Exodus 16:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

NIV: The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

NASB: And the sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

CSB: The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan.

NLT: So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

KJV: And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

NKJV: And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

This remark looks well into Israel's future. They have just been given manna for the first time (Exodus 16:14–16). God has instructed Moses to keep a small portion of this as a relic (Exodus 16:32). It will be another forty years before the Lord stops providing this daily (Exodus 16:21) food source. When the people celebrate the Passover in Canaan, God stops sending manna (Joshua 5:12). By that time, Moses—the writer of the book of Exodus—will have died (Joshua 1:1–2). Many scholars suggest that someone, such as Joshua, included the text at the end of this chapter as a footnote.

For those unaware of what will happen soon, four decades seems an extraordinarily long time. Israel has only recently left Egypt (Exodus 12:40–41) and crossed into the Sinai Peninsula (Exodus 14:1–3, 21–29). The Promised Land of Canaan (Genesis 17:8) is on the other side of that Peninsula (Genesis 15:18–21). The nation could walk to Canaan in just days. But the people will resist God's commands to enter (Numbers 14:1–4). The Lord will send Israel back into the deserts to wander until that entire generation has died (Numbers 14:22–23, 28–29, 34).

Exodus 16:31–36 reads like a footnote or appendix to the story of the exodus so far. God commands Israel to keep a small jar of manna for future generations to see. Aaron puts this by the "testimony" (Exodus 25:16) given by God. This miraculous supply of food (Exodus 16:14–16) would happen daily for forty years, until the people came into the Promised Land (Joshua 5:12). Since these events look forward, it seems likely they were included by Moses and Joshua later.

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.