Chapter 16

1 The Israelites come to Sin. 2 They murmur for want of bread. 4 God promiseth them bread from heaven. 11Quails are sent, 14 and manna. 16 The ordering of manna. 25 It was not to be found on the sabbath. 32 An omer of it is preserved.

The Exodus From Egypt

1. They took their journey. From Elim, perhaps in the Wadi Gharandel, where the Israelites probably spent several days, or possibly even weeks, the journey was resumed. According to Num. 33:10, where a more complete itinerary is presented than in Exodus, the next halting place was the Red Sea. This seems to have been in the wide plain elРMarkha, which borders on the Red Sea and lies on the regular route to the Egyptian copper mines at Wadi MagaЖra.

The wilderness of Sin. Various opinions exist in regard to the location of the Sin desert. Some commentators have suggested that the name was given to this region because of multitudes of thorny bushes, whose name in Heb., seneh, is similar. Others think that this name, as well as that of Sinai itself, was derived from the name of the moon-god, Sin, who was worshiped on the Sinai Peninsula. The desert of Sin has been variously identified with (1) the dry, barren coastal plain of elРQaЖa, north of the present port city of ToЖr, (2) the copper mine valley Wadi MagaЖra, (3) the plain Debbet erРRamleh, north of Jebel Musa in the heart of the Sinai Peninsula, and (4) the oasis Feiran. The two last-named localities deserve less consideration than the first two since they are rather far south.

The second month. Israel had been on their way exactly one month (see ch. 12:2, 6, 11, 12; Num. 33:3). Since only seven camping places (Num. 33:5–11) and one journey of three days through a wilderness (Ex. 15:22) are mentioned, it is evident that there must have been prolonged stays at various places, or many campsites that are not mentioned, or both.

3. The flesh pots. Accustomed in Egypt to a diet of meat, bread, fish, and vegetables (Num. 11:5), which had come to them even as slaves, they now rose up against Moses and Aaron.

4. I will rain bread. The patience and kindness of God toward His chosen people in these instances of murmuring is remarkable. Recognizing that their minds were still as servile and their faith as undeveloped as when they were in Egypt, God did not show Himself offended at their murmuring but sent help each time they were in trouble. In so doing it was His purpose to train them to trust their divinely appointed leaders and to have faith in Him.

The phenomenon described here and elsewhere in the Bible (Deut. 8:3; Neh. 9:15; Ps. 78:23–25; 105:40; John 6:31) can be satisfactorily accounted for only as a miracle. The explanation of certain modern Bible expositors that the “manna” (Ex. 16:15) was the secretion of various plant lice is preposterous. Examining this so-called “manna” in 1927, F. S. Bodenheimer, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found that various plant lice, cicadas, and scale insects feed on the tamarisk trees of the Sinai wilderness and excrete their excess carbohydrates in the form of honeydew drops. The latter evaporate into particles resembling hoar frost. This is supposed to be the “manna” that Josephus (Antiquities iii. 1. 6) said was still found on Sinai in his time. Acceptance of the narrative of Ex. 16 precludes the possibility that the “manna” of the tamarisk can have been the miraculous food on which the Israelites lived for 40 years. The heavenly manna was provided throughout the year, but ceased as soon as they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 5:12). The tamarisk “manna” is found on Sinai only during the months of June and July. The quantity of this plant “manna” is extremely small and could not possibly serve to feed many people, whereas God fed a whole nation with His manna for almost 40 years. Furthermore, the Biblical manna could not be preserved even to the next day, except on Sabbath (Ex. 16:19, 20), but could be baked (v. 23). In contrast, tamarisk “manna” can be kept for several days, but cannot be used for baking purposes, though it can be cooked. These points of difference show that acceptance of the modern interpretation, which explains the manna as a natural product of Sinai, means rejection of the Biblical record. This and other modern explanations, all of which are made with the purpose of escaping anything of a miraculous nature, do not deserve further consideration.

That I may prove them. That the rain of manna was designed by God as a means of education is apparent from these words. The miraculous provision of food was to train the people to respect and obey His holy law.

5. On the sixth day. Here Moses indicates briefly the nature of the test implied in v. 5. Mention of “the sixth day” immediately reminds one of the sixth day of creation week (Gen. 1:31), the only previous occurrence of this expression, and thus of the fact that in six days God completed His work of creation (Gen. 2:1–3). Considered together with Gen. 2:1–3 and Ex. 20:8–11, this reference clearly points to the fact that the Hebrews knew of the weekly cycle prior to the giving of the law at Sinai (cf. Gen. 29:28). The seventh day, on which no manna fell, was “the holy sabbath unto the Lord” (Ex. 16:22–30), and on it the people were to “rest” (v. 30). In Hebrew, the word Sabbath means “rest.” In conjunction with v. 23, v. 5 indicates that only the seventh day had a name, “the holy sabbath,” whereas the other six days were designated by ordinals, as the first, second, third day, etc.

Twice as much. Twice as much manna was to fall on the sixth day, and they were to gather twice as much (PP 296). This weekly thought and activity required in preparation for the Sabbath was to be to Israel a lesson on the importance of the Sabbath day.

6. Then ye shall know. The first evidence the Israelites would have that God had heard and considered their complaints, would be the descent of the quails in the evening of the day on which Moses and Aaron addressed them (see vs. 12, 13).

7. The glory of the Lord. These words do not apply to the manifestation of divine glory that immediately followed Moses and Aaron’s address (see v. 10), but to the miraculous rain of manna in the morning, an act in which God’s great power and glory would be evident.

What are we? The murmuring of the people directed at Moses and Aaron as their leaders was in reality against the Lord. Moses and Aaron had but carried out His instructions. God would therefore manifest His glory to the people, as evidence that He had heard their murmuring. This manifestation of divine power is more fully explained in v. 8.

8. In the evening flesh. Much of this verse is a repetition of statements previously made. However, there is an important addition, in direct answer to the murmurings of the people. In their complaint they had mentioned the “flesh pots” and the “bread” of Egypt, for which they longed (v. 3). Flesh and bread they would now have “to the full.” God would demonstrate that He could supply in the desert what Egypt possessed, and more.

9. Come near before the Lord. Before the promised food should be given, Moses required the people to present themselves before the Lord, in recognition that He was the one against whom they had rebelled. Inasmuch as the conduct of Moses and Aaron had been called in question, it was necessary for God to show the people that He approved the action of His faithful servants and would honor their promise.

12. At even. Literally “between the two evenings” (see on ch. 12:6).

Ye shall eat flesh. It was only on rare occasions that the Lord provided flesh for the Israelites. But two are recorded, the one here in the Wilderness of Sin and another at Kibroth-hattaavah in the Wilderness of Paran (Num. 11:31–34). Israel was not in actual need of flesh food, since the “corn of heaven” (Ps. 78:24) was adequate to supply all their needs.

13. Quails. Some commentators have explained the word translated “quails” as meaning either flying fish or locusts, but Ps. 78:27 makes it clear that “feathered fowls” are meant. It is now generally agreed that the word “quail” is correct. This quail is a game bird about 10 in. in length, the Coturnix communis, and belongs to the same order as pheasants, partridges, and grouse. It resembles the American quail. Ornithologists have reported great migrations of quail from Romania, Hungary, and southern Russia, across the eastern Mediterranean to North Africa. From Sinai thousands of quail a day have been exported to the markets of Europe. Many ancient Egyptian pictures show the people hunting quail with hand nets thrown down over bushes where quail are resting.

14. A small round thing. When the dew evaporated before the rising sun, there remained a delicate small substance that could easily be gathered in bags. It is compared here to “hoar frost” and elsewhere (Num. 11:7) to “coriander seed.”

15. It is manna. The two Hebrew words man huХ, thus translated, were long a puzzle to scholars. The word man could hardly be translated as the name of the heavenly bread, which appears first in v. 31. Some therefore translated the expression, “It is a gift,” but this again is far from convincing. The most probable interpretation is that of the LXX, “What is this?” a rendering supported by the words immediately following, “for they wist not what it was.” But since the Hebrew for “what” is mah and not man, it was suggested that Aramaic usage had influenced the text; yet the Aramaic man does not mean “what” but “who.” F. M. Th. Bцhl, however, has shown that the form man was an old Semitic particle meaning “what.” It appears as manna, in the Palestinian Amarna Letters, documents written in the 14th century b.c. We may therefore conclude that this short phrase is properly translated, “What is this?” (LXX), or “What is it?” (RSV). This exclamation reveals the surprise of the Hebrews when they discovered the unfamiliar substance.

The final solution of this problem, noted above, is one of the many evidences that the Pentateuch was not written many centuries after the Exodus, as so many modern scholars believe. Words and expressions like this, found only in documents from the middle of the second millennium b.c., would not have been used by a writer in the first millennium, for he would have been unaware of their existence at the time of the Exodus. The story of the Exodus was written by a contemporary of that great event, one who was acquainted with the phraseology of his own time, and who knew how to use it.

They wist not what it was. This explanatory phrase shows that the preceding exclamation of the Hebrews was one of astonishment and inquiry. They could not have said, “It is manna,” when they did not know what it was, and Moses had to tell them that it was bread from heaven. If they had realized at once that it was the food sent them by God, there would have been no need for Moses to tell them so.

16. An omer for every man. The omer was the 10th part of an ephah (v. 36), that is, 2 dry qt. (2.2 l.). It is thought that the cup often depicted on Hebrew coins of the first Christian century represents the omer of barley from the new crop, presented at the Temple as an offering from the first fruits of the field.

18. When they did mete it. Obeying Moses’ directions, the Israelites gathered the new food. Upon measuring it they found that, whatever the quantity actually gathered by anyone, it was exactly as many omers as there were persons in the family. God thus not only provided food in a miraculous manner but took care that everyone enjoyed an ample share.

19. Let no man leave of it. God had provided the Israelites with food for which they had not labored, but He did not want them to become lazy. They must gather every day in order to have anything to eat. Furthermore, they must rise early, since the manna melted “when the sun waxed hot” (v. 21). Although there were no fields to plow or harvests to bring in, the fact that they must arise early to gather their food shows that God planned every detail of this phenomenon for the people’s benefit and training. Poverty and want are the reward of those who sleep late (see Prov. 6:9–11).

20. It bred worms. This result of storing up the manna was also probably supernatural. It served as a punishment to the disobedient, and effectively checked the practice of carelessly ignoring God’s instructions.

21. It melted. See on v. 19.

22. Twice as much. On the sixth day another miracle occurred. It had already been revealed to Moses that the people were to gather twice as much on Friday as on other days (v. 5), and this information Moses had passed on to the people, for “they gathered twice as much.” But nothing had as yet been revealed concerning its miraculous preservation, nor as to the fact that none would fall on the Sabbath. By gathering a double amount Friday morning the people had complied with instructions thus far given. But experience during the week had shown that any left over would spoil before morning (v. 20). This problem the tribal leaders now brought before Moses. Apparently, God delayed specific instructions concerning the Sabbath until this very time, since they had not been necessary earlier in the week.

23. To morrow. Moses realized that God had bestowed the manna in such a way that the Sabbath was to be sanctified thereby (v. 4). The apparent ignorance of the people concerning the Sabbath, together with Moses’ instructions regarding it and the fact that some attempted to find a fresh supply of manna on Sabbath in spite of instructions that none would fall, shows that the Israelites had largely lost sight of God’s holy day during their sojourn in Egypt. The rigorous requirements of the taskmasters had primarily been responsible for this laxity in Sabbath observance (PP 258).

Seethe that ye will seethe. In modern English, “Boil what you will boil” (RSV). All preparation of the food was to be completed before the Sabbath began. Later, Moses instructed the people not even to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day (ch. 35:3), and upon at least one occasions a man was stoned to death for violating this regulation (Num. 15:32–36). The principle involved was that no labor of any kind should be performed on the Sabbath which could as well be done at some other time. In the warm desert climate it was not essential to health to eat warm food on the Sabbath day. Had it been necessary to do so God would have permitted it, in harmony with the principle that the Sabbath was designed for the benefit of man (Mark 2:27, 28), and that “it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days” (Matt. 12:12). Since baking and boiling could be dispensed with, without injury to health, God prohibited them in order that the people might learn to put a “difference between the holy and profane” (Eze. 22:26). In our day, whatever can be done on Friday in preparation for the Sabbath should be done then (6T 355), yet at the same time Sabbath meals should be both healthful and appetizing (6T 359).

24. They laid it up. Most of the people obeyed, and experienced a new miracle when that portion laid aside for the Sabbath neither “bred worms” nor “stank.” For 40 years this weekly procedure taught the people to make Friday a day of preparation for the Sabbath, and to make the Sabbath itself truly a day of rest.

25. To day is a sabbath. Or, “Today is the Lord’s sabbath.” Although the definite article “the” does not appear in the Hebrew text, the grammatical construction permits such a translation. The same Hebrew word form, “a sabbath,” appears also in the fourth commandment, where the KJV renders it, appropriately, “the sabbath” (Ex. 20:10). In both instances, however, a strict translation would require that it be rendered “a sabbath.” At the same time “the sabbath” would be entirely permissible.

There is nothing either in this text or in its context to indicate that the Sabbath was now given to the Israelites for the first time, as some have supposed. In fact, it is implied that they already knew of the Sabbath, but had grown careless in its observance (ch. 16:4). The Sabbath command was therefore renewed and its observance as a holy day reinforced (see on vs. 27, 28).

The Hebrew expression shabbath, “rest,” here correctly rendered “a sabbath,” is translated in vs. 23 and 26 and in ch. 20:10 as “the sabbath.” However, in v. 29 and ch. 20:8 the Hebrew text reads hashshabbath, which is correctly translated “the sabbath.” The expression “a sabbath”—“a rest”—describes how the seventh day is distinguished from the preceding six as regards labor. “The sabbath”—“the rest”—describes the distinctive character of the seventh-day rest; namely, a rest memorializing the rest of God on the seventh day of creation week, and thus a holy rest day.

26. Six days. These words are similar to those of the fourth commandment of the Decalogue. Here, mention is made not only of the Sabbath as a day of holy rest but also of the days of work preceding it. In God’s plan for man these six working days are of no less significance than is the Sabbath. They have been given to man for his own use. But the seventh day of the week is holy (v. 23). It should be spent in accordance with divinely given regulations as specified in the fourth commandment.

The sabbath. Here the Hebrew text uses the definite article (see on vs. 25, 28). “The sabbath” is a sacred institution ordained at the close of creation week. Even then it was “the” Sabbath (ch. 20:11).

27. Some of the people. As usual, there were some who either did not believe what Moses had said and wanted to see for themselves whether manna had fallen, or intentionally violated the commandment out of a stubborn desire to have their own way.

28. How long refuse ye? In speaking to Moses personally, God addresses the nation as a whole and its disobedient individuals in particular. This is evident from the use in the Hebrew of the plural form of the verb “refuse.” There had already been one act of disobedience the day the manna was first given (v. 20), but now one of a more serious nature occurred. God, addressing them as Judge, asks them to face the question of when He might expect sinful conduct such as this to end, and when they would learn that they could gain nothing by disobedience. The later history of Israel shows clearly how “long” it would take them to learn this important lesson. God’s question, “How long,” etc., implies that they had for a considerable time been doing this very thing—breaking the Sabbath, in full knowledge of the fact that they were doing what was wrong (see on vs. 25, 27).

29. See. The patience of God toward His stubborn people is amazing, and teaches an important lesson to us who tend to be impatient. Instead of always punishing Israel for their repeated murmurings and acts of disobedience, God condescends to reason with them, explaining the purpose of His requirements. The Sabbath was a holy day of rest, with which they were not to tamper; hence, the double portion of food the day before.

Abide ye every man. The Israelites were directed to remain in camp on the Sabbath, and not to go out for manna or for any other purpose. Their time on that day was to be spent in rest at home and in meditation upon sacred themes. God had already instructed Israel to assemble for worship on days designated as “holy” (ch. 12:16), a practice that was consistently applied to other “holy” days (see Lev. 23:2–4, 7, 8, 21, 24, 27, 35–37). In postexilic times the Jews set up and enforced strict regulations concerning the leaving of cities or villages on the Sabbath. No one was permitted to travel farther than 2,000 cubits, or approximately two thirds of a mile. In the NT this distance is commonly referred to as “a sabbath day’s journey” (Acts 1:12). Endless, man-made Sabbath regulations have been strictly followed by orthodox Jews even since Bible times, with the result that the Sabbath, designed by God to be a delight (Isa. 58:13), became a burden.

30. The people rested. Finding no manna Sabbath morning, and rebuked for going out to find it, the people began to rest on the Sabbath day.

31. The house of Israel. Some of the oldest versions, such as the LXX, the Syriac, and the Arabic translation, read “children” instead of “house.” It is possible that the reading “children of Israel” is closer to the original than “house of Israel.”

Manna. No explanation of this name yet proposed has met with general acceptance. Some have suggested that it may mean “gift,” but it is more probable that the word owes its origin to the original exclamation of astonishment, man huХ, “What is it?” (see on v. 15).

Like coriander seed. An herb, Coriandrum sativum, which grows wild in the Near East. Its aromatic fruit, called “coriander seed,” is used for seasoning and medicinal purposes. The color of the seed is whitish or yellow-gray. In Num. 11:7 it is compared with the bdellium (see on Gen. 2:12).

Wafers. The Hebrew word thus translated appears only here in the Bible, and is of uncertain meaning. The LXX renders it by the word egkris, according to Greek literary sources, designates a cake made of flour, oil, and honey. The Israelites described the manna as tasting like cakes with honey (Ex. 16:31) and as if baked with fresh oil (Num. 11:8).

33. Take a pot. This command was given after the erection of the tabernacle (v. 34), but is related here in order to bring all subject matter bearing on the manna together in one place. The word translated “pot” is from an Egyptian word meaning a rather large jar. Here, however, it seems to have been used to designate a metal vessel, made of gold to match the ark (see Heb. 9:4).

34. The Testimony. Not the ark of the covenant, to which this name is never given, but the two tables of stone engraved by the finger of God (chs. 25:16–21; 40:20; etc.). The pot of manna was laid up inside the ark (Heb. 9:4) in front of the two tables of stone.

35. Forty years. This statement was either written by Moses shortly before his death or added by an inspired scribe, probably Joshua. In favor of Moses’ authorship is the expression “until they came to a land inhabited,” to which is added, “until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.” This need not refer to the crossing of the Jordan, but to the lands east of the Jordan. The author writes exactly as Moses might be expected to have written toward the close of his life. A later writer would have been more specific, and would probably have noted, as Joshua did in his book (Joshua 5:10–12), the exact time when the manna ceased.

Ephah. Equivalent to about 5 gal.

Ellen G. White comments

1-36 PP 292-297

1, 2 PP 292

2, 3 SR 126

3     CH 111; Ed 38; MH 311; PP 292; SR 128; IT 129; 3T 171; 6T 372; 9T 159, 160

4, 5,     PP 294

7     3T 86

8, 9 PP 294

10, 13-15PP 295

14-21SR 129

15   MH 200; MM 267

16-23PP 295

22-26PK 181; SR 130

23   6T 355

24-26PP 296

28   DA 283; PP 297

31   PP 295

33   EW 32

35   CH 111; DA 385; PK 181; PP 297; 3T 340