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Parsha[GN]
16: B’shallach (continued)
“After he had let go,” Exod. 13:17–17:16
b. The Manna from Heaven (16:1-36)
1 On the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Isra'el set out from Elim[GN] [MAP] and came to the Sin Desert, [MAP] which is between Elim and Sinai.[1] [MAP] 2 There in desert they all grumbled against Moshe and Aharon. 3 “We wish that we had died by ADONAI’s [GN] hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”
4 Then ADONAI said to Moshe, “Hinneh,[GN] I will rain bread from heaven[4a] for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather a single day’s portion, so I may test them and see whether or not they will follow my instructions.[4b] 5 Then on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather the other days.”
6 So Moshe and Aharon said to all the Isra'elites, “This evening, you will know that it was ADONAI Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see ADONAI’s glory, because he has heard your grumbling against ADONAI for what are we, that you grumble against us?”[7] 8 And Moshe said, “Now ADONAI will give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you, because ADONAI has heard your grumbling that you grumle against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us, but against ADONAI.” 9 Then Moshe said to Aharon, “Say to the whole congregation of the people if Isra'el, ‘Come near before ADONAI for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10 As soon as Aharon spoke to the whole congregation of Isra'el, they looked toward the desert, and hinneh, the glory of ADONAI appeared in the cloud.
(A: vi, S: v) 11 Then ADONAI said to Moshe, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Isra'el. Tell them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am ADONAI your God.’”
13 In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp. 14 When the dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Isra'elites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. So Moshe told them, “It is the bread that ADONAI has given you to eat. 16 This is what ADONAI has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs, an omer[16] for each person in his tent.’”
17 The Isra'elites did this. Some gathered more, and some less. 18 When they measured it with an omer, the one who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and the who gathered little had no lack. They each gathered as much as he needed to eat. 19 Then Moshe told them, “No one may keep any of it until morning.” 20 But they didn’t listen to Moshe. Some of them kept part of it until morning, so it became full of maggots and began to smell; and Moshe was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning, everyone gathered as much as he needed to eat. When the sun grew hot, it melted. 22 On the sixth day,[22] they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person; and all the leaders of the congregation came and reported this to Moshe.
23 He told them, “This is that which ADONAI has said, ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Shabbat to ADONAI. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Them set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’” 24 So they set it aside until the morning, as Moshe ordered, and it didn’t smell, and there were no maggots in it. 25 Moshe said, “Eat that today, because today is a Shabbat to ADONAI. Today you will not find anything in the field. 26 Six days you may gather it, but the on the seventh day, Shabbat, there will be none.” 27 Yet on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, and they found none.
28 Then ADONAI said to Moshe, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions? 29 Hinneh, because ADONAI has given you the Shabbat, He will give you two days of bread on the sixth day. But on the seventh day everyone must stay where they are; no one is to leave his place.”
(S: vi) 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Isra'el called the food manna.[31] It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moshe said, “This is what ADONAI has commanded, ‘Keep an omer of for generations to come, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the desert when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 So Moshe told Aharon, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. then place it before ADONAI to be preserved for generations to come.” 34 So Aharon placed it before the Testimony[34] to be preserved, as ADONAI commanded Moshe. 35 The Isra'elites ate the manna for forty years, until they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna until they came to the borders of the land of Kena‘anCanaan. 36 (An omer is one tenth of an efah.)[36]
1. Since the most likely point of crossing the Red Sea was the Gulf of Aquaba, the locations of Elim, Marah, and Sinai are more likely east of Aquaba rather than as shown on these maps. See note 2 and the videos in chapter 14. [BACK]
4a. The Hebrew word translated “heaven” is the plural שָׁמַיִם (shamayim), heavens. In Hebrew thought there are three heavens: the first is earth’s atmosphere, the second is the created universe beyond earth, the third is the abode and throne of God. [BACK]
4b. The Hebrew word translated “instructions” is תּוֹרָה, torah, which can also be translated as teaching, ruling, or law. In most English translations it is most often translated law, which is indeed unfortunate, because it most often means God’s loving instruction for man’s benefit. [BACK]
7. We are nothing. Your grumbling is not against us but against God. [BACK]
16. An omer is about 2.2 liters or about 2.3 quarts. [BACK]
22. This would be a Friday. Ancient Hebrews did not use day-names; they numbered each day, with Shabbat being the seventh day. Later in their hisstory they would count up from the first day, then count down to Shabbat: first day, second day, third day, third day toward Shabbat, second day toward Shabbat, erev (eve) Shabbat, and Shabbat. [BACK]
31. “Manna” means “What is it?” [BACK]
34. The “Testimony” is the two tablets of stone upon which God would later inscribe with His own finger the ten sentences which are the summary of the Torah. (Exod 24:12; 31:18) The Tablets, the jar of manna, and Aharon’s staff would later be placed in the Ark of the Covenant. Apparently Moshe wrote this account some time after the Tabernacle had been constructed. (Exod 25:16, 21; Heb 9:4) [BACK]
36. One efah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel. [BACK]
Other commentaries on Exodus 16
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Pulpit Commentary
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
