Exodus 16

God's Promise of Provision Exodus 16:4–8

⁴Verse 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. ⁵Verse 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.” ⁶Verse 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; ⁷Verse 7. and in the morning, then you shall see Yahweh’s glory; because he hears your murmurings against Yahweh. Who are we, that you murmur against us?”

⁸Verse 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.”

Moses Calls the People Exodus 16:9–12

⁹Verse 9. Moses said to Aaron, “Tell all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before Yahweh, for he has heard your murmurings.’” ¹⁰Verse 10. As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, Yahweh’s glory appeared in the cloud. ¹¹Verse 11. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹²Verse 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.’”

Manna and Quail Provided Exodus 16:13–21

¹³Verse 13. In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp. ¹⁴Verse 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. ¹⁵Verse 15. When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one 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.” ¹⁶Verse 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.”

¹⁷Verse 17. The children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less. ¹⁸Verse 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. ¹⁹Verse 19. Moses said to them, “Let no one leave of it until the morning.” ²⁰Verse 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. ²¹Verse 21. They gathered it morning by morning, everyone according to his eating. When the sun grew hot, it melted.

Instructions for the Sabbath Exodus 16:22–30

²²Verse 22. 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. ²³Verse 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.’” ²⁴Verse 24. They laid it up until the morning, as Moses asked, and it didn’t become foul, and there were no worms in it. ²⁵Verse 25. Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to Yahweh. Today you shall not find it in the field.

²⁶Verse 26. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath. In it there shall be none.” ²⁷Verse 27. On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. ²⁸Verse 28. Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? ²⁹Verse 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.” ³⁰Verse 30. So the people rested on the seventh day.

Significance of Manna Exodus 16:31–34

³¹Verse 31. The house of Israel called its name Manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey. ³²Verse 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 out of the land of Egypt.’” ³³Verse 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.” ³⁴Verse 34. As Yahweh commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

Sustained by Manna Exodus 16:35–36

³⁵Verse 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. ³⁶Verse 36. Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.