Back to Exodus 16

Exodus 16:14-15

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. When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.

World English Bible · Public Domain
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Exodus 16:14-15 sits inside this longer paragraph.

In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp. 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. When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat. “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded: ‘Gather of it everyone according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, you shall take it, every man for those who are in his tent.’ ” The children of Israel did so, and some gathered more, some less. When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. They each gathered according to his eating. Moses said to them, “Let no one leave of it until the morning.” Notwithstanding they didn’t listen to Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning, so it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. They gathered it morning by morning, everyone according to his eating. When the sun grew hot, it melted. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. He said to them, “This is that which Yahweh has spoken, ‘Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh. Bake that which you want to bake, and boil that which you want to boil; and all that remains over lay up for yourselves to be kept until the morning.’ ” They laid it up until the morning, as Moses ordered, and it didn’t become foul, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to Yahweh. Today you shall not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath. In it there shall be none.” On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? Behold, because Yahweh has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Everyone stay in his place. Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day.

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    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.

    When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.

  • KJV King James Version

    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.

    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.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And when the layer of dew was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the hoar-frost on the ground.

    And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: 'What is it?' — for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

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Examined in Scripture Analysis

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Cross-references (23)

  • Exodus 16:4 (v15) Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every…
  • John 6:31-32 (v15) Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus therefore said to them,…
  • John 6:58 (v15) This is the bread which came down out of heaven—not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
  • Exodus 16:31 (vv14–15) The house of Israel called its name “Manna”, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey.
  • Deuteronomy 8:3 (vv14–15) He humbled you, allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know, that he might teach…
Show all 20 cross-references
  • 1 Corinthians 10:3 (v15) and all ate the same spiritual food;
  • Nehemiah 9:15 (vv14–15) and gave them bread from the sky for their hunger, and brought water out of the rock for them for their thirst, and commanded them that…
  • Joshua 5:12 (v15) The manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land. The children of Israel didn’t have manna any more, but…
  • Nehemiah 9:20 (v15) You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and didn’t withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
  • John 6:49 (v15) Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died.
  • Numbers 11:7-9 (v14) The manna was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium. The people went around, gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in…
  • Psalms 78:24 (v14) He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
  • Psalms 105:40 (v14) They asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of the sky.
  • Exodus 16:33 (v15) Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna in it, and lay it up before Yahweh, to be kept throughout your generations.”
  • Numbers 21:5 (v15) The people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread,…
  • Deuteronomy 8:16 (v15) who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers didn’t know, that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you…
  • Psalms 147:16 (v14) He gives snow like wool, and scatters frost like ashes.
  • Luke 12:30 (v15) For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.
  • Hebrews 9:4 (v15) having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna,…
  • Revelation 2:17 (v15) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I…

20 distinct cross-references across this passage (23 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (15 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v15 Which signifieth a part, portion, or gift: also meat…

Which signifieth a part, portion, or gift: also meat prepared.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–15 Exo 16:14 And when the dew that lay was…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv14–15 When the dew was gone up, to wit, into…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv14–15 And when the dew that lay was gone up,....…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v15 What is this? Manna descended from the clouds. It…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv14–15 Verse 14. Behold, upon the face of the wilderness…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv14–15 Exo 16:14. When the dew was gone up —…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v15 It is manna - “Man” or “man-hut,” i. e.…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v15 Manhu. St. Jerome adds the explanation, (Du Hamel) which…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv14–15 14. A small round thing, as small as the…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv14–15 14. The Hebrews conceived dew to fall from heaven…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv14–15 (14) Was gone up—i.e., was drawn up by the…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv14–15 When the dew that lay was gone up. The…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v15 (See Scofield "Exo 16:35").
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v15 16:15 The Hebrew man hu’ (What is it?) came…
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