Shemot 16:20

20 Notwithstanding, they paid heed not unto Moshe; but some left part of it until boker, and [the leftovers] bred tola’im (worms), and stank; and Moshe was angry with them.

Shemot 16:20 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 16:20

Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses
That is, not all of them, some of them did, and perhaps the far greater part of them:

but some of them left it until the morning;
out of distrust, for fear they should have none the next day; being men of little faith, that could not trust God for a supply for the morrow; the Targum of Jonathan says, these were Dathan and Abiram; and so Jarchi:

and it bred worms, and stank;
or by an "hysteron proteron", and transposition of the words, the sense may be, that it stank, corrupted, and putrefied, and so produced worms, in which order the words lie, ( Exodus 16:24 ) , and this was not from the nature of the manna to breed worms so soon, but God so ordering and disposing it, that it should do so; for otherwise it would keep to another day, as what was gathered on the sixth day kept to the seventh, and there was a part of it kept for many ages, see ( Exodus 16:24-33 ) , and since the manna was of the meal kind, perhaps those worms it bred might be of the weevil sort, as Scheuchzer conjectures ^F19:

and Moses was wroth with them;
for breaking the commandment of God.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Physica Sacra, vol. 2. p. 179.

Shemot 16:20 In-Context

18 And when they did measure it by the omer, he that gathered much had nothing extra, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating [need].

19 And Moshe said, Let no ish leave of it until boker.

20 Notwithstanding, they paid heed not unto Moshe; but some left part of it until boker, and [the leftovers] bred tola’im (worms), and stank; and Moshe was angry with them.

21 And they gathered it every boker, every man according to his eating [need]; and when the shemesh grew hot, it melted.

22 And it came to pass, that on yom hashishi they gathered twice as much lechem, two omers for one man; and all the nesi’im of the Edah came and told Moshe.