Exodus 16:27
ESV
On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
NIV
Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.
NASB
Yet it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
CSB
Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any.
NLT
Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food.
KJV
And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
NKJV
Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.
What does Exodus 16:27 mean?
The book of Exodus includes an important lesson: humanity has an unlimited ability to doubt, ignore, and disobey God despite the clearest signs. This generation of Israelites witnessed spectacular miracles (Exodus 12:29–31; 13:21–22; 14:21–28; 15:24–25; 16:14–15). Despite this, they routinely doubted God and ignored His instructions (Exodus 14:10–11; 15:24; 16:1–3, 19–20). This verse contains another example.The people were told that their daily manna portion (Exodus 16:16–18) would be doubled on the sixth morning. This would be the only time when manna could be stored overnight. God's intent was for the people to rest on the seventh day. He made it clear that there would be no manna provided on the seventh morning (Exodus 16:25–26). Yet some go out to gather manna on this "Sabbath" day (Exodus 20:8–11).
Even though God's strongest statements about the Sabbath will come later (Exodus 31:12–17; 35:1–3), this disobedient response rouses His anger (Exodus 16:28).
Exodus 16:13–30 explains the miraculous provision of meat and bread during Israel's journey through the wilderness. Quail—small birds—arrive at night. In the morning, the ground is covered in a strange substance. This becomes a bread-like food for Israel, later called "manna" (Exodus 16:31). It also symbolizes their daily dependence on God—it could not be kept longer than instructed, so the people had to continually trust the Lord to provide more. To further prove this, God instructs the people to rest on the seventh day of the week.
As the recently-rescued Israelites (Exodus 14:21–31) journey on, they complain about food. God provides them with manna: a grain-like substance which miraculously appears each morning. The people are given instructions about how to gather and use manna. Only on the sixth day of the week can they collect more and keep leftovers for the following day. That seventh day is to be a time of rest, called a "sabbath."
