Exodus 16

The LORD Provides Manna

1 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of 1Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on 2the fifteenth * day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.
2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel 3grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3 The sons of Israel said to them, "4Would * that we had died by the LORD'S hand in the land of Egypt, 5when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, 6I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may 7test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.
5 "8On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily."
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, "At evening 9you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt;
7 and in the morning you will see 10the glory of the LORD, for 11He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and 12what are we, that you grumble against us?"

The LORD Provides Meat

8 Moses said, "This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are 13not against us but against the LORD."
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, '14Come 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, 15the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12 "16I 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 17you shall know that I am the LORD your God.' "
13 So it came about at evening that 18the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning 19there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14 20When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness 21there 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, "22It 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 23an 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, 24he 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, "25Let no man leave any of it until morning."
20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.
21 They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

The Sabbath Observed

22 26Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the 27leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,
23 then he said to them, "This is what the LORD meant: 28Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and 29all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."
24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and 30it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.
25 Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.
26 "31Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none."
27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
28 Then the LORD said to Moses, "32How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions?
29 "See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore * He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of 33Israel named * it manna, and it was like 34coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.
32 Then Moses said, "This is what * the LORD has commanded, 'Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.' "
33 Moses said to Aaron, "35Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations."
34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before 36the Testimony, to be kept.
35 37The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36 (Now 38an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Cross References 38

  • 1. Numbers 33:10, 11; Ezekiel 30:15
  • 2. Exodus 12:6, 51; Exodus 19:1
  • 3. Exodus 14:11; Exodus 15:24; Psalms 106:25; 1 Corinthians 10:10
  • 4. Exodus 17:3; Numbers 14:2, 3; Numbers 20:3; Lamentations 4:9
  • 5. Numbers 11:4, 5
  • 6. Nehemiah 9:15; Psalms 78:23-25; Psalms 105:40; John 6:31; 1 Corinthians 10:3
  • 7. Exodus 15:25; Deuteronomy 8:2, 16
  • 8. Exodus 16:22
  • 9. Exodus 6:7
  • 10. Exodus 16:10, 12; Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 40:5; John 11:4, 40
  • 11. Numbers 14:27; Numbers 17:5
  • 12. Numbers 16:11
  • 13. 1 Samuel 8:7; Luke 10:16; Romans 13:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:8
  • 14. Numbers 16:16
  • 15. Exodus 13:21; Exodus 16:7; Numbers 16:19; 1 Kings 8:10
  • 16. Exodus 16:8; Numbers 14:27
  • 17. Exodus 6:7; Exodus 16:7; 1 Kings 20:28; Joel 3:17
  • 18. Numbers 11:31; Psalms 78:27-29; Psalms 105:40
  • 19. Numbers 11:9
  • 20. Numbers 11:7-9
  • 21. Exodus 16:31; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalms 78:24; Psalms 105:40
  • 22. Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalms 78:24; John 6:31; 1 Corinthians 10:3
  • 23. Exodus 16:32, 36
  • 24. 2 Corinthians 8:15
  • 25. Exodus 12:10; Exodus 16:23; Exodus 23:18
  • 26. Exodus 16:5
  • 27. Exodus 34:31
  • 28. Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8-11; Exodus 23:12; Exodus 31:15; Exodus 35:2; Leviticus 23:3; Nehemiah 9:13, 14
  • 29. Exodus 16:19
  • 30. Exodus 16:20
  • 31. Exodus 20:9, 10
  • 32. 2 Kings 17:14; Psalms 78:10; Psalms 106:13
  • 33. Numbers 11:7-9; Deuteronomy 8:3, 16
  • 34. Exodus 16:14
  • 35. Hebrews 9:4; Revelation 2:17
  • 36. Exodus 25:16, 21; Exodus 27:21; Exodus 40:20; Numbers 17:10
  • 37. Deuteronomy 8:2; Joshua 5:12; Nehemiah 9:20, 21
  • 38. Exodus 16:16

Footnotes 25

Exodus 16 Commentaries

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