Exodus 16:14
ESV
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.
NIV
When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.
NASB
When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.
CSB
When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground.
NLT
When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground.
KJV
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.
NKJV
And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
What does Exodus 16:14 mean?
When Israel worried about food (Exodus 16:1–3), the Lord promised to provide (Exodus 16:6–7, 12). Now, for the first time, the people encounter what they will come to call "manna" (Exodus 16:15, 31). The substance is made up of scale-like or flake-like pieces, "fine" in the sense of being small. Individual parts are small enough to be compared to tiny crystals of frost.This is like nothing the people have ever seen before (Deuteronomy 8:3). This is the "bread" provided by God, in a form that appears like a kind of grain (Numbers 11:7–8). The Lord intends for the people to gather what they need each day and trust Him to provide for the next day (Exodus 16:4). Israel will receive this miracle every day for the next four decades (Exodus 16:35)
Previous instructions about this food (Exodus 16:5) will be expanded in the following verses. Manna is one of the more famous concepts in Scripture; it becomes an important symbol of the ministry of Jesus Christ (John 6:48–51).
