The Second Book of Moses, called Exodus
Exodus 16
Chapter XVI · Vol. I, pp. 322–323
1 The Israelites come to Sin, and murmur for want of bread. 4 God promiseth them bread and flesh from heaven. 13 Quails and manna are sent. 16 The ordering of the manna. 27 It was not to be found on the sabbath. 32 An omer of it is preserved.
1 AND they a took their journey from Elim; and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
a Nu. 33.10,11. ch. 5.57.
2 And the b whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Wouldc to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the d flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the full! for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with e hunger.2
c Nu. 14.2; 11.4-6; 20.3; 21.5. ch. 14.11. La. 4.9.
d Nu. 11.4,5. ch. 2.23.
e De. 8.2,3. Je. 2.6. Ps. 107.5; 78.19,20. ch. 14.11. Nu. 11.6; 14.3; 20.4,5; 21.5.
2 A whole month was spent between Rameses and Sin, though only eight stations are named, and only ten days' actual march recorded. The encampment 'by the sea,' mentioned in Nu. 33.11, is omitted here. The 'wilderness of Sin' is a dreary desert plain, covered with gravel and flint, lying along the eastern shore of the Red Sea. Its desolate aspect naturally had a depressing influence on the minds of the Israelites; and besides, the stock of provisions which they had brought with them from Egypt was now in all probability exhausted. Hence their bitter complaint and murmurs.—P.
4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, f Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather g a certain rate every day, that I may h prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
f Ro. 12.20,21. Ps. 105.40; 78.24. Nu. 11.8. Jn. 6.31,32; 3.16. 1 Co. 10.3. Re. 2.17.
g ver. 16. Mat. 6.11,31,34.
h ch. 15.25. De. 8.2; 33.6. Jos. 24.15. Ge. 22.1.
5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall i prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
i ver. 23; ch. 35.2,3. Le. 25.21,22.
6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that k the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt.
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
k ver. 3. ch. 12.51; 13.21; 14.30; 20.2.
7 Andl in the morning, then ye shall see the m glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD:3 and what are we, that ye murmur against us?
l ver. 13.
m ver. 10. Le. 9.6,23. Nu. 12.5; 14.10; 16.42. ch. 24.10.
3 It is chiefly against God that ye murmur; we are but his ministers who act by his direction.
8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not n against us, but against the LORD.
n ver. 6,7,13. 1 Sa. 8.7. Lu. 10.16. Mat. 10.40; 18.5. Ro. 13.2.
9 And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near o before the LORD: for he hath p heard your murmurings.
10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD q appeared in the cloud.
q ch. 13.20,21; 24.16. Le. 9.6,23. Nu. 12.5; 14.10; 16.42.
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12 Ir have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel; speak unto them, saying, s At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and t ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.
r See ver. 9.
s See ver. 13-15.
t ch. 6.7. 1 Ki. 20.28. Joel 3.17. De. 29.6; 4.35. Eze. 6.7,10,13,14; 7.4,9,27; 11.10,12; 12.15,16,20; 13.9,14,21,23; 16.62; 20.38,42, &c.
13 And it came to pass, that at even u the quails4 came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning the x dew lay round about the host.
u Nu. 11.31. Ps. 105.40.
4 The quail is a migratory bird of the gallinaceous kind. That commonly known in Europe is about the size of a lark; but there is a much larger kind, well known in Arabia and the adjoining countries. That the word translated quails does not mean locusts, as some have supposed, but some species of birds, is evident from Ps. 78.27, where they are called feathered fowls. The period of this event was the spring, at which time these birds migrate from Asia to Europe; yet was not the miracle the less, for the miracle lay not in the event itself, which might have been what is called accidental, but in the prophecy announcing it, which none but one inspired of God could possibly have foreseen.—C.
x Ps. 78.23,24.
14 And when the y dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar-frost on the ground.
y Nu. 11.9. Ne. 9.15,25. Ps. 78.24; 105.4.
15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, z It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, a This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
z Or, What is this! or, it is a portion. Nu. 11.7-9. De. 8.3,16. Ps. 78.24. Jos. 5.12. Jn. 6.31-57. Re. 2.17.
a Jn. 6.31. 1 Co. 10.3. Pr. 9.5. Is. 25.6; 55.2. Re. 2.17. Ep. 3.19. Ps. 34.8-10; 36.8; 65.4.
16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an b omer[≈ 2.2 litres · 3.9 pints] c for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
b ver. 36, about five English pints.
c Jn. 6.37. Ac. 2.39. Je. 31.1. Ga. 3.28, 29. Ro. 3.29, 30. Col. 2.10, 19; 3.11.
17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
18 And when they did mete it with an omer[≈ 2.2 litres · 3.9 pints], d he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack: they gathered every man according to his eating.
d 2 Co. 5.21; 8.14,15. Ga. 3.28,29. 2 Pe. 1.1. 1 Co. 1.30. Col. 2.10; 3.11.
19 And Moses said, Let no man e leave of it till the morning.
e ch. 12.10. 2 Co. 6.2. Mat. 6.31,33,34. He. 3.13-15; 13.5. Pr. 27.1. Ec. 9.10.
20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it f bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
21 And they gathered it g every morning,5 every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
g Pr. 6.6,7; 8.17; 10.4. Job 12.35. Ga. 6.10. Lu. 19.42. Ec. 9.10. 2 Co. 6.2. Je. 2.2; 31.3.
5 The miracle of the manna is the most extraordinary in the Old Testament. The evidences of its reality are—1. The established inspiration of Moses. 2. His books were written and published at the time of the event recorded. 3. The rebellions of the people against him in the wilderness were so frequent and inveterate, that there is no possibility of collusion. 4. The people's loathing of this gift of God. 5. The preservation of a specimen, ver. 32, 33, and its consequent historical union with the services of the Jewish law.—Note, The manna furnishes a beautiful type of Christ, 'that bread of God that cometh down from heaven,' Jn. 6.33. sent without our asking, continued notwithstanding our ingratitude—loathed by the infidel, sweet to the believer, and given in daily portions through our weary pilgrimage, till we 'hunger no more' and 'rest from our labours.'—C.
22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered h twice as much bread, two omers[≈ 4.4 litres · 7.7 pints] for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
h ver. 5,16. La. 25.21, 22.
23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To-morrow is the resti of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: k bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
24 And they l laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
l ver. 20.
25 And Moses said, m Eat that to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to-day ye shall not find it in the field.
26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, n in it there shall be none.
n Mat. 25.8. Re. 10.6, 7. Lu. 14.3.
27 And it came to pass, that there o went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
o Nu. 20.12. De. 1.32. 2 Ki. 17.14. Is. 7.9.
29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days: q abide ye every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
q ver. 23; ch. 35.2, 3; 31.13-17; 34.21; 23.12; 20.8-11. Le. 23.3.
30 So the people r rested on the seventh day.
r De. 5.12-14. Lu. 24.56. ch. 20.8-11; ver. 29.
31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it was s like coriander-seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD t commandeth, Fill an omer[≈ 2.2 litres · 3.9 pints] of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
t He. 2.1. Ps. 103.1,2; 105.5. Is. 63.7. See ch. 12.14; 13.9,16. 2 Pe. 1.12; 3.1.
33 And Moses said unto Aaron, u Take a pot, and put an omer[≈ 2.2 litres · 3.9 pints] full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the x Testimony, to be kept.6
x Ark, which held the tables of the law, ch. 25.16,21. De. 10.5.
6 It is manifest that this incident is not related by the historian in strictly chronological order. The ark of the testimony was not yet made. The object of the writer in inserting it here is to complete all notices regarding manna, down even to the time of its withdrawal.—P.
35 And the children of Israel y did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land7 inhabited: they did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
y Nu. 33.38. De. 8.2, 3,16. Ne. 9.15,20,21. Ps. 78.24,25. Jos. 5.12. Jn. 6.31-57. Ga. 2.20. 1 Co. 1.30.
7 There is no necessity for supposing, with most commentators, that Moses did not write this verse. He lived till near the close of the 40th year of the exodus (comp. Ex. 6.7 with De. 34.7), at which period the Israelites were actually 'on the borders of Canaan,' and not yet in it, when the manna finally ceased, Jos. 5.12, a very short time after the death of Moses.—C.
Notes
Ver. 4. The manna fell from heaven in the manner of rain or dew; and by it God proved the Israelites; tried whether miraculous favours would induce them to an exact observation of his laws.
Ver. 5. It was the sixth day of the week on which the double portion of manna was gathered, but whether it was the sixth after the Hebrews murmured, or sixth of the fall of the manna, is not certain.
Ver. 10. While the cloud marched before them into the wilderness, an extraordinary brightness appeared in it.
Ver. 16. Every man had about five English pints allotted him for his daily provision.
Ver. 18. The provision for a family was put into a common stock, and the master measured out to each his share.
Ver. 19. To prevent a superstitious keeping of it, and to cause them always to trust in God for more, none of it was to be kept over the night.
Ver. 22. The rulers told Moses; observant of God's kindness, and that they might receive directions how to dispose of this double portion.
Ver. 23. They might not dress manna on the Sabbath, as it required a great deal of labour to grind and bake it, Nu. 11.8.
Ver. 29. On the Sabbath no one was allowed to travel, except to the public worship of God, or about works of necessity and mercy.
Ver. 34. It was not till about ten months after that this potful of manna was laid up before the tables of the law, on the foreside of the ark.
Reflections.—Our comfortable glances of prosperity on earth soon change and pass away; while fresh difficulties produce fresh murmurings; and discontent vilifies what it has, and magnifies what it loseth or desires. But how criminal to distrust God's goodness and power, to despair of mercy and life, whenever we are brought into straits! and to murmur desperately, after God hath wrought wonders for our relief! Observe, all abuse of his servants strikes against God himself; and noted displays of his glory shall effectually check the murmurs of presumptuous sinners, and vindicate the faithful messengers of Christ! But for the children of God to disquiet their minds about temporal necessaries, when their heavenly Father can with a word supply them with everything useful, is both foolish and highly offensive. Bread shall be given them, and their water shall be sure. So transcendent is his kindness, that he bestows on wicked murmurers not only necessaries, but even delicacies. Amidst prudent care and diligent activity to make provision for myself, it becomes me to beware of covetousness or sinful distrust; to live alway contented with bare necessaries for the time, and depend upon God for what may be needful hereafter. Never let any earthly gain prevent my sanctification of the Sabbath. If, from regard to its honour, I deny myself, the Lord of it will assuredly make up my loss, and be my exceeding great reward. But if the Lord hath showed me his great kindness, let me treasure it up in my heart for grateful remembrance through all my life.—In this manna I contemplate Jesus the true bread—Jesus the bread of life. He is the free gift of God to murmuring and rebellious sinners, starving to eternal death. In the camp of the visible church he comes down from heaven in the dewy ordinances and offers of the gospel, early, daily, and plentifully. Small, and contemned by many, and unknown to most, he is the divinely prepared, the mysterious, the pure, the sweet, the wholesome, the all-sufficient, and all-suitable nourishment of our souls; which God liberally and constantly distributes to us, and which we ought early, earnestly, and daily to receive, each for ourselves; and the more so as we approach towards the eternal state, in which we shall have no further offers of his grace. And as he was bruised in the mortar and mill of his Father's justice, and baked in the oven of his love, let me receive him into a wounded conscience and a broken heart, as the grand restorative and nourisher to eternal life.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.