Green’s Literal Translation (1985) (EN)

1And they pulled up stakes from Elim. And all the congregation of the sons of Israel came into the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their going out from the land of Egypt. 2And all the congregation of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness. 3And the sons of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, in our sitting by the fleshpots, in our eating bread to satisfaction. For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill all this assembly with hunger. 4And Jehovah said to Moses, Behold, I AM! Bread will rain from the heavens for you. And the people shall go out and gather the matter of a day in its day, so that I may test them, whether they will walk in My Law or not. 5And it shall be on the sixth day they shall prepare what they bring in. And it shall be double what they gather day by day.  6And Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, At evening you shall know that Jehovah has brought you from the land of Egypt; 7and in the morning you shall see the glory of Jehovah, in His hearing your murmurings against Jehovah. And we, what are we that you murmur against us? 8And Moses said, When Jehovah gives you flesh to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning, to satisfaction; when Jehovah hears your murmurings which you are murmuring against Him, you will see. And what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Jehovah. 9And Moses spoke to Aaron, Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, Come near before Jehovah; for He has heard your murmurings. 10And it happened, as Aaron was speaking to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, they turned toward the wilderness. And, behold! The glory of Jehovah appeared in the cloud! 11And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 12I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel. Speak to them, saying, Between the evenings you shall eat flesh; and in the morning you shall be satisfied with bread; and you shall know that I am Jehovah your God. 13And it happened in the evening: the quail came up and covered the camp. And in the morning a layer of dew was around the camp. 14And the layer of dew went up, and, behold, something small was on the face of the wilderness, scalelike, small like the hoarfrost on the earth. 15And the sons of Israel looked. And they said, each one to his brother, What is that? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, That is the bread which Jehovah has given to you for food. 16This is the thing which Jehovah commanded. Gather from it, each one according to the mouth of his eating; an omer for a head. By the number of your souls you shall take for each man who is in your tent. 17And so the sons of Israel did. And they gathered; the one gathering much and the one gathering little. 18And they measured with an omer. And the one gathering much did not have too much. And the one gathering little did not have any need. Each one gathered according to the mouth of his eating. 19And Moses said to them, Do not let anyone leave from it until morning. 20And they did not listen to Moses. And some left from it until morning; and it became rotten with maggots, and stunk. And Moses was angry against them. 21And they gathered it in the morning, each one in the morning according to the mouth of his eating. And it melted in the heat of the sun. 22And it came about on the sixth day, they gathered double bread, two omers for one. And all the leaders of the congregation came and reported to Moses. 23And he said to them, That is what Jehovah said, Tomorrow is a rest, a holy sabbath to Jehovah. What you will bake, bake. And boil what you will boil. And lay up for yourselves all that is left over, to keep it until the morning. 24And they laid it up until the morning, as Moses commanded. And it did not stink and no maggot was in it. 25And Moses said, Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to Jehovah. Today you will not find it in the field. 26You shall gather it six days, and on the seventh is a sabbath; in it none shall be found. 27And it happened on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, and did not find any. 28And Jehovah said to Moses, Until when do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 29Behold! Because Jehovah has given the sabbath to you, therefore He is giving to you two days of bread on the sixth day. Each one of you remain in his place. Do not let anyone go out from his place on the seventh day. 30And the people rested on the seventh day. 31And the house of Israel called its name, Manna. And it was like the seed of coriander, white; and its taste like cakes with honey. 32And Moses said, This is the thing which Jehovah has commanded, Fill an omer from it, to keep for your generations, so that they may see the bread which I caused you to eat in the wilderness, as I brought you out from the land of Egypt. 33And Moses said to Aaron, Take one pitcher, and put there the fullness of an omer of manna, and lay it up before Jehovah, to keep for your generations. 34Even as Jehovah commanded Moses, Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to keep it. 35And the sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until their coming into an inhabited land. They ate the manna until their coming to the border of the land of Canaan. 36And the omer was the tenth of an ephah.


Matthew Henry - Concise Commentary
 1   The provisions of Israel, brought from Egypt, were spent by the middle of the second month, and they murmured. It is no new thing for the greatest kindness to be basely represented as the greatest injuries. They so far undervalue their deliverance, that they wished they had died in Egypt; and by the hand of the Lord, that is, by the plagues which cut off the Egyptians. We cannot suppose they had plenty in Egypt, nor could they fear dying for want in the wilderness, while they had flocks and herds: none talk more absurdly than murmurers. When we begin to fret, we ought to consider, that God hears all our murmurings. God promises a speedy and constant supply. He tried whether they would trust him, and rest satisfied with the bread of the day in its day. Thus he tried if they would serve him, and it appeared how ungrateful they were. When God plagued the Egyptians, it was to make them know he was their Lord; when he provided for the Israelites, it was to make them know he was their God.

 13   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 coriander seed, in colour like pearls. The manna fell only six days in the week, and in double quantity on the sixth day; it bred worms and became offensive if kept more than one day, excepting on the sabbath. The people had never seen it before. It could be ground in a mill, or beaten in a mortar, and was then made into cakes and baked. It continued the forty years the Israelites were in the wilderness, wherever they went, and ceased when they arrived in Canaan. All this shows how different it was from any thing found before, or found now. They were to gather the manna every morning. We are hereby taught, 1. To be prudent and diligent in providing food for ourselves and our households; with quietness working, and eating our own bread, not the bread of idleness or deceit. God's bounty leaves room for man's duty; it did so even when manna was rained; they must not eat till they have gathered. 2. To be content with enough. Those that have most, have for themselves but food and raiment; those that have least, generally have these; so that he who gathers much has nothing over, and he who gathers little has no lack. There is not such a disproportion between one and another in the enjoyment of the things of this life, as in the mere possession of them. 3. To depend upon Providence: let them sleep quietly, though they have no bread in their tents, nor in all their camp, trusting that God, with the following day, would bring them in their daily bread. It was surer and safer in God's storehouse than their own, and would come thence sweeter and fresher. See here the folly of hoarding. The manna laid up by some, who thought themselves wiser, and better managers, than their neighbours, and who would provide lest it should fail next day, bred worms, and became good for nothing. That will prove to be most wasted, which is covetously and distrustfully spared. Such riches are corrupted, James 5:2, James 5:3. The same wisdom, power, and goodness that brought food daily from above for the Israelites in the wilderness, brings food yearly out of the earth in the constant course of nature, and gives us all things richly to enjoy.

 22   Here is mention of a seventh-day sabbath. It was known, not only before the giving of the law upon mount Sinai, but before the bringing of Israel out of Egypt, even from the beginning, Gen 2:3. The setting apart one day in seven for holy work, and, in order to that, for holy rest, was ever since God created man upon the earth, and is the most ancient of the Divine laws. Appointing them to rest on the seventh day, he took care that they should be no losers by it; and none ever will be losers by serving God. On that day they were to fetch in enough for two days, and to make it ready. This directs us to contrive family affairs, so that they may hinder us as little as possible in the work of the sabbath. Works of necessity are to be done on that day; but it is desirable to have as little as may be to do, that we may apply ourselves the more closely to prepare for the life that is to come. When they kept manna against a command, it stank; when they kept it by a command, it was sweet and good; every thing is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. On the seventh day God did not send the manna, therefore they must not expect it, nor go out to gather. This showed that it was produced by miracle.

 32   God having provided manna to be his people's food in the wilderness, the remembrance of it was to be preserved. Eaten bread must not be forgotten. God's miracles and mercies are to be had in remembrance. The word of God is the manna by which our souls are nourished, Matt 4:4. The comforts of the Spirit are hidden manna, Revel 2:17. These come from heaven, as the manna did, and are the support and comfort of the Divine life in the soul, while we are in the wilderness of this world. Christ in the word is to be applied to the soul, and the means of grace are to be used. We must every one of us gather for ourselves, and gather in the morning of our days, the morning of our opportunities; which if we let slip, it may be too late to gather. The manna must not be hoarded up, but eaten; those who have received Christ, must by faith live upon him, and not receive his grace in vain. There was manna enough for all, enough for each, and none had too much; so in Christ there is enough, but not more than we need. But those who ate manna, hungered again, died at last, and with many of them God was not well pleased; whereas they that feed on Christ by faith, shall never hunger, and shall die no more, and with them God will be for ever well pleased. Let us seek earnestly for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to turn all our knowledge of the doctrine of Christ crucified, into the spiritual nourishment of our souls by faith and love.