1The Israelites come to Sin, and murmur for want of bread. 4God promiseth them bread and flesh from heaven. 13Quails and manna are sent. 16The ordering of the manna. 22A double provision of it is made on the sixth day. 27None to be found on the sabbath. 32An omer of it is preserved.
1AND they took their journey 1from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of 2Sin, which is between Elim and 3Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
1 Before they went from Elim, they had been once again at the Red Sea, of which journey Moses makes no mention here, but records it in Num. 33:10, 11.
2 The name of a desert in Arabia the Stony, where the eighth camp was of the Israelites, Num. 33:10, 11.
3 This mountain is otherwise called Horeb, the same on which Moses received the law.
2And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
3Anda the children of Israel said unto them, 4Wouldb 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.
a 1 Cor. 10:10.
4 Hebr. Who shall give that, etc. Compare Deut. 5:29.
b Num. 11:4.
4¶Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, 5I will rainc6bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain 7rate every day, that I may proved them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
5 That is, it shall soon permit it to fall down from heaven, that is, in the manner of a rain.
c Psalm 78:24; 105:40.
6 That is, manna, whereof the Israelites made bread.
7 Hebr. word, or, thing, which here signifies such a quantity or proportion as was needful for one man’s daily sustenance.
d test, try
5And it shall come to pass, that 8on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be 9twice as much as they gather 10daily.
8 Namely, the day before the Sabbath, then the Israelites were to prepare and make ready their food for the Sabbath day, on which they were allowed no manner of work, not so much as the kindling of a fire, as may be seen, Exod. 35:3.
9 See verse 22.
10 Hebr. day day, as Gen. 39:10.
6And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, 11At even, then ye shall know that the 12LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:
11 See verse 13.
12 Not we, of our own device and purpose, as the people upbraided them, see verse 3.
7And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?
8And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not 13against us, but against the LORD.
13 He wants to say: it was not against us alone; or, not so much against us, but as against the LORD. See similar phrases, Gen. 32:28; 1 Sam. 8:7; John 12:44.
9¶And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, 14Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.
14 That is, assemble together before the cloudy pillar, in and by which the God the Lord did manifest His glorious presence, verse 10.
10And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and,e behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
e Exod. 13:21.
11¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, 15At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled withf bread; and 16ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.
15 See Exod. 12:6.
f John 6:49, 58.
16 Namely, finding it verified by your own experience.
13And it came to pass, that 17at even the 18quailsg came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew 19lay round about the host.
17 Namely, at the evening of that day.
18 Hebr. the quail; so Exod. 8:6, frog, for frogs.
g Num. 11:31; Psalm 105:40.
19 Hebr. there was a laying of dew.
14Andh when the dew that lay 20was gone up, behold, upon the face of the 21wilderness there lay a 22small round thing, as small as the hoari frost on the ground.
h Num. 11:7; Neh. 9:15; Psalm 78:24; 105:40.
20 Namely, into the air, evaporating through the heat of the sun. The manna lay covered and hidden under the dew, which went upwards with the rising of the sun. See Num. 11:9.
21 Hebr. upon the face of the wilderness.
22 Hebr. thin.
i grey or white in color*
15And when the children of Israel saw it, they said 23one to another, 24It is manna:j for they wistk not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
23 Hebr. the man to his brother.
24 That is, this is a prepared and by us an appropriated food or gift. Other, What is it?
j John 6:31; 1 Cor. 10:3.
k knew*
16¶This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it 25every man according to 26his eating, an omerl27for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye 28every man for them which are in his tents.
25 Hebr. according to the mouth of his food, that is, according to what he and his family require.
26 And his whole household.
l OT dry measure: 7 logs, 1/10th of an ephah; about 6.5 pints or 3.6 liters
27 Hebr. brain-pan; that is, person.
28 These words declare what was just said before in this verse.
17And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, 29some more, some less.
29 Hebr. multiplying and diminishing.
1830And when they did mete it with an 31omer, hem that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man 32according to his eating.
30 The sense is: When everyone brought home what he had gathered, then the father or head of the family, measured it out, and gave everyone his omer, or due share and proportion, so that none got more then his due and ordinary allowance.
31 See verse 36.
m 2 Cor. 8:15.
32 Hebr. according to the mouth of his eating, or, of his food, as verse 16.
19And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
20Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; 33but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
33 This they did, some out of a fruitless care and diffidence, and others it may be out of curiosity, to try and see whether the manna would keep so long.
21And they gathered it 34every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, 35it melted.
34 Hebr. in the morning in the morning.
35 Namely, that which remained lying on the ground, so that here is rendered the reason why they gathered it always in the morning.
22¶And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came 36and told Moses.
36 For they doubted whether the people did well or ill, while Moses had commanded that there should be gathered but an omer a piece.
23And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: 37bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and 38that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
37 Namely, against tomorrow.
38 Namely, on the sixth day. The half of the double omer which they had gathered on the sixth day remained over.
24And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and 39it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
39 As it happened before, when they had laid it up against Moses’ command. See verse 20.
25And Moses said, Eat that 40to day; for 41to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
40 Moses here teaches the people what they ought to do, not only on that day, but from week to week, on every Sabbath day, as long as it would rain manna.
41 Moses spoke the words of this verse, and the next, on that evening, when the Sabbath began or was entering, which we, according to our custom, use to call Saturday evening; for the Sabbath day began with the evening of the sixth day, and ended with the evening of the seventh.
26Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
27¶And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for 42to gather, and they found none.
42 These people believed neither God, nor Moses His servant.
2843And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse 44ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
43 That is, God commanded Moses what he would say unto the people.
44 One kind of transgression is set down here as the transgression of all.
29See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man 45in his place, 46let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.
45 Hebr. among themselves.
46 Namely, for to gather manna, or to do any other work. In Lev. 23:3 they are charged to go unto the holy assembly, and in Acts 1:12 mention is made of a sabbath day’s journey.
30So the people rested on the seventh day.
31Andn the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was 47like coriandero seed, white; and 48the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
n Num. 11:7.
47 Namely, in shape and size, but it was white like bedolah, or crystal, Num. 11:7.
o plant with small round white spicy seeds
48 Namely, being taken up from the ground, undressed; but when it was baked, it tasted like fresh oil, Num. 11:8.
32¶And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it 49to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
49 Namely, in the tabernacle, when it would be made.
33And Moses said unto Aaron, Takep50a pot, and put 51an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the 52LORD, to be kept for your generations.
p Heb. 9:4.
50 In Hebr. 9:4 it is called the golden pot. Other, dish, plate.
51 Hebr. the fullness of an omer.
52 Who manifested His presence above the ark of the covenant.
34As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up 53before the Testimony, to be kept.
53 Understand, in front of the ark of the covenant wherein the tables of the Law of God were kept; see Exod. 25:16, 21, which are called the Testimony, because they witnessed or testified the will of God. The ark indeed was first commanded to be made upon Mount Sinai, but Moses relates here briefly the matter to conclude therewith the history of the manna.
35And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, untilq they came 54to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
q Joshua 5:12; Neh. 9:15.
54 This is opposed to the wilderness.
36Now an omer is the tenth part of 55an ephah.r
55 This is a measure of dry wares, containing as much as four hundred thirty-two hen-egg-shells, so that the omer, as some perceive, was twice as large as the chœnix, Rev. 6:6 being a measure of corn or grain, holding as much as would serve to feed a man a day. See Lev. 5:11; 19:36; Deut. 25:14, etc.
r dry: ten omers, 0.95 bushel or 34 liters