Exodus 16

The children of Israel come into the wilderness of Sin , v.1,etc. They murmure for having no bread , 2. god doth promise and give them bread from Heaven, 4. and quails too, 8. Manna is not found on the Sabbath day , 25.whence Manna had the name ; the form of it, 31.a gomer for it is laid up for posterity , 32. how long this Manna continued , 35. what a Gomer is , 36.

1. When they were gone from Elim, the whole Congregation of the children of Israel came into the wilderness of Sin, which is betwixt Elim and betwixt Zinai : [before they went from Elim towards Sin , they had been once again at the Red Sea , of which Journey Moseh makes no mention here , but recordeth it , Numb.33.10, 11. Sin is the name of a wildernesse in Arabia the stony , where was the eighth camping or leaguer-place of the Israelites, Numb.33.10,11. Mount Zinai is otherwise called Horeb, the same whereon Moseh received the Law.] on the fifteenth day of the second month after that they were gone forth out of the land of Egypt.

2. And all the Congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moseh, and against Aaron in the wilderness.

3. And the children of Israel said to them : O that [Heb.who shall give that : Compare Deut.5. Verse 29.] we had died in the land of Egypt , by the hand of the LORD, when we sate by the flesh-pots , when we did eat bread to satiety ( ad faturitatem ) for ye have led us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole Assembly with famine.

4. Then said the LORD to Moseh Behold, I will rain bread for you, [i.e. something ( called Manna) whereof the Israelites afterwards made bread] out of heaven, [i.e. it shall fall down from Heaven in the manner of a rain] and the people shall go forth , and gather each day (a) measure on his day, [Hebr. word, or thing which signifieth here such a quantity or proportion , as was needful one mans daily sustenance .] that I may prove them , whether they go in my Law, or not.

5. And it shall come to pass on the sixt day [viz. the day before the Sabbath ; then the Israelites were to prepare and ready their meat for the Sabbath day , on which they were allowed no manner of work , not so much as the kindling of a fire , as may be seen , Exodus 35:3.] that they shall make ready what they shall have brought in : the same shall be double [see below ver. 22.] above what they shall gather daily. [Hebr. day, day, as Genesis 39:10.]

6. Then said Moseh and Aaron to all the children of Israel : in the evening , [See verse 13.] then shall ye know, that the LORD hath led you forth out of the land of Egypt . [not we , of our own device , and purpose , as the people ever and anon upbraided them : See verse 3. and above chap.14.11.]

7. And to morrow ye shall see the Glory of the LORD, because he hath heard your murmurings against the LORD : for what are we , that ye murmure against us ?

8. Moreover , said Moseh , when the LORD shall give you flesh in the evening , and in the morning bread unto satiety , it shall be , because the LORD hath heard your murmurings , which ye murmure against him : for what are we ? your murmurings are not against us , but against the LORD. [Meaning, it was not against them alone ; or, not so much against them, as against the LORD . See the like phrases , Ge.32.28. and 1 Samuel 8:7. John 12:44.]

9. After that, Moseh said unto Aaron ; Say to the whole Congregation of the children of Israel ; Draw near before the face of the LORD, [i.e. assemble together before the cloudy pillar , in and by which the LORD did manifest his glorious presence , verse 10 .] for he hath heard your murmurings .

10. And it came to pass , when Aaron spake to the whole Congregation of the children of Israel , and that they turned themselves toward the wilderness , then behold , the Glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud .

11. Also the LORD spake unto Moseh ,saying ;

12. i have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel : speak to them, saying Betwixt the two evenings , [see Exodus 12:6.] ye shall eat flesh ; and in the morning ye shall be satisfied with bread ; and ye shall know , [finding it verified by your own experience .] that I am the LORD your God .

13. And it came to pass in the evening , [viz. of that day]that there came up quails , [Heb. the quail : So Exod.8.verse 6. the frog, for frogs .] and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay round about the camp. [Heb. there was a laying of dew.]

14. Now when the dew that lay , was gone up, [viz. Into the air , evaporating through the heat of the Sun : The Manna lay covered and hidden under the dew , which went upwards with the rising of the Sun. See Numb.11.9.] behold , then there was over the wilderness [Heb. upon the face of the wilderness :] a small [Heb. thin] round thing , small as the hoar -frost upon the earth.

15. When the children of Israel saw it, they said the one to the other , [Heb. the man to his brother .] it is MAN ; [i.e. it is food , or gift prepared and appointed for us . Oth. What is this ?] fo they knew not what it was : Moseh then said unto them ; this is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

16. This is the Word, which the LORD commanded ; gather of it every one , according as he [and his whole family] may eat : [Heb. according to the mouth of his food , i.e. according to what his own and families sustenance requireth .] a Gomer for an head , [Heb.pate or brain, i.e. person] after the number of your souls ; every one shall take for those that are in his Tent . [These words declare the fore-going , in this verse.]

17. And the children of israel did so, and gathered the one much , the other little . [Heb. multiplying , and deminishing .]

18. Yetwhen they measured it with the Gomer, [See below, verse 35] he that had gathered much, had nothing ever, and he that gathered little, had no lack: [That senes is, very one broughte home what he gathered, and then the father, or head of the family measured it out, and gave every one Gomer, or due there and proportion, so that none got more than his due and ordinary allowence] every one gathered us with as he coud eat. [Heb. according to the mouth of his eating, or food, as verse 16]

19. And Moseh said to them; Let no man leave (ought) of it t the morning.

20. Yet they hearkened to Moseh, but some men left of it to the morning [This thy did, some out of the fruitlesse, care, and difference, and others it may be out, of curiosity, to try and see whether the Manna would keep so long] then there grew worms in it, and it become stinking; for with Moseh was very wroth with them.

21. Thus now gathered every morning, [Heb. in the morning, in the morning] every one according as he could eat, for when Sun grew hot, it welted. [viz that which remained lying on the ground; so here is rendred the reason , why they gathered it always in the morning]

22. And it happened on the sixth da, that they gathared double bread, tw Gomer for one: and all the chief of the Congregation came, and acquainted Moseh with all it. [for they doubted whether the people did well or ill, Moseh having commanded, that there should be gathered but a Gomer a piece.]

23. The he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath spoken; Tomorrow is the rest, the holy Sabbath of the LORD; That which ye shouln bake, [viz. against tommorrow] bake that, and boil, what ye should boil, and all that which remaineth over, [viz. on the sixth day, the moity of the double Gomer which they had gathered; the monity of the double Gomer which they had gathered on the sixth day, remained over] lay it up for you in custody tomorrow.

24. And they laid the same up, until tomorrow, as Moseh had commened, andit stank not, [As it happened before, when they had laid it up, against Moseh his command. See above, verse 20] nor was there any worn in it.

25. Then said Moseh, Eat that to day [Moseh here teacheth the people, what they ought to do, not only on that day, but from week to week, on every Sabbath day, as long as it should rain Manna] for to day is the Sabbath of the LORD: [Moseh spake the word of this verse and next, on that evening, when the Sabbath began, or was entering, which we, according to our custome, use t call Saturday – everning; for the Sabbath day began with the evining of the sixth day, and ended with the eveining of the seventh] ye shall find none in the filed to day.

26. Six days ye shall gather it: but on the seventh day in the Sabaath, on the same, there shall be none.

27. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that some of the people went forth togather (Manna) [Thses believed neither God himself, nor Moseh his servant] yet they found nothing .

28. Then the LORD said to Moseh: [i.e. He commended him say unto the people] How long do ye refuse to keep my commendments, and my Laws? [one kind of transgression, is set down here as the transgression of Commandements}

29. Behold , therefore , because the LORD hath given you the Sabbath , he gives you the sixt day two days bread : Let everyone remain in his place , that none go forth but of his place on the seventh day .[viz. for to gather Manna ; or to do any other work , Lev.23.3.they are charged to repair to the holy Assembly, and Acts 1:12. mention is made of a Sabbath-days Journey.]

30. So the people rested on the seventh day.

31. And the house of Israel , called its name MAN : and it was like Coriander -seen, [viz. For shape and bignesse , but it was white like Bedolah , or crystal , Numb.11.7.] white, and the taste of it , was like honey cakes . [viz.being taken up from the ground , undresled ; but when it was caked , it tasted like fresh oil , Numb.11.8.]

32. Moreover, Moseh said , This is the Word , which the LORD commanded : Fill a Gomer thereof , to keep [viz. in the Tabernacle , which shall be set up] for your Generations ( or, posterity ) that they may see the bread which I have given you to eat in this wilderness, when I led you forth out of the Land of Egypt.

33. Moseh likewise said to Aaron , Take a pot [Hebrews 9:4. it is called the golden vessel . Oth. Dish, plate] and put a Gomer full [Heb. fulness of a Gomer] of Man into it : and set it before the face of the LORD , [whobmanifested his presence above the Ark of the Covenant .] to be kepe for your Generations .

34. According as the LORD commanded Moseh, so Aaron set it (up) before the Testimony [Understand before the Ark of the Covenant, wherein the Tables of the Law of God were kept : See Exod.25.16, 21. which are called the Testimony , because they witnessed or testified the will of God . The Ark was indeed first commanded to be made upon Mount Sinai, ( after the giving of the Law ) but Moseh here contracteth the matter , for to conclude the History of the Manna therewith .] to be kept .

35. And the children of Israel did eat Man fourty year , until they came into the inhabited countrey : [This is said in opposition to the wildernesse , wherein they lived all this while] they did eat Man , until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan.

36. Now a Gomer is the tenth (part) of an Epha : [This is a measure of dry wares , containing as much as four hundred thirty two hen-egge-shells ; so that the Gomer , as some conceive , was twice as large as the Choenix , Revelation 6:6. being a corn or grain -measure, holding as much as would serve to feed a man a day See Lev.5.11. And 19.36. Deut.25.14, etc.]