Bread from Heaven

Exodus 16

1 They k set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel l grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, m "Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, n when we sat by 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."

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I am about to rain o bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may p test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, q it will be twice as much as they gather daily." 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, r "At evening s you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the t glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For u what are we, that you grumble against us?" 8 And Moses said, "When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him - v what are we? Your grumbling is not w against us but against the Lord."

9 Then Moses x said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, y 'Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.'" 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the t glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 "I z have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, 'At a twilight you shall eat meat, and b in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'"

13 In the evening c quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning d dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, e "What is it?" 1 For they f did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, g "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an h omer, 2 according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.'" 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, i whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over till the morning." 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and j it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 On k the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of l solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'" 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and m it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, "Eat it today, for l today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none."

27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, n "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day." 30 So the people o rested on the seventh day.

31 Now the house of Israel called its name p manna. It was q like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Let an omer of it 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.'" 33 And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a r jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations." 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before s the testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Israel t ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till u they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is v the tenth part of an ephah.) 3

  1. Cross References
    Numbers 33:10 - 11
    And they set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.
  2. Cross References
    Exodus 15:24
    And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?
    Exodus 17:3
    But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?
    1 Corinthians 10:10
    Nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.
  3. Cross References
    Numbers 20:3 - 5
    And the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!
  4. Cross References
    Numbers 11:4 - 5
    Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat!
  5. Cross References
    Nehemiah 9:15
    You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.
    Psalms 78:24 - 25
    And he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.
    Psalms 105:40
    They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
    John 6:31 - 32
    Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'
    1 Corinthians 10:3
    And all ate the same spiritual food.
  6. Cross References
    Exodus 15:25
    And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 16:22
    On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 16:12 - 13
    "I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'"
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 6:7
    I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
    Numbers 16:28 - 30
    And Moses said, "Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 40:34
    Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
    Numbers 16:19
    Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.
    1 Kings 8:10 - 11
    And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord.
    Exodus 13:21
    And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
    Exodus 14:24
    And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic.
  11. Cross References
    Numbers 16:11
    Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?
  12. Cross References
    Exodus 16:7
    And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?
  13. Cross References
    Numbers 14:27
    How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
    1 Samuel 8:7
    And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
    Luke 10:16
    "The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
    Romans 13:2
    Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
  14. Cross References
    Exodus 4:14 - 16
    Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, "Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
  15. Cross References
    Numbers 16:16
    And Moses said to Korah, "Be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.
  16. Cross References
    Exodus 16:7
    And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?
  17. Cross References
    Exodus 16:8
    And Moses said, "When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him - what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.
  18. Cross References
    Exodus 16:6
    So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
  19. Cross References
    Exodus 16:7
    And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?
  20. Cross References
    Numbers 11:31
    Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.
    Psalms 78:27 - 28
    He rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas.
    Psalms 105:40
    They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
  21. Cross References
    Numbers 11:9
    When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.
  22. Cross References
    Exodus 16:31
    Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
  23. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 8:3
    And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
  24. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 8:3
    And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
    Exodus 16:4
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
  25. Cross References
    Exodus 16:36
    (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)
  26. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 8:15
    As it is written, "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.
  27. Cross References
    Exodus 16:24
    So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it.
  28. Cross References
    Exodus 16:5
    On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.
  29. Cross References
    Exodus 35:2 - 3
    Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.
    Genesis 2:3
    So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
    Leviticus 23:3
    Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.
    Exodus 20:8 - 11
    Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
    Exodus 31:14 - 17
    You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
  30. Cross References
    Exodus 16:20
    But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
  31. Cross References
    Exodus 16:23
    He said to them, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord ; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'
  32. Cross References
    Psalms 78:10
    They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
    Ezekiel 20:13
    But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned. "Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them.
  33. Cross References
    Luke 23:56
    Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
  34. Cross References
    Exodus 16:15
    When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
  35. Cross References
    Numbers 11:7 - 8
    Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.
  36. Cross References
    Hebrews 9:4
    Having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
  37. Cross References
    Exodus 25:16
    And you shall put into the ark the testimony th...
    Exodus 25:21
    And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of ...
    Exodus 26:33 - 34
    And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, an...
    Exodus 27:21
    In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that i...
    Exodus 30:6
    And you shall put it in front of the veil that ...
    Exodus 30:26
    With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting an...
    Exodus 30:36
    You shall beat some of it very small, and put p...
    Exodus 40:21
    And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and ...
  38. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 8:2 - 3
    And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
    Nehemiah 9:20 - 21
    You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.
  39. Cross References
    Joshua 5:12
    And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
  40. Cross References
    Leviticus 5:11
    But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.
    Leviticus 6:20
    This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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