year of the Exodus (10 days short of a full lunar year). The cloud lifted on that day as we know from Numbers 10,11. One month and nine days later, i.e. on the 29th of Sivan, Moses sent the spies on their mission from Kadesh Barnea. If we count backwards to the 20th of Iyar, we have to consider that during these 39 days at least 30 days were spent at a place named Kivrot Hataavah, where the people gorged themselves on meat (Numbers 11,21). In addition, they were stuck at Chatzerot, waiting for Miriam to be cured from her tzoraat (Numbers 12,14-16). You will note that there were only a total of three days left during which the people could have traveled between the 20th of Iyar and the 29th of Sivan. It follows that they must have covered the entire distance from Sinai to Kadesh Barnea in three days.
How did the people travel during the three days we just mentioned? The Torah tells us that the people broke camp after having remained around Mount Sinai since the 1st of Sivan in the first year of the Exodus (10 days short of a full lunar year). The cloud lifted on that day as we know from Numbers 10,11. One month and nine days later, i.e. on the 29th of Sivan, Moses sent the spies on their mission from Kadesh Barnea. If we count backwards to the 20th of Iyar, we have to consider that during these 39 days at least 30 days were spent at a place named Kivrot Hataavah, where the people gorged themselves on meat (Numbers 11,21). In addition, they were stuck at Chatzerot, waiting for Miriam to be cured from her tzoraat (Numbers 12,14-16). You will note that there were only a total of three days left during which the people could have traveled between the 20th of Iyar and the 29th of Sivan. It follows that they must have covered the entire distance from Sinai to Kadesh Barnea in three days.
Ibn Ezra
a full month [literally: a lunation of days] as in “a month of days” [Numbers 11: 21]. I have already explained how the term “lunation” denotes a month, since the basis of a month is the lunar cycle.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וארון ברית ה' ומשה לא משו, “and the Ark of the covenant of the Lord as well as Moses had not moved.” In this verse the Torah drew a comparison between Moses and the Ark of the covenant. In Numbers 11,21 we have a formula where the Torah seems to equate Moses to the 600,000 men of military age of the Israelites when it is written: “and Moses said the people are 600,00 foot-soldiers, etc.” The Torah alluded to the spiritual worth of Moses as being equivalent to the people as a whole. If that had not been the intention of the Torah in that verse it should have written: “the people amongst whom I find myself comprise 600,000 foot-soldiers.”