Exodus 16 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible

Exodus 16

1 - They took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

2 - The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;

3 - and the children of Israel said to them, "We wish that we had died by The LORD's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, 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 bread from the sky 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.

5 - It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily."

6 - Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, "At evening, then you shall know that the LORD has brought you out from the land of Egypt;

7 - and in the morning, then you shall see The LORD's glory; because he hears your murmurings against The LORD. Who are we, that you murmur against us?"

8 - Moses said, "Now the LORD shall give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you; because the LORD hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against The LORD."

9 - Moses said to Aaron, "Tell all the congregation of the children of Israel, 'Come near before The LORD, for he has heard your murmurings.'"

10 - As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, The LORD's glory appeared in the cloud.

11 - The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 - "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, 'At evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread: and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

13 - In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp.

14 - When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground.

15 - When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they didn't know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat."

16 - This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: "Gather of it everyone according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, you shall take it, every man for those who are in his tent."

17 - The children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.

18 - When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. They gathered every man according to his eating.

19 - Moses said to them, "Let no one leave of it until the morning."

20 - Notwithstanding they didn't listen to Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and became foul: and Moses was angry with them.

21 - They gathered it morning by morning, everyone according to his eating. When the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 - On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one, and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

23 - He said to them, "This is that which the LORD has spoken, 'Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to The LORD. Bake that which you want to bake, and boil that which you want to boil; and all that remains over lay up for yourselves to be kept until the morning.'"

24 - They laid it up until the morning, as Moses asked, and it didn't become foul, and there were no worms in it.

25 - Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to The LORD. Today you shall not find it in the field.

26 - Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath. In it there shall be none."

27 - On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, and they found none.

28 - The LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?

29 - Behold, because the LORD has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Everyone stay in his place. Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day."

30 - So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 - The house of Israel called its name Manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey.

32 - Moses said, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, 'Let an omer-full of it be kept throughout 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 - Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna in it, and lay it up before The LORD, to be kept throughout your generations."

34 - As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

35 - The children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan.

36 - Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.

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Exodus 16 Images and Notes

Brief Summary: The Israelites murmur because they want bread, and they begin lusting for the flesh pots back in Egypt, the Lord creates bread from heaven from the dew called Manna, the Lord also sends them quail for meat, the Manna is provided for Israel every day, but not on the Sabbath day, the Manna continued for 40 years.

Outline
1 The Israelites come to the Wilderness of Sin
2 They murmur for want at bread
4 God promises them bread from heaven
11 Quails are sent
14 Manna is provided
16 Directions concerning the manna
25 No manna is found on the Sabbath
32 An omer of manna is preserved

Painting of the Israelites Gathering Manna

Important Topics for Bible Study
The children of Israel journey through the wilderness of sin
the children of Israel murmured against Moses
God promises to provide bread from heaven
Moses rebukes the people for murmuring
Moses tells the people to come before the Lord
God's glory appears in the cloud
God sends Quail for meat
God also sends bread from heaven
each family of Israel gathers enough for their own
Moses commands Israel about how to keep the bread
Israel disobeys Moses commands
Moses gives him a command about the Sabbath
Israel disobeys again
God becomes angry at their disobedience
Moses gives them wise counsel
Israel rests
the name of the bread is called manna
Aaron stored an omer of manna with the unbroken tablets of stone
the manna will continue for 40 years

Photo of a Quail

Quick Reference Map

Map of the Possible Route of the Exodus (Click to Enlarge)

Ancient Customs
manna
quail
omer

Ancient People
God, Moses, Aaron
the children of Israel
the LORD

Geography
the wilderness of Sin

Quick Reference Maps

The Exodus of the Hebrews

Mount Horeb

The Red Sea

Map of the Red Sea and Egypt (Click to Enlarge)

The Old Testament

Exodus Resources

Moses and the Exodus
The Giving of the Law
The Tabernacle
The Wilderness Wanderings