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Exodus 16

1They journeyed from Elim, and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The sons of Israel said to them, “If only we had died by Yahweh's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat beside the meat pots and ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain bread from the heavens for you. The people are to go out and gather each day's portion on its day, so that I may test them, whether they will walk in my instruction or not. 5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice what they gather day by day.” 6Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “In the evening you will know that Yahweh brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7and in the morning you will see Yahweh's glory, because he has heard your grumbling against Yahweh. What are we, that you grumble against us?” 8Moses said, “When Yahweh gives you meat to eat in the evening and bread to the full in the morning, it is because Yahweh has heard the grumbling you direct against him. What are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against Yahweh.”

9Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before Yahweh, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, they turned toward the wilderness, and look, Yahweh's glory appeared in the cloud. 11Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12“I have heard the grumbling of the sons of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’”

13In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, look, on the surface of the wilderness was something fine and flaky, fine as frost on the ground. 15When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that Yahweh has given you to eat. 16This is what Yahweh has commanded: ‘Gather some of it, each according to what he eats, an omer per head, according to the number of persons among you. Each of you is to take it for those in his tent.’” 17The sons of Israel did so; they gathered, some much and some little. 18When they measured it with the omer, the one who gathered much had no excess, and the one who gathered little had no shortage. Each had gathered according to what he ate. 19Moses said to them, “No one is to leave any of it until morning.” 20But they did not listen to Moses. Some men left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. Moses was angry with them. 21They gathered it morning by morning, each according to what he ate, and when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person. All the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses. 23He said to them, “This is what Yahweh has spoken: ‘Tomorrow is a complete rest, a holy Sabbath for Yahweh. Bake what you wish to bake, and boil what you wish to boil. Whatever is left over, put aside for yourselves to keep until morning.’” 24They put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded. It did not stink, and there were no maggots in it. 25Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath for Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the field. 26Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” 27On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions? 29See, Yahweh has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Each of you is to stay where he is; no one is to go out from his place on the seventh day.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day.

31The house of Israel named it manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32Moses said, “This is what Yahweh has commanded: ‘An omerful of it is to be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it. Set it before Yahweh to be kept throughout your generations.” 34As Yahweh commanded Moses, Aaron set it before the testimony, to be kept. 35The sons of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they came to the edge of the land of Canaan. 36An omer is a tenth of an ephah.

Translation notes 8

16:1 — Sin. This is a place-name, not the English word for wrongdoing. The route's precise locations remain uncertain.

16:2–12 — Grumbling. The related noun and verb recur throughout the passage. “Sons of Israel” is the family expression for the whole people, including women and children.

16:4 — Walk in instruction. The Hebrew combines the conduct image of walking with torah, instruction or law. The verse concerns obeying the commands about gathering rather than merely acquiring information.

16:15, 31 — Manna. “What is it?” represents the question man hu, which the narrative connects with the name man, traditionally manna. The wording does not establish the food's modern scientific identification.

16:16, 36 — Omer and ephah. These are measures of dry volume. Verse 36 itself explains the ratio; a precise modern conversion is uncertain. “Per head” retains the counting image, while “persons” renders the Hebrew word often translated “souls.”

16:18 — No excess or shortage. Paul quotes this sentence in 2 Corinthians 8:15 during his appeal for equitable provision. “Gathered” is supplied here from the immediately preceding narrative; the Hebrew participles themselves say the one doing much and the one doing little. The verse reports sufficient provision without specifying how the different amounts became sufficient.

16:23–30 — Sabbath. The passage connects the named Sabbath with rest and with the doubled provision on the sixth day. The command not to go out is retained in its gathering context without turning it into a complete ruling about every later Sabbath question.

16:34–35 — Testimony and later perspective. “The testimony” anticipates the covenant testimony described later in Exodus. The forty-year summary looks beyond the present episode. The translation does not move these statements into a different chronological location.