Exodus 16:9-19

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, '1Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.' "
10 It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, 2the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12 "3I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and 4you shall know that I am the LORD your God.' "
13 So it came about at evening that 5the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning 6there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14 7When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness 8there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.
15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "9It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
16 "This is what * the LORD has commanded, 'Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take 10an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.' "
17 The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little.
18 When they measured it with an omer, 11he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat.
19 Moses said to them, "12Let no man leave any of it until morning."

Exodus 16:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 16

This chapter begins with an account of the journeying of the children of Israel from Elim to the wilderness of Sin, where they murmured for want of bread, Ex 16:1-3, when the Lord told Moses that he would rain bread from heaven for them, which Moses informed them of; and withal, that the Lord took notice of their murmurings, Ex 16:4-12 which promise the Lord fulfilled; and a description of the bread, and the name of it, are given, Ex 16:13-15, and some instructions are delivered out concerning the quantity of it to be gathered, Ex 16:16-18, the time of gathering and keeping it, Ex 16:19-21, the gathering a double quantity on the sixth day for that and the seventh day, with the reason of it, Ex 16:22-30 and a further description of it, Ex 16:31, and an order to preserve an omer of it in a pot, to be kept for generations to come, that it might be seen by them, Ex 16:32-34, and the chapter is concluded with observing, that this bread was ate by the Israelites forty years, even till they came to the borders of the land of Canaan, and the quantity they ate every day is observed what it was, Ex 16:35,36.

Cross References 12

  • 1. Numbers 16:16
  • 2. Exodus 13:21; Exodus 16:7; Numbers 16:19; 1 Kings 8:10
  • 3. Exodus 16:8; Numbers 14:27
  • 4. Exodus 6:7; Exodus 16:7; 1 Kings 20:28; Joel 3:17
  • 5. Numbers 11:31; Psalms 78:27-29; Psalms 105:40
  • 6. Numbers 11:9
  • 7. Numbers 11:7-9
  • 8. Exodus 16:31; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalms 78:24; Psalms 105:40
  • 9. Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalms 78:24; John 6:31; 1 Corinthians 10:3
  • 10. Exodus 16:32, 36
  • 11. 2 Corinthians 8:15
  • 12. Exodus 12:10; Exodus 16:23; Exodus 23:18

Footnotes 10

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.