Exodus16

The Israelites, two months after leaving Egypt, murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sin due to lack of food. The LORD heard their complaints and promised to provide bread from heaven (manna) daily and quails in the evening. He also instituted the Sabbath rest by providing a double portion of manna on the sixth day, which did not spoil, while no manna appeared on the seventh.
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Israel Murmurs in the Wilderness

1
On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. ​
2
And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
3
“If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!” ​

God Promises Manna and Quail

4
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions. ​
5
Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
6
So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
7
and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For who are we that you should grumble against us?” ​
8
And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”
9
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation of Israel, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’”
10
And as Aaron was speaking to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the desert, and there in a cloud the glory of the LORD appeared.
11
Then the LORD said to Moses,
12
“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’” ​

Quail and Manna Provided

13
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ​
14
When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground. ​
15
When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. ​
16
This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’” ​
17
So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.
18
When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat. ​
19
Then Moses said to them, “No one may keep any of it until morning.”
20
But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. ​
21
Every morning each one gathered as much as was needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

Manna and the Institution of the Sabbath

22
On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food—two omers per person—and all the leaders of the congregation came and reported this to Moses. ​
23
He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’” ​
24
So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any maggots.
25
“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will not find anything in the field.
26
For six days you may gather, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.”
27
Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find anything. ​
28
Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions? ​
29
Understand that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He will give you bread for two days. On the seventh day, everyone must stay where he is; no one may leave his place.”
30
So the people rested on the seventh day.

A Memorial of God’s Provision

31
Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. ​
32
Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Keep an omer of manna for the generations to come, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” ​
33
So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved for the generations to come.”
34
And Aaron placed it in front of the Testimony, to be preserved just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ​
35
The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. ​
36
(Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Study Notes for Exodus 16

Verse 1

Identifies the location (Wilderness of Sin) and the timing (one month after the Exodus), setting the stage for the first major subsistence crisis after leaving Egypt.

Verse 3

The complaint reveals a profound lack of faith, idealizing the slavery in Egypt ('flesh pots') over the freedom and uncertainty of the journey guided by God.

Verse 4

God frames this provision as a test (Hebrew: *nissah*) of whether Israel will obey his specific instructions, linking daily sustenance directly to covenant obedience.

Verse 7

Moses prepares them to witness the *kavod* (glory) of the LORD. God's glory often manifests through saving acts that demonstrate His immediate presence and authority.

Verse 12

God confirms the promise, specifically stating the purpose is so they 'shall know that I am the LORD your God,' emphasizing covenant identity through miraculous provision.

Verse 13

The quail (flesh) arrived in the evening, fulfilling the first part of the promise. Quail migration patterns occasionally cause mass landings, which God uses here miraculously.

Verse 14

The description of manna as a ‘small round thing’ and ‘hoar frost’ emphasizes its mysterious and unnatural appearance, distinguishing it from normal food.

Verse 15

Manna (Hebrew: *man hu?*) literally means 'What is it?' The name itself reflects the people's astonishment and ignorance regarding this new, divinely supplied food source.

Verse 16

The measure of an omer (about 2.3 quarts) set the standard for a day's ration per person, ensuring equality and preventing hoarding.

Verse 18

This miraculous effect ensures that the measured amount was always exactly one omer per person, teaching reliance on God’s equitable provision rather than individual effort.

Verse 20

The immediate disobedience regarding the daily limit and the consequence (spoiling) underscore the necessity of following God's specific instructions, highlighting the testing element (v. 4).

Verse 22

The rulers report the unusual double gathering on the sixth day, indicating the people were initially confused about the new system but recognized the abundance.

Verse 23

This is the first explicit mention and practical instruction for observing the Sabbath (rest) in the wilderness narrative *before* the formal giving of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20).

Verse 27

The attempt to gather on the Sabbath demonstrates ongoing skepticism and a struggle to trust God's provision and command, necessitating the rebuke that follows.

Verse 28

God's frustration shows that the test of the manna system (v. 4) was failing for some, requiring a direct rebuke regarding their resistance to the law.

Verse 31

The final description emphasizes its physical characteristics—white like coriander seed and sweet like honey wafers, confirming its foreign but pleasant nature.

Verse 32

The command to preserve the manna (later placed in the Ark of the Covenant, Heb. 9:4) serves as a tangible reminder for future generations of God's faithfulness in the wilderness.

Verse 34

"Before the Testimony" refers to the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing the place where the covenant treaty (the Law) resided.

Verse 35

The forty-year duration links the manna provision directly to the period of wilderness wandering, ceasing only when Israel reached the fertile borders of Canaan (Joshua 5:12).

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