Exodus 16:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.

NIV: When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.

NASB: When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

CSB: When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground.

NLT: When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground.

KJV: And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

NKJV: And 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.

When Israel worried about food (Exodus 16:1–3), the Lord promised to provide (Exodus 16:6–7, 12). Now, for the first time, the people encounter what they will come to call "manna" (Exodus 16:15, 31). The substance is made up of scale-like or flake-like pieces, "fine" in the sense of being small. Individual parts are small enough to be compared to tiny crystals of frost.

This is like nothing the people have ever seen before (Deuteronomy 8:3). This is the "bread" provided by God, in a form that appears like a kind of grain (Numbers 11:7–8). The Lord intends for the people to gather what they need each day and trust Him to provide for the next day (Exodus 16:4). Israel will receive this miracle every day for the next four decades (Exodus 16:35)

Previous instructions about this food (Exodus 16:5) will be expanded in the following verses. Manna is one of the more famous concepts in Scripture; it becomes an important symbol of the ministry of Jesus Christ (John 6:48–51).

Exodus 16:13–30 explains the miraculous provision of meat and bread during Israel's journey through the wilderness. Quail—small birds—arrive at night. In the morning, the ground is covered in a strange substance. This becomes a bread-like food for Israel, later called "manna" (Exodus 16:31). It also symbolizes their daily dependence on God—it could not be kept longer than instructed, so the people had to continually trust the Lord to provide more. To further prove this, God instructs the people to rest on the seventh day of the week.

As the recently-rescued Israelites (Exodus 14:21–31) journey on, they complain about food. God provides them with manna: a grain-like substance which miraculously appears each morning. The people are given instructions about how to gather and use manna. Only on the sixth day of the week can they collect more and keep leftovers for the following day. That seventh day is to be a time of rest, called a "sabbath."

Israel has celebrated (Exodus 15:1) their miraculous escape through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–28). They have survived their first hardship (Exodus 15:23–25). God now provides manna in response to their complaints about food. He also begins to establish the concept of the seventh-day Sabbath. Soon, the Lord will send another miracle regarding water (Exodus 17:1–7) and the people will have their first military battle (Exodus 17:8–16). Shortly after this, Moses' father-in-law will arrive and offer some helpful advice (Exodus 18).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.

Accessed 6/15/2025 6:18:35 AM