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 vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. 14When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. 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. 16These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.” 17So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little.

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 food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.
• Deuteronomy 8:3Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
• Joshua 5:12No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.
• Nehemiah 9:15“You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.
• John 6:31After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
• 1 Corinthians 10:3All of them ate the same spiritual food,
• Hebrews 9:4In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
• Revelation 2:17“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.
• Exodus 16:4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.
• Numbers 21:5and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
• Proverbs 9:5“Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed.
• Luke 12:30These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.

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