Exodus 16:14-24

14 ¹When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness ²there 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, "³It 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 ⁴an 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, ⁵he 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, "⁶Let 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 ⁷Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the ⁸leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,

23 then he said to them, "This is what the LORD meant: ⁹Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and ¹⁰all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."

24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and ¹¹it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.

Exodus 16:14-24 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

• 1. Numbers 11:7-9
• 2. Exodus 16:31; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalms 78:24; Psalms 105:40
• 3. Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalms 78:24; John 6:31; 1 Corinthians 10:3
• 4. Exodus 16:32, 36
• 5. 2 Corinthians 8:15
• 6. Exodus 12:10; Exodus 16:23; Exodus 23:18
• 7. Exodus 16:5
• 8. Exodus 34:31
• 9. Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8-11; Exodus 23:12; Exodus 31:15; Exodus 35:2; Leviticus 23:3; Nehemiah 9:13, 14
• 10. Exodus 16:19
• 11. Exodus 16:20

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "had gone up"
• [b] Lit "face of"
• [c] Heb "Man hu," cf v 31
• [d] Lit "the thing which"
• [e] Lit "according to his eating"
• [f] Lit "an omer for a head"
• [g] Lit "according to his eating"
• [h] Lit "according to his eating"
• [i] Lit "spoke"
• [j] Lit "lay up for you"
• [k] Lit "laid it up"