Exodus 16:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.

NASB: When the sons 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 which the Lord has given you to eat.

CSB: When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, "What is it?" because they didn’t know what it was. Moses told them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.

NLT: The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. 'What is it?' they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, 'It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.

When the Israelites find a strange, tiny, flaky substance on the ground, it is completely new to them (Deuteronomy 8:3) So they ask, "what is it?" or "what is that?" using the Hebrew phrase "mān hū?" As Moses explains, this is the bread which the Lord promised (Exodus 16:6–7, 12). In Hebrew, the word for "bread" is also used of food in general. This grain-like material (Numbers 11:8) will be collected each day (Exodus 16:16) and can be prepared in diverse ways (Exodus 16:23).

Israel will come to call this substance "manna" (Exodus 16:31), using the same word which means "what?" This would be like an English-speaking person referring to a strange new food as "whatsit." For the next forty years (Exodus 16:35; Joshuia 5:12), the people will depend on manna to survive in the wilderness. When the Messiah, Jesus, ministers on earth, He will explain how manna symbolized His role in salvation (John 6:48–51).

The Lord's intent for this daily provision is to make Israel trust in Him. What they gather cannot be stored or stockpiled (Exodus 16:19–20). Every day will remind them of their dependence on God.

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."

Israel has celebrated (Exodus 15:1) their miraculous escape through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–28). They have survived their first hardship (Exodus 15:23–25). God now provides manna in response to their complaints about food. He also begins to establish the concept of the seventh-day Sabbath. Soon, the Lord will send another miracle regarding water (Exodus 17:1–7) and the people will have their first military battle (Exodus 17:8–16). Shortly after this, Moses' father-in-law will arrive and offer some helpful advice (Exodus 18).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.