Exodus 16:2-15 - Commentary

CONTEXT:  Yahweh freed the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, and led them into the wilderness as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (13:17-22). The cloud and fire gave Israel visible assurance of the presence of God in their midst.

However, the Egyptians had second thoughts about allowing the Israelites to leave, because the Israelites constituted a large body of cheap labor (14:5). Pharaoh therefore led his army in pursuit of the Israelites-to capture them and return them to Egypt.

When the Israelites came to the shore of the Red Sea, with the sea at their front and pursuing Egyptian soldiers at their rear, they complained to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us out of Egypt? Isn't this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness" (14:11-12). Moses, however, reassured them, saying, "Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still" (14:14). Yahweh did just that-fought for them-in the familiar story of the Egyptian army being drowned in the Red Sea (14:15-30). As a result, "they believed in Yahweh, and in his servant Moses" (14:31).

However, when the Israelites came to Marah where the water was bitter, they complained again to Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" (15:24). When Moses cried out to the Lord, Yahweh had Moses drop a piece of wood in the water. Moses did so, and it sweetened the water so that the people could drink (15:25a).

Yahweh then promised, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am Yahweh who heals you" (15:26).

The Israelites then proceeded to Elim, where there were a dozen springs and seventy palm trees-an abundant oasis in the midst of the desert wilderness (15:27). From there, "on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt," they proceeded to the wilderness of Sin, located between Elim and Sinai (16:1), camping by the Red Sea as they went (Numbers 33:10). Since they departed Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month (12:6, 51), they have been traveling for one month.

The word Sin in "the wilderness of Sin" might be related to the Hebrew word for Sinai, but is not related to our word "sin." Also, we should not confuse the wilderness of Sin with the wilderness of Zin, which is also mentioned in the Old Testament.

Numbers 11 tells a similar but different story. In that story, the place was Taberah, the people were already receiving manna, and they complained, "Who will give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic" (Numbers 11:4-5). The Lord responded to their complaint by giving them meat for a month-abundant meat-"until it come out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you; because that you have rejected Yahweh who is among you" (Numbers 11:19-20). The Lord brought in quails-quails covering the whole region, stacked two cubits (six feet-two meters) deep. When the people ate the quails, many of them became sick and died (Numbers 11:31-34).

EXODUS 16:2-3. ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL GRUMBLED

2 But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The sons of Israel said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!"

"The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness" (v. 2). The Israelites have come to realize that, while God has brought them out of slavery in Egypt, their lives in the wilderness are not especially appealing.

• This is not the complaint of a few malcontents, but of the whole people of God. As noted above, they complained at Marah about the quality of the water, and God responded by giving them good water and leading them to a beautiful oasis. Their complaining now makes it appear that they have forgotten how Yahweh freed them from slavery-and saved them at the Red Sea-and gave them fresh water at Marah. However, it could be that they expect Yahweh to respond favorably to this complaint as he did to those complaints.
• The people appear to be complaining against Moses and Aaron because they are the visible leaders-the ones who have taken them to this place. However, Moses will soon make it clear that their complaint is really against Yahweh (vv. 7-8).

"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'" (v. 3a). This is a serious case of distorted memory-the kind of thing that often happens when people begin to reminisce about the "good old days." As slaves in Egypt, they had been oppressed in many ways-although it doesn't seem that they were deprived of food. They almost certainly enjoyed better food in Egypt than they have had in the wilderness. Short of a miracle, it would be impossible to feed so many people in the wilderness.

"for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (v. 3b). They accuse Moses and Aaron of disastrous leadership-leadership so flawed that it threatens their fledgling nation-leadership so demented that it threatens to kill them all. It sounds as if they are accusing Moses and Aaron of something even more serious-deliberately setting out to bring them to ruin.

We know that the Israelites "despoiled the Egyptians" as they left Egypt (12:36)-taking silver and gold and clothing (12:35). They also took "flocks, herds, and even much livestock" (12:38). However, they would be loath to slaughter sheep more quickly than lambing could replenish their flocks, because in watching their flocks gradually shrink, they would also see their own eventual demise.

• When I read this story in the past, I usually responded, "Those Israelites! Won't they ever learn?" But while preparing this exegesis, it occurred to me that I wasn't hungry-and couldn't remember the last time I was really hungry. These people were hungry, desperately hungry-and they couldn't see where their next meal was coming from. When we become truly hungry, we will be better prepared to understand these Israelites. Hunger is primal-it hooks us at the deepest part of our being. Miss a meal, and feel hungry. Miss a day of meals, and feel really hungry. Miss a week of meals, and become desperate. Missing a month of meals can become life-threatening. We don't know how many meals the Israelites have missed, but we know that they are hungry enough to regard their condition as life-threatening.

• To put their problem in perspective, consider this. Yahweh required Moses to take a census at Sinai, shortly after the events related in our text. According to that census, there were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men aged twenty years old or older and fit to go to war-not counting the Levites (Numbers 1:45-46). Assuming that the Levites constitute one-twelfth of the population, the total number of adult men in the twelve tribes would be over six hundred fifty thousand. We know that the Israelites had large families, because Pharaoh had been worried about their rapid growth as a threat to Egyptian control (Exodus 1:9).   • Assuming even an average family size of four, six hundred fifty thousand men would extrapolate to a total population of two and a half million people-roughly the population of Chicago or Houston. Just imagine how much food it requires to feed that many people.

Comment:  I live in a town of twenty-five thousand people. To feed us, we have four large supermarkets-plus several convenience stores-plus a half dozen fast food restaurants-plus a number of traditional restaurants (our Yellow Pages, which serve several towns, list sixty-six pages of restaurants). To feed two and a half million people would require multiplying all those resources by one hundred. Or, if that fails to paint the picture clearly enough, imagine taking a youth group of twenty-five kids to a remote camp ground for a week. How much food would you have to take to feed those kids for a week? Multiply that times one hundred thousand to get the amount of food required to feed the Israelites for a week.

• Even if we assume that the Israelites' numbering left was inexact, we can begin to appreciate the scope of their concern. Their contention that they would have preferred to die well-fed in Egypt is hyperbole (exaggeration to make a point). They didn't want to die in Egypt, and they don't want to die in the wilderness. They just want food to relieve their hunger. Anyone who has missed a few meals can appreciate their concern.

EXODUS 16:4-8. I WILL RAIN BREAD FROM THE SKY FOR YOU 

4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, so that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily." 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, "At evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and what are we, that you grumble against us?"  8 And Moses said, "This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD."

"Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you'" (v. 4a). Yahweh responds to their complaint about food in much the same way that he earlier responded to their complaint about bad water at Marah (15:24-25). In that case, he gave Moses the means to sweeten the water to make it potable. In this case, he promises Moses that he will "rain bread from the sky" to feed the people. Note that the food is called "bread" here, as well as in verses 12 and 15. It will receive its name, Manna, in verses 31ff.

"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" (v. 4b). Yahweh words these instructions to make it clear that there will be more bread from heaven than the people will require for any given day. However, they are to collect only enough bread for that day. By requiring them to collect only enough to meet the needs of the day, Yahweh is testing them. Will they obey, or will they succumb to the temptation to collect more than they require for the day? "gather a day's portion" (v. 4b). In the New Testament, Jesus will teach his disciples to pray for "daily bread" (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3). Presumably, the inspiration for that prayer comes from this provision of daily bread for the Israelites.

"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" (v. 5). They are to collect twice as much on the sixth day so they will have food for the Sabbath (see also 16:22). The concerns here are threefold:

• First, Yahweh understands their need for food, even on the Sabbath, and so he is providing for their need.
• Second, they are to honor the Sabbath by not working on the Sabbath, and collecting manna would constitute work.
• Third, this is a test to see if they will obey Yahweh or succumb to the temptation to collect more than they need.
• This is the first mention of restricting activity on the Sabbath. Sabbath law has not yet been given. That will happen at Sinai not long from now (20:8-11). However, Yahweh initiates part of the Sabbath law here, and plans to broaden its scope at Sinai.

"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'" (v. 6). The manna is a morning gift, but we will learn in verse 8 that quail will be an evening gift.

• Moses and Aaron tell the people that Yahweh's daily provision of food is intended to remind them over and over again that "Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt." These people have shown that they need reminding over and over that Yahweh is with them and has promised to save them. Yahweh saved them at the Red Sea and at Marah. Now they will be reminded again and again-every time they sit down to eat.
• I have often thought that God created us with a need for daily food as a reminder, over and over, that God is providing for our needs. In our home, we say grace at every meal, in part to express our thanks to God for providing for our needs, and in part to remind ourselves that the food which we could so easily take for granted is, in fact, a blessing from God-a daily blessing-a thrice-daily blessing.
• In our culture, many families don't even eat together, much less say grace together. That is, in part, because we have become so affluent that we take food for granted-and, in part, because many families have no religious grounding. However, we live in a highly developed world where we are dependent on many complex systems (farming, manufacturing, trucking, marketing) to feed us. These systems are fragile, and there are dangerous people (terrorists and third-world nuclear powers) who would love to disrupt them. We might yet see the day when we will no longer take food for granted.

"and in the morning, then you shall see the glory (kebod) of Yahweh" (v. 7a). The word kebod is often used to speak of God's glory-an aura associated with God's appearance that reveals God's majesty to humans. Biblical writers, attempting to describe God's glory using human words, portray it as "a devouring fire" (Exodus 24:17). When Moses asked to see God's glory, God replied, "You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live" (Exodus 33:20)-but God continued, "Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:21-23). The point is that God's glory is so overwhelming that humans aren't engineered to endure it. An analogy might be coming into contact with a live high-voltage electrical line. It would be too much for us. We couldn't deal with it.

• So when Moses tells these people that they will see Yahweh's glory, we should hear an undertone of threat. However, in this case we will not see the threat actualized as it is in Numbers 11.

"because he hears your murmurings against Yahweh. Who are we, that you murmur against us?"(v. 7b). Moses re-emphasizes that their complaining, while apparently directed against him and Aaron, is really complaining against Yahweh. It wouldn't make sense for them to complain against Moses and Aaron, because "what are we?" They are just doing what Yahweh has commanded them to do.

"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'" (v. 8). Yet again, Moses emphasizes that their complaining is against Yahweh.  This is the first that we have heard of "meat to eat in the evening." Verse 13 tells us that the meat is quails that come in the evening.

EXODUS 16:9-12. COME NEAR BEFORE YAHWEH

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, 'Come forward before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.'" 10 And it came about, as Aaron spoke to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ' At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

"Moses said to Aaron, 'Tell all the congregation of the children of Israel, "Come near before Yahweh, for he has heard your murmurings"'" (v. 9). Moses has been Yahweh's spokesman. Now he asks Aaron to serve as spokesman.

• Aaron is to tell the people to "Come near before Yahweh." "This expression normally describes an act of worship" (Janzen). By gathering together in Yahweh's presence, they will demonstrate their readiness to hear what Yahweh has to say.

"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" (v. 10). Yahweh has been leading them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. As the congregation gathers, they see "the glory of Yahweh...in the cloud." See the comments on the glory of the Lord in verse 7a above. "Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying" (v. 11). The people have presumably gathered in the presence of the Lord, as Aaron directed, but the Lord addresses his remarks to Moses.

"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'" (v. 12). Other than the mention of fleshpots in verse 3, we have not heard a complaint about the lack of meat in this story. However, as noted above, in a similar story in Numbers 11, the people complained specifically about the lack of meat.

• In any event, Yahweh promises meat in the evening and bread in the morning. Not only will they have both meat and bread, but Yahweh promises that they will have their fill of bread (but not necessarily of meat). This providence is so that they "shall know that I am the Lord your God."

EXODUS 16:13-15. THERE WAS A SMALL ROUND THING, SMALL AS FROST  

13 So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

"It happened at evening that quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp" (v. 13). Now Yahweh begins making good on his promises. In the evening, quails cover the camp. This is the last time that quails are mentioned in the book of Exodus, but (in addition to the Numbers 11 story), Psalm 105:40 says, "They asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of the sky."

• This phrase, "bread of the sky," is usually synonymous with manna rather than quail. There are no other references to quail in the Old or New Testaments, which suggests that the gift of quails mentioned here is a one-time event, in contrast to the manna, which is mentioned many times in both testaments.

In the morning, there is a layer of dew around the camp. The layer of dew is not the manna. The manna will be revealed as the dew dissipates.

"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" (v. 14). This is the first appearance of manna (but this flaky substance won't receive its name until verse 31). Some scholars, in an attempt to explain that manna occurred by natural means, suggest that manna was the secretion of insects-and there are insects in that wilderness that secrete a sweet substance. However, while Yahweh could provide for his people by natural means, the tenor of this story is that he did so by miraculous means. While he could have provided food by having billions of insects secrete tons of ooze every day for a forty year period, why would he bother? It seems more likely that God simply spoke his powerful word, and the manna came into being.

• However, the major point (the one revealed in scripture) is that Yahweh provides for his people. The lesser point, the means by which Yahweh did this (not revealed in scripture), is simply a matter of conjecture. This verse tells us that the manna "was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground."
• Verse 16 tells us that Yahweh commanded the people to collect one omer per person per day. Verse 36 tells us that an omer is a tenth of an ephah. We aren't certain of either measure. Estimates of the ephah range from a half bushel (20 liters) to a bushel (40 liters). An omer would therefore be roughly two to four liters. There is no prohibition against families dividing the manna unevenly-i.e., a child might get less than an omer per day with the excess going to one of the adults.
• Verses 17-18 tell us that some people collected more than an omer per person and some less. However, they experienced no negative consequences unless they tried to keep it overnight.
• Verse 20 tells us that some people tried to keep manna overnight, but "it bred worms and became foul."
• Verse 21 tells us that when the sun became hot, the manna melted.
• Verse 23 tells us that the people could bake or boil the manna. Numbers 11:8 tells us that they could grind it in mills or mortars and make cakes of it.
• Verse 31 says that the people called it manna-and that "it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." Numbers 11:8 describes the taste as that of "cakes baked with oil."
• Verses 32-34 tell of Yahweh's commanding Moses to keep a jar containing an omer of manna for future generations. Moses and Aaron comply with that requirement.
• Verse 35 tells us that the Israelites ate manna for forty years in the wilderness. Joshua 5:12 tells us that it "ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land" in the Promised Land.

"When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, 'What is it?' (man hu) For they didn't know what it was" Verse 31 says that the people called it manna (Hebrew: man). Apparently this name is related to their question. "What is it?" (Hebrew: man hu).

"Moses said to them, 'It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat'" (v. 15b). Moses could have told them the components of the substance or the manner by which Yahweh made it. However, he goes straight to the point-the manna is bread (food) given by Yahweh to provide for their nourishment.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO MANNA:

Manna is mentioned three times in the New Testament:

• In John 6:31-33, shortly after using five barley loaves and two fish to feed five thousand people, Jesus reminded the crowd that their ancestors had eaten manna in the wilderness-as it was written, "He gave them bread out of heaven to eat." He went on to say that it wasn't Moses who gave the people the bread from heaven, but "my Father" (John 6:32). He said, "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world" (John 6:33). When the crowd asked Jesus to give them that bread always (John 6:34), he responded, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35).
• Hebrew 9:4 mentions that there was, in the ark of the covenant, a golden pot that contained the manna that Yahweh commanded Moses to save as a memorial (Exodus 16:32-34).
• In Revelation 2:17, Jesus promises those at Pergamum, "To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna" "The hidden manna represents Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life who came down from heaven (John 6:48-51). He provides spiritual sustenance for those who put their faith in Him (MacArthur on Revelation 2:17).
• Christians have sometimes linked Yahweh's giving manna to Israel and Jesus' giving the Lord's Supper to the church. While the manna served to meet Israel's physical needs, both manna and the Lord's Supper serve to meet people's spiritual needs.

EW:  Ex. 16:1-20 Commentary

A. God's promise to provide.

1. (16:1) From Elim to the Wilderness of Sin.
And they journeyed 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 they departed from the land of Egypt.

1. On the fifteenth day of the second month: This marked one month after leaving Egypt, since they left on the fifteenth of the previous month (Exodus 12:18).
2. The Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai: They came out from Elim, an oasis of rest and comfort (Exodus 15:27). They headed towards Sinai, a place to meet with God and receive His law. In between Elim and Sinai was the wilderness of Sin.F
   i. In the original text the name "Wilderness of Sin" has nothing to do with sin and could just as easily be translated Wilderness of Zin. Yet as the story unfolds, we see that this wilderness had a lot to do with sin.

2. (16:2-3) Israel complains against Moses and Aaron.
Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

1. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: They complained because they did not have enough food. The supplies they carried with them from Egypt began to run out, and they had to be sustained in the wilderness.
   i. It would seem that starvation was more anticipated than experienced. In other words, they did not live through weeks and weeks of famine, nor did they saw their family and friends die of malnutrition, or even have to kill all their livestock for food. Instead they started to feel hungry and anticipated starvation.
   ii. They went from singing to complaining very quickly.
2. When we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full: Israel selectively remembered the past and thought of their time in Egypt as a good time. They lost sight of God's future for them, and they also twisted the past to support their complaining. This thinking is common among those who complain.
3. You have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly: This is another common practice among those who complain. They insisted that Moses and Aaron had bad or evil intentions. Of course, Moses and Aaron had no interest in killing the people of Israel, and this was a horrible accusation to make. Yet a complaining heart often finds it easy to accuse the person they complain against of the worst motives.
   i. "Human nature can never be reduced to a more abject state in this world than that in which the body is enthralled by political slavery, and the soul debased by the influence of sin. These poor Hebrews were both slaves and sinners, and were therefore capable of the meanest and most disgraceful acts." (Clarke)

3. (16:4-5) God announces to Moses the coming of bread from heaven.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily."

1. Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you: This was a remarkable promise. Bread doesn't normally rain from heaven. Yet God promised that He would provide for Israel in this unexpected way.
   i. This reminds us that God may provide from resources that we never knew existed. Sometimes He provides from familiar resources, sometimes from unexpected resources.
   ii. Murmuring Israel called this bread from heaven "manna" (Exodus 16:31). God almost always called it bread from heaven (Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:24 and Psalm 105:40) or sometimes it was called angels' food (Psalm 78:25).
2. The people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day: God promised to send bread from heaven, but He didn't promise to drop it into their mouths. They still had to go out and gather what they needed for every day.
3. That I may test them: The blessing of bread from heaven came with the responsibility of obedience. This responsibility would test Israel and measure their obedience. The test came on the sixth day, when they were to gather twice as much, so the seventh day could be received as a day of rest.

1. (16:11-12) God shows His glory and promises to provide.

Then Moses spoke to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, 'Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.'" Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread.

1.  The glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD spoke to Moses: It's difficult to know if everyone heard the LORD speak to Moses, or if Moses alone heard this. Certainly, everyone knew God spoke to Moses because of the display of glory, but we don't know if they could hear what the LORD said to him.
2. I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel: Since Moses already knew this (based on Exodus 16:4-5), these words give more weight to the idea that God said this publically, more for the benefit of Israel than for the benefit of Moses.

2. (16:13-14) God provides quail for meat and bread from heaven.

So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

1. So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp: In a miraculous way, God provided Israel with plenty of meat in the wilderness. This was a significant display of the mercy of God. When Israel complained God could have answered with judgment or discipline, and He gave them meat instead.
   i. The quails mentioned here "migrate regularly between south Europe and Arabia across the Sinai Peninsula. They are small, bullet-headed birds, with a strong but low flight, usually roosting on the ground or in the low bushes at nightfall. When exhausted, they would be unable to... take off again. The birds are good eating, and were a favorite delicacy of the Egyptians." (Cole)
2. A small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground: The bread from heaven came with the dew each morning, as some kind of residue from the dew. It was small, round and fine as frost on the ground. Therefore, it was not easy to gather. It had to be swept up from the ground.
   i. Exodus 16:31 further describes the bread from heaven as like coriander seed (about the size of a sesame seed), and sweet like honey. Numbers 11:7 says it was the color of bdellium (a pearl-like color). It was either baked or boiled (Exodus 16:23).
   ii. Numbers 11:8 says that they ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.
   iii. Jewish legends supposedly tell us what this bread from heaven tasted like. "One only had to desire a certain dish, and no sooner had he thought of it, than manna had the flavor of the dish desired. The same food had a different taste to everyone who partook of it, according to his age; to the little children, it tasted like milk, to the strong youths like bread, to the old men like honey, to the sick like barley steeped in oil and honey." But they also wrote that manna was bitter in the mouth of Gentiles. (Ginzberg)
   iv. Jewish legends also supposedly tell us how they could sweep it up off the desert floor and not have dirt in it. These legends say that when God sent manna, He first sent a north wind to sweep the floor of the desert and then a rain to wash it clean. Then the manna descended on clean ground.
3. A small round substance: It is difficult to precisely identify what this substance was. Some researchers identify it with what the Arabs today call mann, which is formed when "A tiny insect punctures the bark of the tamarisk tree, drinks the sap, and exudes a clear liquid that solidifies as a sugary globule when it hits the ground. When the sun comes up, it melts quickly and disappears." (Buckingham)
   i. Though the bread from heaven may have been similar to the modern day mann in the Sinai Peninsula, it wasn't the same thing. The modern day mann never appears in great quantities, it doesn't last year-round, and it is confined to a small geographic region.
4. As fine as frost on the ground: The purpose for giving the bread from heaven was not only to provide for the material needs of Israel, but also to teach them eternal lessons of dependence on God. This is demonstrated in passages like Deuteronomy 8:3: So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. When God puts us in a place of need, He wants to do more than meet the need. He wants to teach eternal lessons.
   i. Feeding Israel through the bread from heaven was an example of God's way of cooperating with man. Israel could not bring the manna and God would not gather it for them. Each had to do their part.
   ii. "Animals are often taught through their food. When they could not be reached in any other way, they have been instructed by their hunger, and by their thirst, and by their feeding." (Spurgeon)

3. (16:15-16) The people call the bread from heaven manna.

So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat." "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'"

1. They said to one another, "What is it": The name manna (given later in Exodus 16:31) means, "What is that?" and the name comes from the question asked in this verse.
2. For they did not know what it was: God provided for them, but they did not recognize it. When God's provision comes, we often do not recognize it. God met the needs of Israel, but He did it in a way they did not expect.

4. (16:17-19) Instructions on the gathering of bread from heaven.

"This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'" Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need. And Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it till morning."

1. Let every man gather it according to each one's need: The bread from heaven was to be gathered on an individual or a family basis. God did not command the creation of a tribal manna gathering and distribution center. Every household had to provide for itself, and a rich family could not hire a poor family to do their work for them.
2. One omer for each person: An omer could be as much as a gallon, especially in the later history of Israel. But at this early point in Israel's history it may have meant only a cupful. It is an imprecise measure.

5. (16:20-21) Some of the people fail God's test.

Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

1. Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses: They clearly heard God's command and they clearly knew God's command. Yet for some reason they felt they did not have to obey God's command. There was a harsh penalty for their disobedience - what they gathered in disobedience bred worms and stank.
2. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need: The bad experience of their disobedience led them reluctantly to obedience.
3. When the sun became hot, it melted: Apparently the bread from heaven had to be gathered and prepared early in the morning. This was God's gracious way of forcing a work ethic upon the nation of Israel.

Exodus Chapter 16

Exodus 16:1 "And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto 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."

"Wilderness of Sin": More details of the camp sites in the journey from Rameses to Succoth and beyond are found (in Num. 33:5-11). That itinerary also lists the next stop as having been Dophkah (Num. 33:12), identifying it as an encampment of the Israelites in the wilderness. It was in the desert of sin, on the eastern shore of the western arm of the Red Sea, somewhere in the Wadi Feiran area.  We see from this that, the children of Israel had been on this trip exactly one month. The second month was Ziff, or May by our calendar. It seems they moved as a company and all were present at "the wilderness of Sin".

Exodus 16:2 "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:"

"The whole congregation ... murmured": What characterized them as a whole was this attitude of negativism. Faced with the scarcity of resources in the wilderness, they hankered after the abundant resources they had experience in Egypt. The country which had enslaved them looked good in comparison to the wilderness. Their complaining so soon after benefitting from the miracles done by the Lord on their behalf only goes to show their short-term memory and self-centeredness.

Gone from Egypt for only a month, the "whole congregation" accused Moses and Aaron of deliberately leading them into the wilderness to "kill" them (verse 3).

We see by this verse, that, these people did not learn a lesson at Marah, because we see them murmur again here. They blamed Moses and Aaron for their problem. When will they ever learn?

Exodus 16:3 "And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, [and] when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

"Died by the hand of the Lord": Incredibly, Israel's complaint still acknowledges the intervention of the Lord in their affairs. Sarcastically they voice a preference for dying in Egypt. The hand of the Lord which they had glorified in song (15:6), only a month beforehand, they now pretended would have been better used to kill them in Egypt.

No one put a gun to their head and made them go with Moses. They came of their own accord. They just had not learned their lesson yet and God allowed them to go through more problems to teach them His ways. They had forgotten how terrible it was in Egypt and were looking back with fond memories of the past, because they had forgotten the taskmasters. It is easy to complain and find fault with the present circumstance and blame someone else, when the fault is right at home with your own self. They were even saying that God brought them out here to starve them.

Exodus 16:4 "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no."

"I will rain bread": God's gracious answer to their complaining was to promise an abundance of the bread they missed. God's directions on how to gather it would also test their obedience to Him (verses 4-5, 16, 26-28; see note on 16:31).

For them to survive without food from any natural source required the Lord to do what only He could do. For five days each week, He delivered daily portions of "bread from heaven" for each individual.

We see that God would answer Moses' prayer for food. This would not be like bread they cooked at home, but would be a foodstuff, that would sustain them on their journey. Notice they were to gather this each day. This was another test from God to see if they would do as He said or not. There is an interesting Scripture reference to this manna from heaven (in John chapter 6:31-51). I will show just a few chosen verses of that here, but be sure to read all of it.

John 6:31-35 "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." "Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread." "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

Be sure and read all of this from verse 31 through verse 51. I will give you one more verse of this and then go back to Exodus.

John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

You see, this manna that rained from heaven was miracle bread that would save their lives. I really believe this one day supply at a time indicates to me, our daily need for the Word of God (Jesus). We are told to eat the Word of God. Jesus is the Word. Read (John chapter 1), and you will see, that Jesus and the Word are the same.

Exodus 16:5, "And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily."

On the sixth day, there was a double provision; and on the seventh, there was none at all. What anyone needs to get through the "wilderness" is not available except from God Himself.

The same principal on a larger scale would feed the nation during and after the sabbatical year (Lev. 25:18-22).

This "twice as much" on the sixth day would carry them through their Sabbath. They were not to do any work on the Sabbath.

Exodus 16:11 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"

Out of the bright and glorious cloud: saying; as follows:

Exodus 16:12 "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye

shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God."

This gave proof of His power as the Lord, and His particular favor to them as their God; when God plagued the Egyptians, it was to make them know that He is the Lord. When He provided for the Israelites, it was to make them know that He was their God.

It seems to me, if they did not realize by now that this was God fighting for them and protecting them, they were very hard to convince. God raining meat (quail), in the evening and bread in the morning should be evidence enough. God also, had made them aware of the presence of the Lord when His glory appeared in the cloud. God wanted them to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is God and that they belong to Him. They were His chosen people.

 Verses 13-16: The meal of "quails" were a miracle (Num. 11:31-35), but the "small round thing" was the greater surprise. The word "manna" comes from the question the Hebrew people asked that first morning: "what it was" (Hebrew, man hu). Manna would be their food for the next 40 years, until the new generation entered the Promised Land (16:35; Josh. 5:11-12). The amount of food the Lord provided was staggering: one day's "delivery" for more than 2-1/2 million people for nearly 40 years!

Exodus 16:13 "And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host."

"Quails": The psalmist removed all doubt about whether these birds of the partridge family were not real birds but something else, for he called them "winged fowl and in the preceding line of the parallelism referred to the coming of the quails as God having "rained meat" on them (Psalm 78:27). Upon return to their former habitat, these migratory birds would often fall to the ground, exhausted from prolonged flight. In ancient Egyptian paintings, people were shown catching quails by throwing nets over the brush where they were nesting.

Exodus 16:14 "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground."

To wit, into the air; or was vanished, "there lay a small round thing": According to (Numbers 11:9), there was dew which fell before the manna. For it is said, when the dew fell in the night, the manna fell upon it. But it appears here, that there was also dew upon it, which went up when the sun rose, so that the manna lay as it were enclosed. This might be designed to keep it pure and clean.

God is good for His word. The quails came that very evening. It seems they came in and landed, and sat there to be caught. This bread that fell from heaven looked like white frost. When the dampness of the morning was gone, there were left little round portions of bread, they would be Manna. At any rate, they were little tiny droplets of something that could substitute for bread. To feed 2-1/2 million people, there would have to be an abundance of quail and an abundance of manna. "Manna" means, what is it?

Exodus 16:15 "And when the children of Israel saw [it], they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was]. And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat."

The "manna" literally means "What is it?" Not only was it remarkable for its size, shape, color, taste and a variety of uses (16:14; 23, 31; Num. 11:7-8), but especially for its daily appearance at dawn, its tremendous abundance, its strange capacity for breeding worms at the end of each day, except the sixth, and its sudden and permanent disappearance as soon as the Israelites entered Canaan (Joshua 5:12). It taught the people to look Godward for their daily bread, and it pointed toward the One who claimed to be the true bread from heaven, even "the bread of life" (John 6:32, 35).

Exodus 16:16 "This [is] the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, [according to] the number of your persons; take ye every man for [them] which [are] in his tents."

Compare Exodus 12:4. Each man was to gather according to his immediate need and that of his family. No one was to seek to accumulate a store.

"For every man": Literally, for every head. As families would average four members, each man would have to gather, on an average, six quarts. If even 500,000 men gathered this amount, the daily supply must have been 93,500 bushels.

An "omer", in our language, would be a little over five pints, slightly more than two quarts. You see here, that five pints is what the average person would eat per day. Some of the little ones, probably ate less and the big ones more, but it would average out. The dad went out and gathered, and he brought enough for his own family. You can easily see why a family of ten would need more than a family of five. They were to get just one day's supply.

Exodus 16:17 "And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less."

According as their families was, more or less numerous; or as the gatherers was, more or less strong and active in gathering it.

Exodus 16:18 "And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating."

Each Israelite gathered what he supposed would be about an omer for each member of his family. Some naturally made an over and some an under estimate. But whatever the quantity collected, when it came to be measured in the camp, the result was always the same, there was found to be just an omer for each. This result can only have been miraculous.

See (2 Cor. 8:15), where Paul applies this truth to Christian giving.

This was just repeating that, if they gathered five pints for each member of their family, it worked out just fine. "Mete" means to measure.

Exodus 16:19 "And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning."

Moses must have been divinely instructed to issue this command. It was doubtless given in order that the Israelites might realize their absolute dependence upon God for food from day to day, and might so be habituated to complete trust and confidence in Him.

They were to discipline themselves to one day's supply at a time. This is similar to the song, "ONE DAY AT A TIME". You see, God was teaching them that He was sufficient for their needs each day. We are even warned ourselves about planning more than that, because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

Exodus 16:20 "Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them."

Either distrusting God's providence, for a future supply, or out of curiosity to learn the nature of this manna, and what they might do if occasion required; it bred worms and stank. Not so much of its own nature, which was pure and durable, as from God's judgment. Thus will that be corrupted in which we do not trust in God, and which we do not employ for His glory.

Here we see greed in action, and what it did. Many of the problems in society today are caused by the greed of the people. Wanting something that does not belong to you, can cause robberies, lies, and even murder. Even the thought of it is called coveting in the Bible. One of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet". Some religions of our day tell people to claim things they have not worked to get, something that actually belongs to someone else. This is a sin. Thou shalt not covet thou neighbor's possessions.