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 Living Translation (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.

Context of Exodus 16:15

13So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 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. 16This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ” 17Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.

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 16:31And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
• Deuteronomy 8:3So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
• Joshua 5:12Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.
• Nehemiah 9:15You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, And told them to go in to possess the land Which You had sworn to give them.
• John 6:31Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
• 1 Corinthians 10:3all ate the same spiritual food,
• Hebrews 9:4which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
• Revelation 2:17“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
• Exodus 16:4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.
• Numbers 21:5And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”
• Proverbs 9:5“Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.
• Luke 12:30For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.

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
• Children of Israel
• Ashamed
• Exodus
• Manna
• None
• Remain
• Rest
• Testimony

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