Exodus 16:14-24

14 in the morning it came to pass as the dew ceased round about the camp, that, behold, on the face of the wilderness a small thing like white coriander seed, as frost upon the earth.

15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is this? for they knew not what it was; and Moses said to them,

16 This the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is that which the Lord has appointed: gather of it each man for his family, a homer for each person, according to the number of your souls, gather each of you with his fellow-lodgers.

17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some much and some less.

18 And having measured the homer , he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that had gathered less had no lack; each gathered according to the need of those who belonged to him.

19 And Moses said to them, Let no man leave of it till the morning.

20 But they did not hearken to Moses, but some left of it till the morning; and it bred worms and stank: and Moses was irritated with them.

21 And they gathered it every morning, each man what he needed, and when the sun waxed hot it melted.

22 And it came to pass on the sixth day, they gathered double what was needed, two homers for one ; and all the chiefs of the synagogue went in and reported it to Moses.

23 And Moses said to them, Is not this the word which the Lord spoke? To-morrow the sabbath, a holy rest to the Lord: bake that ye will bake, and seethe that ye will seethe, and all that is over leave to be laid by for the morrow.

24 And they left of it till the morning, as Moses commanded them; and it stank not, neither was there a 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. by the head.
• [b]. just sufficient for.