Exodus 16:15

Exodus 16:15 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (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.
• English Standard Version (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.
• New King James Version (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.

Context of Exodus 16:15

13That evening, quails appeared. They covered all the ground round the tents. In the morning, there was dew on the ground round the tents. 14When the dew had gone, thin white pieces remained on the dry ground, there in the desert. It seemed like frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw these pieces, they said, ‘What is it?’ They did not understand what it was. But Moses said to them, ‘This is the bread that the Lord has given to you. It is for you to eat. 16This is what the Lord has commanded: “Each family must pick up as much as they need to eat. Pick up two litres for each person who lives in your tent.” ’ 17So the Israelites did this. Some of them picked up a lot of the food. Some of them picked up only a little food.

Exodus 16:15 word by word

וַיִּרְא֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ אִ֤ישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו֙ מָ֣ן ה֔וּא כִּ֛י לֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּ מַה־ה֑וּא וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם ה֣וּא הַלֶּ֔חֶם אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֧ן יְהוָ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם לְאָכְלָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• to anotherאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
• mannaמָןmân · What?H4478
• for they wistיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• And Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• the breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
• which the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• hath givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• you to eatאׇכְלָה'ôklâh · foodH402

Cross-references for Exodus 16:15

• Exodus 16:31The Israelites called the special food ‘manna’. It was white, like seeds called coriander. When they tasted the manna, it was like thin pieces of bread with honey in it.
• Deuteronomy 8:3He caused you to become hungry and then he fed you with manna. Neither you nor your ancestors had ever seen this food before. In this way, he taught you that food alone cannot cause people to live. They need to hear every word that the Lord speaks. That is what gives them true life.
• Joshua 5:12The manna that they had been eating no longer appeared. The Israelite people never ate manna again. Now they could eat the food that was grown in Canaan.
• Nehemiah 9:15You gave your people bread from heaven when they were hungry. You gave them water from a rock to drink when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go to the land that you had promised to give them. You told them to take it for themselves.
• John 6:31Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness. We know that it says in the Bible, “God gave bread to them from heaven for them to eat.” ’
• 1 Corinthians 10:3All our ancestors ate the same spiritual food.
• Hebrews 9:4The gold altar for incense was in there. The Covenant Box was there too. The box had gold on all its sides. Inside the box was the gold pot that contained the special food called manna. The box also contained Aaron's stick that had grown leaves. It also contained the two flat stones on which God had written the rules of his agreement with his people.
• Revelation 2:17God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully! To everyone who wins against Satan I will give some of my special food called manna. I will also give each of them a white stone. I will write a new name on that stone. Nobody will know that name except the person who receives it.” ’
• Exodus 16:4Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will cause bread to fall down from the sky for you like rain. Each day, the people must go out and pick up enough bread for that day. In this way I will test them. I will discover whether they will obey my rules.
• Numbers 21:5They complained to God and to Moses, ‘You should not have brought us from Egypt to die here in the desert. There is nothing to eat. There is no water to drink. We do not like this bad food, manna.’
• Proverbs 9:5‘Come here and eat my food. Drink the wine that I have mixed.
• Luke 12:30People who do not know God are always trying to get these things. But as for you, your Father God knows that you need them.

Commentaries on Exodus 16:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15They said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was - This is a most unfortunate translation, because it not only gives no sense, but it contradicts itself. The Hebrew הוא מן man hu, literally signifies, What is this? for, says the text, they wist not what it was, and therefore they could not give it a name. Moses immediately answers the question, and says, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. From Exodus 16:31; we…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15It is manna - “Man” or “man-hut,” i. e. white manna, was the name under which the substance was known to the Egyptians, and therefore to the Israelites. The manna of the Peninsula of Sinai is the sweet juice of the Tarfa, a species of tamarisk. It exudes from the trunk and branches in hot weather, and forms small round white grains. In cold weather it preserves its consistency, in hot weather it melts rapidly. It is either gathered from the twigs of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-21Verses 13-21 At evening the quails came up, and the people caught with ease as many as they needed. The manna came down in dew. They called it "Manna, Manhu," which means, "What is this?" "It is a portion; it is that which our God has allotted us, and we will take it, and be thankful." It was pleasant food; it was wholesome food. The manna was rained from heaven; it appeared, when the dew was gone, as a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost, like…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15The Hebrew term man hu (meaning "What is it?") became the name for the miraculous food called manna (see 16:31). For 40 years, the people ate what is it? Jesus referred to himself as the fulfillment of the meaning of this miracle. He is the "true bread from heaven" that gives life (John 6:32–35, 48, 51, 63).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-3113-31. at even the quails came up, and covered the camp--This bird is of the gallinaceous kind [that is, relating to the order of heavy-bodied, largely terrestrial birds], resembling the red partridge, but not larger than the turtledove. They are found in certain seasons in the places through which the Israelites passed, being migratory birds, and they were probably brought to the camp by "a wind from the Lord" as on another occasion (Nu 11:31). and in…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 16:15

• Israel
• Manna
• Miracles
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Moses
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Children of Israel
• Ashamed
• Exodus
• Manna
• None
• Remain

Commentaries on Exodus 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings