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.

Israel Murmurs in the Wilderness

1
They traveled on from Eilim, and the whole community of the people of Isra'el arrived at the Seen Desert, between Eilim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving the land of Egypt. ​
2
There in the desert the whole community of the people of Isra'el grumbled against Moshe and Aharon.
3
The people of Isra'el said to them, "We wish ADONAI had used his own hand to kill us off in Egypt! There we used to sit around the pots with the meat boiling, and we had as much food as we wanted. But you have taken us out into this desert to let this whole assembly starve to death!" ​

God Promises Manna and Quail

4
ADONAI said to Moshe, "Here, I will cause bread to rain down from heaven for you. The people are to go out and gather a day's ration every day. By this I will test whether they will observe my Torah or not. ​
5
On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, it will turn out to be twice as much as they gather on the other days."
6
Moshe and Aharon said to all the people of Isra'el, "This evening, you will realize that it has been ADONAI who brought you out of Egypt;
7
and in the morning, you will see ADONAI's glory. For he has listened to your grumblings against ADONAI - what are we that you should grumble against us?" ​
8
Moshe added, "What I have said will happen when ADONAI gives you meat to eat this evening and your fill of bread tomorrow morning. ADONAI has listened to your complaints and grumblings against him - what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against ADONAI."
9
Moshe said to Aharon, "Say to the whole community of Isra'el, 'Come close, into the presence of ADONAI, for he has heard your grumblings.'"
10
As Aharon spoke to the whole community of the people of Isra'el, they looked toward the desert; and there before them the glory of ADONAI appeared in the cloud;
11
and ADONAI said to Moshe,
12
"I have heard the grumblings of the people of Isra'el. Say to them: 'At dusk you will be eating meat, and in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will realize that I am ADONAI your God.'" ​

Quail and Manna Provided

13
That evening, quails came up and covered the camp; while in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. ​
14
When the dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. ​
15
When the people of Isra'el saw it, they asked each other, "Man hu? [What is it?]"because they didn't know what it was. Moshe answered them, "It is the bread which ADONAI has given you to eat. ​
16
Here is what ADONAI has ordered: each man is to gather according to his appetite - each is to take an 'omer [two quarts] per person for everyone in his tent." ​
17
The people of Isra'el did this. Some gathered more, some less;
18
but when they put it in an 'omer-measure, whoever had gathered much had no excess; and whoever had gathered little had no shortage; nevertheless each person had gathered according to his appetite. ​
19
Moshe told them, "No one is to leave any of it till morning."
20
But they didn't pay attention to Moshe, and some kept the leftovers until morning. It bred worms and rotted, which made Moshe angry at them. ​
21
So they gathered it morning after morning, each person according to his appetite; but as the sun grew hot, it melted.

Manna and the Institution of the Sabbath

22
On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two 'omers per person; and all the community leaders came and reported to Moshe. ​
23
He told them, "This is what ADONAI has said: 'Tomorrow is a holy Shabbat for ADONAI. Bake what you want to bake; boil what you want to boil; and whatever is left over, set aside and keep for the morning.'" ​
24
They set it aside till morning, as Moshe had ordered; and it didn't rot or have worms.
25
Moshe said, "Today, eat that; because today is a Shabbat for ADONAI - today you won't find it in the field.
26
Gather it six days, but the seventh day is the Shabbat - on that day there won't be any."
27
However, on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather and found none. ​
28
ADONAI said to Moshe, "How long will you refuse to observe my mitzvot and teachings? ​
29
Look, ADONAI has given you the Shabbat. This is why he is providing bread for two days on the sixth day. Each of you, stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day."
30
So the people rested on the seventh day.

A Memorial of God’s Provision

31
The people called the food man. It was like coriander seed, white; and it tasted like honey cakes. ​
32
Moshe said, "Here is what ADONAI has ordered: 'Let two quarts of man be kept through all your generations, so that they will be able to see the bread which I fed you in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.'" ​
33
Moshe said to Aharon, "Take a jar, put in it two quarts of man, and set it aside before ADONAI to be kept through all your generations."
34
Just as ADONAI ordered Moshe, Aharon set it aside before the testimony to be kept. ​
35
The people of Isra'el ate man for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate man until they arrived at the borders of the land of Kena'an. ​
36
(An 'omer is one-tenth of an eifah [which is a bushel dry-measure].)

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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