1 They took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to 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. 2 The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; 3 and the children of Israel said to them, "We wish that we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." 4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law, or not. 5 It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily." 6 Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, "At evening, then you shall know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, then you shall see the glory of Yahweh; because he hears your murmurings against Yahweh. Who are we, that you murmur against us?" 8 Moses said, "Now Yahweh shall give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you; because Yahweh hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Yahweh." 9 Moses said to Aaron, "Tell all the congregation of the children of Israel, 'Come near before Yahweh, for he has heard your murmurings.'" 10 It happened, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud. 11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, 'At evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread: and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God.'" 13 It happened at evening that quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp. 14 When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground. 15 When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, "What is it?" For they didn't know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat." 16 This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded: "Gather of it everyone according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, you shall take it, every man for those who are in his tent." 17 The children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. They gathered every man according to his eating. 19 Moses said to them, "Let no one leave of it until the morning." 20 Notwithstanding they didn't listen to Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and became foul: and Moses was angry with them. 21 They gathered it morning by morning, everyone according to his eating. When the sun grew hot, it melted. 22 It happened that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one, and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 He said to them, "This is that which Yahweh has spoken, 'Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh. Bake that which you want to bake, and boil that which you want to boil; and all that remains over lay up for yourselves to be kept until the morning.'" 24 They laid it up until the morning, as Moses asked, and it didn't become foul, neither was there any worm in it. 25 Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to Yahweh. Today you shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath. In it there shall be none." 27 It happened on the seventh day, that some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. 28 Yahweh said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 Behold, because Yahweh has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Everyone stay in his place. Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day." 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 The house of Israel called its name Manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Moses said, "This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded, 'Let an omer-full of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.'" 33 Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna in it, and lay it up before Yahweh, to be kept throughout your generations." 34 As Yahweh commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 The children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
The Israelites journey from Elim, and come to the wilderness of Sin, Exodus 16:1. They murmur for lack of bread, Exodus 16:2, Exodus 16:3. God promises to rain bread from heaven for them, Exodus 16:4, of which they were to collect a double portion on the sixth day, Exodus 16:5. A miraculous supply of flesh in the evening and bread in the morning, promised, Exodus 16:6-9. The glory of the Lord appears in the cloud, Exodus 16:10. Flesh and bread promised as a proof of God's care over them, Exodus 16:11, Exodus 16:12. Quails come and cover the whole camp, Exodus 16:13. And a dew fell which left a small round substance on the ground, which Moses tells them was the bread which God had sent, Exodus 16:14, Exodus 16:15. Directions for gathering it, Exodus 16:16. The Israelites gather each an omer, Exodus 16:17, Exodus 16:18. They are directed to leave none of it till the next day, Exodus 16:19; which some neglecting, it become putrid, Exodus 16:20. They gather it every morning, because it melted when the sun waxed hot, Exodus 16:21. Each person gathers two omers on the sixth day, Exodus 16:22. Moses commands them to keep the seventh as a Sabbath to the Lord, Exodus 16:23. What was laid up for the Sabbath did not putrefy, Exodus 16:24. Nothing of it fell on that day, hence the strict observance of the Sabbath was enjoined, Exodus 16:25-30. The Israelites name the substance that fell with the dew manna; its appearance and taste described, Exodus 16:31. An omer of the manna is commanded to be laid up for a memorial of Jehovah's kindness, Exodus 16:32-34. The manna now sent continued daily for the space of forty years, Exodus 16:35. How much an omer contained, Exodus 16:36.
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, Exodus 16:1, 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, Exodus 16:4 which promise the Lord fulfilled; and a description of the bread, and the name of it, are given, Exodus 16:13, and some instructions are delivered out concerning the quantity of it to be gathered, Exodus 16:16, the time of gathering and keeping it, Exodus 16:19, the gathering a double quantity on the sixth day for that and the seventh day, with the reason of it, Exodus 16:22 and a further description of it, Exodus 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, Exodus 16:32, 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, Exodus 16:35.
(Exodus 16:1-12) The Israelites come to the wilderness of Sin. They murmur for food, God promises bread from heaven.
(Exodus 16:13-21) God sends quails and manna.
(Exodus 16:22-31) Particulars respecting the manna.
(Exodus 16:32-36) An omer of manna to be preserved.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.