Exodus 16:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the people rested on the seventh day.

NIV: So the people rested on the seventh day.

NASB: So the people rested on the seventh day.

CSB: So the people rested on the seventh day.

NLT: So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.

KJV: So the people rested on the seventh day.

NKJV: So the people rested on the seventh day.

When God created the universe and everything in it, He chose to "rest" on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1–3). Later, Israel was freed from centuries of oppressive slavery (Exodus 12:40–41). One of the nation's first instructions from the Lord was to rest on the seventh day of the week (Exodus 16:29). This was something given to man as a gift (Mark 2:27) and a way to honor their Creator (Exodus 20:8–11).

The Israelites obey this command. For forty years (Exodus 16:35), God will provide them with miraculous food (Exodus 16:14–16, 21). Shortly after their first taste of this "manna," and their first commands about the seventh-day Sabbath, God will provide more detailed instructions about this observance (Exodus 31:12–17; 35:1–3).

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 5:29:29 AM