INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 16 This chapter begins with an account of the journeying of the children of Israel from Elim to the wilderness of Sin, where they murmured for want of bread, Exodus 16:1, when the Lord told Moses that he would rain bread from heaven for them, which Moses informed them of; and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY TOOK THEIR JOURNEY FROM ELIM,.... And came again to the Red sea, as appears from Numbers 33:10 perhaps to some bay or creek of it, which ran up from it, and lay in their way, and where for a short time they encamped to look at it, and recollect what had been done for them in bringing them t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE WHOLE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL MURMURED,.... For want of bread; for the Targum of Jonathan says, that day the dough ceased they brought of Egypt, on which, and the unleavened cakes they had lived thirty days; and for a longer space of time it was not sufficient, as Josephus g a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SAID UNTO THEM,.... They not only inwardly murmured, and privately complained among themselves, but they spoke out their complaints, and that in a very extravagant manner: WOULD TO GOD WE HAD DIED BY THE HAND OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF EGYPT; by one of the plagues, or som... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID THE LORD UNTO MOSES,.... Who no doubt had been praying to him, as was his usual manner, when the people were in distress and complained, and was heard and answered by him: behold, I WILL RAIN BREAD FROM HEAVEN FOR YOU; though they were a murmuring, rebellious, and ungrateful people, the L... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT ON THE SIXTH DAY,.... Of the week, and from the raining of the bread, which was on the first day of the week: THEY SHALL PREPARE THAT WHICH THEY BRING IN; the Targum of Jonathan adds, to eat on the sabbath day; what they did not consume on the sixth day was to be pre... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES AND AARON SAID UNTO ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... That is, Aaron spoke in the name of Moses to them, he being his spokesman, appointed of God to speak for him, and both spoke to them as from the Lord: AT EVEN, THEN YE SHALL KNOW THAT THE LORD HATH BROUGHT YOU OUT FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN THE MORNING, THEN YE SHALL SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD,.... Either as displayed in this wonderful affair, raining bread about their tents, which was in the morning, or else as it appeared in the cloud, Exodus 16:7 the latter sense seems to be confirmed by what follows: for that he; the glory of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SAID, THIS SHALL BE,.... Which supplement may be left out: WHEN THE LORD SHALL GIVE YOU IN THE EVENING FLESH TO EAT; cause the quails to come up, and fall about their tents: AND IN THE MORNING BREAD TO THE FULL; by raining it from heaven all around them: FOR THAT, or rather "then" k, T... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SPAKE UNTO AARON,.... Who was his prophet and spokesman to the people: SAY UNTO ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL; to the heads of them, to as many as could conveniently hear him, and were to report what he said to the rest: COME NEAR BEFORE THE LORD; who was in the pillar o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS AARON SPOKE TO THE WHOLE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... Before he had well done speaking: THAT THEY LOOKED TOWARD THE WILDERNESS; they were already in the wilderness of Sin, and they looked straight forward toward that part of it which was yet before them, or to... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES,.... Out of the bright and glorious cloud: SAYING; as follows:... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE HEARD THE MURMURINGS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... This Moses and Aaron had often affirmed, and now the Lord confirms what they had said, and lets them know that he took notice of their murmurings, and disapproved of them, and was displeased with them; though he did not think fit to resent t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT AT EVEN THE QUAILS CAME UP,.... From the coasts of Egypt, from the Red sea, over which they flew; and being evening, and weary with flying so long, lighted and settled where the Israelites encamped. Josephus l says, about the Arabian gulf there are more of this sort of bird... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE DEW THAT LAY WAS GONE UP,.... Exhaled by the sun upon the rising of it: BEHOLD, UPON THE FACE OF THE WILDERNESS; upon the surface of it, all around the camp of Israel: THERE LAY A SMALL ROUND THING, AS SMALL AS THE HOAR FROST ON THE GROUND; which is what is in the next verse called "m... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SAW IT,.... As they could not but observe it, it being spread over the face of the wilderness; and besides, as they were told, that in the morning they should have bread to the full, they were up early to look after it: THEY SAID ONE TO ANOTHER, IT [IS] MANNA; not su... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS THE THING WHICH THE LORD HATH COMMANDED,.... Respecting the gathering of it, the rule or rules he would have observed concerning that, as follows: GATHER OF IT EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS EATING; according to his appetite, and according to the appetites of those that were in his family, as m... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID SO,.... They went out of the camp in the morning when it was fallen, and gathered it; which is expressive of believers going out of the camp, leaving the world, and all behind them for Christ; and of their going out of themselves to him, and of their going in and out,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THEY DID METE IT WITH AN OMER,.... What was gathered in; and everyone had his measure, his omer dealt out to him by those that meted or measured it: HE THAT GATHERED MUCH HAD NOTHING OVER, AND HE THAT GATHERED LITTLE HAD NO LACK; when their gatherings were put together in one heap, and eac... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SAID UNTO THEM,.... At the same time he gave the direction to them about gathering it, and measuring out to every man an omer: LET NO MAN LEAVE OF IT UNTIL THE MORNING; not that every man was bound to eat up the quantity distributed to him; he might give what he could not eat to those tha... [ Continue Reading ]
NOTWITHSTANDING THEY HEARKENED NOT UNTO MOSES,.... That is, not all of them, some of them did, and perhaps the far greater part of them: BUT SOME OF THEM LEFT IT UNTIL THE MORNING; out of distrust, for fear they should have none the next day; being men of little faith, that could not trust God for... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY GATHERED IT EVERY MORNING,.... From the time the morning began, during four hours, or to the fourth hour, as the Targum of Jonathan; that is, till ten o'clock in the morning: this was a very wonderful thing that bread should be provided and rained every morning about the camp of Israel, in... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT ON THE SIXTH DAY,.... Of the week, or from the first raining of the manna, which was the same: THEY GATHERED TWICE AS MUCH BREAD; as they had used to do on other days, a greater quantity falling, and which was more easily taken up: TWO OMERS FOR ONE MAN; or, "instead of o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, THIS IS THAT WHICH THE LORD HATH SAID,.... Which he had said to Moses privately, for as yet he had said it to none else: TOMORROW IS THE REST OF THE HOLY SABBATH UNTO THE LORD; according to Jarchi, the rulers asked Moses what this day was, different from other days, that doub... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY LAID IT UP UNTIL THE MORNING, AS MOSES BADE,.... What was left of two omers a man, what they had neither baked nor boiled: AND IT DID NOT STINK, NEITHER WAS THERE ANY WORM THEREIN, which was the case, when it was left or laid up on other days; and it showed that there was an interposition... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SAID, EAT THAT TODAY,.... That is, he said this on the seventh day in the morning, and bid them eat of it whether baked or seethed, or as it was, or just as they pleased; however, they had liberty to eat of it, and indeed they had no other, because none fell on this day: FOR TODAY IS A SA... [ Continue Reading ]
SIX DAYS YE SHALL GATHER IT,.... Day after day, every morning, as they had done the six days past, so they should during their stay in the wilderness: BUT ON THE SEVENTH DAY, [WHICH] IS THE SABBATH; which is repeated, being a new thing, to impress it on their minds: in it there shall be none: no ma... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS,.... Perhaps the next seventh day following: [THAT] THERE WENT OUT [SOME] OF THE PEOPLE FOR TO GATHER; to gather manna, as on other days; which they did not through want of provision or a greedy appetite, for they had bread every day, and on that day to the full, but to gratify... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES,.... Who had seen and taken notice of what those men had done, who went out into the field to seek for manna on the seventh day, and was displeased with it, and therefore spoke to Moses out of the cloud: HOW LONG REFUSE YE TO KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS AND MY LAWS? this is no... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE, FOR THAT THE LORD HATH GIVEN YOU THE SABBATH,.... These are either the words of Jehovah, the Angel of the Lord, out of the cloud continued; or the words of Moses to the children of Israel, upon what the Lord had said to him, and would have them observe and take notice, that whereas the Lord had... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THE PEOPLE RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY. Did not attempt to go out of their tents in quest of manna, as on other days, and observed it as a day of rest from labour, and so they continued to do in successive generations.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL CALLED THE NAME THEREOF MANNA,.... For till now they had given it no name; which shows that the words are not to be read as we render them in Exodus 16:15 it is manna, unless this is to be considered as a confirmation of that name; but rather as an interrogation, "what is it?... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SAID,.... At another time, though it is here inserted to give the account of the mamma all together: THIS IS THE THING WHICH THE LORD COMMANDETH; namely, what follows: FILL AN OMER OF IT TO BE KEPT FOR YOUR GENERATIONS; which was the quantity allowed a man every day; this measure was to... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SAID UNTO AARON, TAKE A POT,.... The Targum of Jonathan calls it an earthen pot; and so Jarchi; which, if it could be supported, might be considered as an emblem of the ministers of the word, in whom, as in earthen vessels, the Gospel of Christ is put: Aben Ezra says, it was a vessel eithe... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES, SO AARON LAID IT UP BEFORE THE TESTIMONY, TO BE KEPT. That is, before the ark of the testimony; when that was made, as it was in a little time after this, called the testimony, because it contained in it the law, which was a testimony or testification of the mind and wil... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID EAT MANNA FORTY YEARS,.... Wanting thirty days, as Jarchi observes; reckoning from their coming out of Egypt, and the passover they kept there, to their coming to the borders of the land of Canaan to Gilgal, and keeping the passover there, when the manna ceased, were j... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW AN OMER IS THE TENTH PART OF AN EPHAH. Frequent mention being made of this measure in the above relation, as containing the quantity of each man's share of the manna daily, during the forty years' stay in the wilderness; an account is given by the historian how much it contained, by which it may... [ Continue Reading ]