Exodus 16

Bread from Heaven

1 And they a journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and b Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel c complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, d "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, e when we sat by the pots of meat and when we 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 will rain f bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather 1 a certain quota every day, that I may g test them, whether they will h walk in My law or not. 5 "And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and i it shall be twice as much as they gather daily." 6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, j "At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 "And in the morning you shall see k the glory of the LORD; for He l hears your complaints against the LORD. But m what are we, that you complain against us?" 8 Also Moses said, "This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but n against the LORD."

9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, o 'Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.' " 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD p appeared in the cloud. 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 q "I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, r 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and s in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.' "

13 So it was that t quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning u the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was v a small round w substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children 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, x "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16 "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 'Let every man gather it y according to each one's need, one z omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.' " 17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, a he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need. 19 And Moses said, "Let no one b leave any of it till morning." 20 Notwithstanding they did not 2 heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Tomorrow is c a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.' " 24 So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not d stink, nor were there any worms in it. 25 Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 e "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none."

27 Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. 28 And the LORD said to Moses, "How long f do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 "See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 And the house of Israel called its name 3 Manna. 4 And g it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Then Moses said, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 'Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, 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, h "Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations." 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up i before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel j ate manna k forty years, l until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

  1. Cross References
    Numbers 33:10
    They moved from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.
    Numbers 33:11
    They moved from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin.
    Ezekiel 30:15
    I will pour My fury on Sin, the strength of Egypt; I will cut off the multitude of No.
  2. Cross References
    Exodus 12:6
    Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
    Exodus 12:51
    And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
    Exodus 19:1
    In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 14:11
    Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
    Exodus 15:24
    And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?
    Psalms 106:25
    But complained in their tents, And did not heed the voice of the LORD.
    1 Corinthians 10:10
    Nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
  4. Cross References
    Exodus 17:3
    And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, "Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?
    Numbers 14:2
    And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
    Numbers 14:3
    "Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?"
    Numbers 20:3
    And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: "If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!
    Lamentations 4:9
    Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.
  5. Cross References
    Numbers 11:4
    Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat?
    Numbers 11:5
    We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
  6. Cross References
    Nehemiah 9:15
    You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, And told them to go in to possess the land Which You had sworn to give them.
    Psalms 78:23 - 25
    Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven.
    Psalms 105:40
    The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
    John 6:31 - 35
    "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
    1 Corinthians 10:3
    All ate the same spiritual food.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 15:25
    So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them.
    Deuteronomy 8:2
    And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
    Deuteronomy 8:16
    Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end -
  8. Cross References
    Judges 2:22
    "so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not."
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 16:22
    And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
    Exodus 16:29
    "See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."
    Leviticus 25:21
    Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 6:7
    I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 16:10
    Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whol...
    Exodus 16:12
    "I have heard the complaints of the children of...
    Isaiah 35:2
    It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even w...
    Isaiah 40:5
    The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And al...
    John 11:4
    When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness ...
    John 11:40
    Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that i...
  12. Cross References
    Numbers 14:27
    How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.
    Numbers 17:5
    "And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you."
  13. Cross References
    Numbers 16:11
    "Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?"
  14. Cross References
    1 Samuel 8:7
    And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
    Luke 10:16
    "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."
    Romans 13:2
    Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
    1 Thessalonians 4:8
    Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
  15. Cross References
    Numbers 16:16
    And Moses said to Korah, "Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the LORD - you and they, as well as Aaron.
  16. Cross References
    Exodus 13:21
    And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
    Exodus 16:7
    "And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?"
    Numbers 16:19
    And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.
    1 Kings 8:10
    And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD.
  17. Cross References
    Exodus 16:8
    Also Moses said, " This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.
    Numbers 14:27
    How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.
  18. Cross References
    Exodus 16:6
    Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, "At evening you shall know that the LORD has 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; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?"
    1 Kings 20:28
    Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'
    Joel 3:17
    "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again."
  20. Cross References
    Numbers 11:31
    Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.
    Psalms 78:27 - 29
    He also rained meat on them like the dust, Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas.
    Psalms 105:40
    The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
  21. Cross References
    Numbers 11:9
    And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
  22. Cross References
    Exodus 16:31
    And the house of Israel called its name Manna. ...
    Numbers 11:7
    Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its ...
    Numbers 11:8
    The people went about and gathered it, ground i...
    Deuteronomy 8:3
    So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and f...
    Nehemiah 9:15
    You gave them bread from heaven for their hunge...
    Psalms 78:24
    Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given...
    Psalms 105:40
    The people asked, and He brought quail, And sat...
  23. Cross References
    Psalms 147:16
    He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.
  24. Cross References
    Exodus 16:4
    Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will ra...
    Nehemiah 9:15
    You gave them bread from heaven for their hunge...
    Psalms 78:24
    Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given...
    John 6:31
    "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it...
    John 6:49
    Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, a...
    John 6:58
    "This is the bread which came down from heaven ...
    1 Corinthians 10:3
    All ate the same spiritual food.
  25. Cross References
    Exodus 12:4
    And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb.
  26. Cross References
    Exodus 16:32
    Then Moses said, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 'Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'
    Exodus 16:36
    Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.
  27. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 8:15
    As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.
  28. Cross References
    Exodus 12:10
    You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
    Exodus 16:23
    Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'
    Exodus 23:18
    You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning.
  29. Cross References
    Genesis 2:3
    Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified...
    Exodus 20:8 - 11
    Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
    Exodus 23:12
    Six days you shall do your work, and on the sev...
    Exodus 31:15
    Work shall be done for six days, but the sevent...
    Exodus 35:2
    Work shall be done for six days, but the sevent...
    Leviticus 23:3
    Six days shall work be done, but the seventh da...
    Nehemiah 9:13
    You came down also on Mount Sinai, And spoke wi...
    Nehemiah 9:14
    You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, And c...
  30. Cross References
    Exodus 16:20
    Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
  31. Cross References
    Exodus 20:9
    Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
    Exodus 20:10
    But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
  32. Cross References
    2 Kings 17:14
    Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
    Psalms 78:10
    They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law.
    Psalms 106:13
    They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel.
  33. Cross References
    Numbers 11:7 - 9
    Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.
    Deuteronomy 8:3
    So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
    Deuteronomy 8:16
    Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end -
  34. Cross References
    Hebrews 9:4
    Which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
    Revelation 2:17
    "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'
  35. Cross References
    Exodus 25:16
    And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
    Exodus 25:21
    You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
    Exodus 27:21
    In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.
    Exodus 40:20
    He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.
    Numbers 17:10
    And the LORD said to Moses, "Bring Aaron's rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.
  36. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 8:3
    So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
    Deuteronomy 8:16
    Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end -
  37. Cross References
    Numbers 33:38
    Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month.
    John 6:31
    "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
    John 6:49
    Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
  38. Cross References
    Joshua 5:12
    Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.
    Nehemiah 9:20
    You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst.
    Nehemiah 9:21
    Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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