Exodus 16
16
Manna and Quail Provided
1The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. # 16:1 Nm 33:10–11 2The entire Israelite community grumbled # 16:2 Ex 15:24; 1Co 10:10 against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger! ” # 16:3 Nm 11:4–5; Lm 4:9
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. # 16:4 Dt 8:2; Jn 6:31 5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” # 16:5 Lit as gathering day to day
6So 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, # 16:6 Ex 6:7; Nm 16:28–30 7and in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because he has heard your complaints about him. For who are we that you complain about us? ” # 16:7 Nm 14:27; 16:11; Is 35:2; 40:5 8Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and all the bread you want in the morning, for he has heard the complaints that you are raising against him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” # 16:8 1Sm 8:7; Lk 10:16; Rm 13:2
9Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your complaints.’ ” 10As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the Lord’s glory appeared. # 16:10 Ex 13:21–22; Nm 16:19; 1Kg 8:10
11The Lord spoke to Moses, 12“I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
13So at evening quail # 16:13 Nm 11:9,31; Ps 78:27–28; 105:40 came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it? ” because they didn’t know what it was.
Moses told them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. # 16:15 Ex 16:4; Jn 6:31 16This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts # 16:16 Lit an omer per individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’ ”
17So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. 18When they measured it by quarts, # 16:18 Lit by an omer the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat. # 16:18 2Co 8:15 19Moses said to them, “No one is to let any of it remain until morning.” 20But they didn’t listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. Therefore Moses was angry with them.
21They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted. 22On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts # 16:22 Lit two omers apiece, and all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath # 16:23 Gn 2:3; Ex 20:8; 31:15; 35:3; Lv 23:3 to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’ ”
24So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t stink or have maggots in it. 25“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. 26For six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
27Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any. 28Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you # 16:28 The Hb word for you is pl, referring to the whole nation. refuse to keep my commands # 16:28 2Kg 17:14; Ps 78:10 and instructions? 29Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day.
31The house of Israel named the substance manna. # 16:31 = what?; Ex 16:15,# 16:31 Ex 16:14; Nm 11:7; Dt 8:3 It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Two quarts # 16:32 Lit ‘A full omer of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ”
33Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts # 16:33 Lit a full omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be preserved throughout your generations.” 34As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the testimony # 16:34 Ex 25:16,21; 27:21; 40:20; Nm 17:10 to be preserved.
35The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan. # 16:35 Jos 5:12; Neh 9:20–21; Jn 6:31,49 36(They used a measure called an omer, which held two quarts. # 16:36 Lit (The omer is a tenth of an ephah.))
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Exodus 16: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Exodus 16
16
The LORD sends food from heaven
1On the fifteenth day of the second month after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, they left Elim and started through the western edge of the Sinai Desert#16.1 the western edge of the Sinai Desert: Hebrew “the Sin Desert”. in the direction of Mount Sinai. 2There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron, 3“We wish the LORD had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve.”
4The LORD said to Moses, “I will send bread#16.4 bread: This was something like a thin wafer, and it was called “manna”, which in Hebrew means, “What is it?” down from heaven like rain. Each day the people can go out and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me.#Jn 6.31. 5But on the sixth day of each week they must gather and cook twice as much.”
6Moses and Aaron told the people, “This evening you will know that the LORD was the one who rescued you from Egypt. 7And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him. Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?”
8Then Moses continued, “You will know it is the LORD when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning. He is really the one you are complaining about, not us—we are nobodies—but the LORD has heard your complaints.”
9Moses turned to Aaron and said, “Bring the people together, because the LORD has heard their complaints.”
10Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out towards the desert and saw the bright glory of the LORD in a cloud. 11The LORD said to Moses, 12“I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”
13That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground. 14After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost. 15The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, “What is it?”#16.15 What is it: See the note at 16.4.#1 Co 10.3.
Moses answered, “This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. 16And he orders you to gather about two litres for each person in your family—that should be more than enough.”
17They did as they were told. Some gathered more and some gathered less, 18according to their needs, and none was left over.#2 Co 8.15.
19Moses told them not to keep any overnight. 20Some of them disobeyed, but the next morning what they kept was stinking and full of worms, and Moses was angry.
21Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and in the heat of the day the rest melted. 22However, on the sixth day of the week, everyone gathered enough to have four litres, instead of two. When the leaders reported this to Moses, 23he told them that the LORD had said, “Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honour of me. So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow.”#Ex 20.8-11.
24The people obeyed, and the next morning the food smelt fine and had no worms. 25“You may eat the food,” Moses said. “Today is the Sabbath in honour of the LORD, and there won't be any of this food on the ground today. 26You will find it there for the first six days of the week, but not on the Sabbath.”
27A few of the Israelites did go out to look for some, but there was none. 28Then the LORD said, “Moses, how long will you people keep disobeying my laws and teachings? 29Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath. That's why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days. Everyone is to stay at home and rest on the Sabbath.” 30And so they rested on the Sabbath.
31The Israelites called the bread manna.#16.31 manna: See the note at 16.4. It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey.#Nu 11.7-8. 32Moses told the people that the LORD had said, “Store up two litres of this manna, because I want future generations to see the food I gave you during the time you were in the desert after I rescued you from Egypt.”
33Then Moses told Aaron, “Put some manna in a jar and store it in the place of worship for future generations to see.”#He 9.4.
34Aaron followed the LORD's instructions and put the manna in front of the sacred chest for safekeeping. 35-36The Israelites ate manna for forty years, before they came to the border of Canaan that was a settled land.#16.35,36 land: The Hebrew text adds, “An omer is one tenth of an ephah.” In the CEV “omer” is usually translated “two litres”.#Js 5.12.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012