Exodus 16:15

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
When the children of Yisra'el saw it, they said one to another, "What is it?" For they didn't know what it was. Moshe said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat."

King James Version
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.

Lexham English Bible
And the Israelites saw, and they said to each other, "What is this?" because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "That is the bread that Yahweh has given to you as food.

New Century Version
When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, "What is it?" because they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, "This is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.

New English Translation
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you for food.

Amplified Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

New American Standard Bible
When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the children of Israel sawe it, they sayde one to another, It is MAN, for they wist not what it was. And Moses sayd vnto them, This is the breade which the Lorde hath giuen you to eate.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the sons of Israel saw it and said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.

Contemporary English Version
The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, "What is it?" Moses answered, "This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

Complete Jewish Bible
When the people of Isra'el saw it, they asked each other, "Man hu? [What is it?]" because they didn't know what it was. Moshe answered them, "It is the bread which Adonai has given you to eat.

Darby Translation
And the children of Israel saw [it], and said one to another, What is it? for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which Jehovah has given you to eat.

Easy-to-Read Version
When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, "What is that?" because they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, "This is the food the Lord is giving you to eat.

English Standard Version
When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

George Lamsa Translation
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, Manna-ho? (What is it?) For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

Good News Translation
When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know what it was and asked each other, "What is it?" Moses said to them, "This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat.

Christian Standard Bible®
When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was.

Literal Translation
And 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.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the children of Israel sawe it, they saide one to another: This is Ma. For they wyst not what it was. But Moses sayde vnto them: It is the bred that ye LORDE hath geue you to eate.

American Standard Version
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is it? for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them, It is the bread which Jehovah hath given you to eat.

Bible in Basic English
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, What is it? for they had no idea what it was. And Moses said to them, It is the bread which the Lord has given you for your food.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said euery one to his neighbour, it is Manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moyses said vnto the: This is the bread whiche the Lorde hath geuen you to eate.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: 'What is it?'--for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

King James Version (1611)
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is Manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said vnto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath giuen you to eate.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is this? for they knew not what it was; and Moses said to them,

English Revised Version
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is it? for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

Berean Standard Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the sones of Israel hadden seyn that, thei seiden to gidere, Man hu? which signyfieth, what is this? for thei wisten not what it was. To whiche Moises seide, This is the breed, which the Lord hath youe to you to ete.

Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel see, and say one unto another, `What [is] it?' for they have not known what it [is]; and Moses saith unto them, `It [is] the bread which Jehovah hath given to you for food.

Update Bible Version
And when the sons of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is it? For they didn't know what it was. And Moses said to them, It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the children of Israel saw [it], they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they knew not what it [was]. And Moses said to them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

World English Bible
When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, "What is it?" For they didn't know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat."

New King James Version
So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

New Living Translation
The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. "What is it?" they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, "It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.

New Life Bible
When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

New Revised Standard
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And when the sons of Israel saw it they said one to another - What is that? For they knew not what "that" was. Then said Moses unto them, "That" is the bread which Yahweh hath given you to eat.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: Manhu! which signifieth: What is this! for they knew not what it was. And Moses said to them: This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.

Revised Standard Version
When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

Contextual Overview

¹³That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was. So Moses told them, "It's the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God 's instructions: ‘Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.'" The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren't short—each person had gathered as much as was needed. Moses said to them, "Don't leave any of it until morning." But they didn't listen to Moses. A few of the men kept back some of it until morning. It got wormy and smelled bad. And Moses lost his temper with them. They gathered it every morning, each person according to need. Then the sun heated up and it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, about four quarts per person. Then the leaders of the company came to Moses and reported. Moses said, "This is what God was talking about: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to God . Whatever you plan to bake, bake today; and whatever you plan to boil, boil today. Then set aside the leftovers until morning." They set aside what was left until morning, as Moses had commanded. It didn't smell bad and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Now eat it; this is the day, a Sabbath for God . You won't find any of it on the ground today. Gather it every day for six days, but the seventh day is Sabbath; there won't be any of it on the ground." On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather anyway but they didn't find anything. God said to Moses, "How long are you going to disobey my commands and not follow my instructions? Don't you see that God has given you the Sabbath? So on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. So, each of you, stay home. Don't leave home on the seventh day." So the people quit working on the seventh day. The Israelites named it manna (What is it?). It looked like coriander seed, whitish. And it tasted like a cracker with honey. Moses said, "This is God 's command: ‘Keep a two-quart jar of it, an omer, for future generations so they can see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness after I brought you out of Egypt.'" Moses told Aaron, "Take a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Place it before God , keeping it safe for future generations." Aaron did what God commanded Moses. He set it aside before The Testimony to preserve it. The Israelites ate the manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle down. They ate manna until they reached the border into Canaan. According to ancient measurements, an omer is one-tenth of an ephah. ¹⁶ On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, the whole company of Israel moved on from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai. The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, "Why didn't God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You've brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!" God said to Moses, "I'm going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day's ration. I'm going to test them to see if they'll live according to my Teaching or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their daily ration." Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, "This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the Glory of God . Yes, he's listened to your complaints against him. You haven't been complaining against us, you know, but against God ." Moses said, "Since it will be God who gives you meat for your meal in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, it's God who will have listened to your complaints against him. Who are we in all this? You haven't been complaining to us—you've been complaining to God !" Moses instructed Aaron: "Tell the whole company of Israel: ‘Come near to God . He's heard your complaints.'" When Aaron gave out the instructions to the whole company of Israel, they turned to face the wilderness. And there it was: the Glory of God visible in the Cloud. God spoke to Moses, "I've listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: ‘At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you'll eat your fill of bread; and you'll realize that I am God , your God.'" That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was. So Moses told them, "It's the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God 's instructions: ‘Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.'" ¹⁷The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren't short—each person had gathered as much as was needed. ¹⁹ Moses said to them, "Don't leave any of it until morning." ²⁰ But they didn't listen to Moses. A few of the men kept back some of it until morning. It got wormy and smelled bad. And Moses lost his temper with them. ²¹They gathered it every morning, each person according to need. Then the sun heated up and it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, about four quarts per person. Then the leaders of the company came to Moses and reported.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

It is manna: or, What is this, or, It is a portion, Exodus 16:31, Exodus 16:33, Deuteronomy 8:3, Deuteronomy 8:16, Joshua 5:12, Nehemiah 9:15, Nehemiah 9:20, John 6:31, John 6:32, John 6:49, John 6:58, 1 Corinthians 10:3, Hebrews 9:4, Revelation 2:17

This is: Exodus 16:4, Numbers 21:5, Proverbs 9:5, Luke 12:30

Reciprocal: Exodus 34:29 - wist Numbers 11:7 - the manna Proverbs 30:8 - feed Matthew 4:4 - but Luke 11:3 - Give

Cross-References

Genesis 16:9
The angel of God said, "Go back to your mistress. Put up with her abuse." He continued, "I'm going to give you a big family, children past counting. From this pregnancy, you'll get a son: Name him Ishmael; for God heard you, God answered you. He'll be a bucking bronco of a man, a real fighter, fighting and being fought, Always stirring up trouble, always at odds with his family."

Genesis 17:18
Recovering, Abraham said to God, "Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!"

Genesis 17:20
"And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children—a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation. But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year."

Genesis 25:12
This is the family tree of Ishmael son of Abraham, the son that Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the children of Israel saw it,.... As they could not but observe it, it being spread over the face of the wilderness; and besides, as they were told, that in the morning they should have bread to the full, they were up early to look after it:

they said one to another, it [is] manna; not such as is known by that name now, which is only used in medicine; nor anything that was then known by any such name; but so they called it, because it was, as Jarchi says, a preparation of food, or food ready prepared for them, from מנה, "manah", which signifies to appoint, prepare, and distribute, see Daniel 1:5, so Christ is appointed of God, and prepared in his purposes and decrees, and delivered out, by his grace as proper food for his people, who have everyone their portion in due season: for Kimchi and Ben Melech give the sense of the word, a gift and portion from God; and such is Christ, the gift of his grace, and an unspeakable one. Some think these words were spoken by the Israelites on first sight of the manna, by way of question, "Man hu, what is it?" and so Josephus o says it signifies in their language; but it does not appear that the word is so used in the Hebrew tongue, though it might in the Syriac or Chaldee, which was more in use in the times of Josephus. But it can hardly be thought that the Israelites could speak in either of these dialects at this time; it is much more probable what others say, that it so signifies in the Egyptian tongue; and it is not at all to be wondered at that Israel, just come out of Egypt, should use an Egyptian word: and this best agrees with the reason that follows, "for they wist not what it was"; which contradicts our version; for if they knew not what it was, how came they to call it manna? but taking the above words as an interrogation, asking one another what it was, those come in very pertinently, and assign a reason of the question, because they were ignorant of it, having never seen any such thing before; and this sense is confirmed by what Moses says in the next clause, telling them what it was: and thus Christ is unknown to his own people, until he is revealed unto them; not by flesh and blood, by carnal reason or carnal men, but by the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; and he remains always unknown to natural men, though ever so wise and prudent:

and Moses said unto them, this is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat; which he had promised them the day before, and which he had now rained in plenty about them; and which they had as a free gift of his, without any merit and desert of theirs, and without their labour, diligence, and industry, and which they had now power from him to eat of freely and plentifully.

o Antiqu. l. 3. c. 1. sect. 6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is manna - “Man” or “man-hut,” i. e. white manna, was the name under which the substance was known to the Egyptians, and therefore to the Israelites. The manna of the Peninsula of Sinai is the sweet juice of the Tarfa, a species of tamarisk. It exudes from the trunk and branches in hot weather, and forms small round white grains. In cold weather it preserves its consistency, in hot weather it melts rapidly. It is either gathered from the twigs of tamarisk, or from the fallen leaves underneath the tree. The color is a greyish yellow. It begins to exude in May, and lasts about six weeks. According to Ehrenberg, it is produced by the puncture of an insect. It is abundant in rainy seasons, many years it ceases altogether. The whole quantity now produced in a single year does not exceed 600 or 700 pounds. It is found in the district between the Wady Gharandel, i. e. Elim, and Sinai, in the Wady Sheikh, and in some other parts of the Peninsula. When therefore the Israelites saw the “small round thing,” they said at once “this is manna,” but with an exclamation of surprise at finding it, not under the tamarisk tree, but on the open plain, in such immense quantities, under circumstances so unlike what they could have expected: in fact they did not know what it really was, only what it resembled.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 16:15. They said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was.] This is a most unfortunate translation, because it not only gives no sense, but it contradicts itself. The Hebrew מן הוא man hu, literally signifies, What is this? for, says the text, they wist not what it was, and therefore they could not give it a name. Moses immediately answers the question, and says, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. From Exodus 16:31 we learn that this substance was afterwards called man, probably in commemoration of the question they had asked on its first appearance. Almost all our own ancient versions translate the words, What is this?

What this substance was we know not. It was nothing that was common to the wilderness. It is evident the Israelites never saw it before, for Moses says, Deuteronomy 8:3; Deuteronomy 8:16: He fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; and it is very likely that nothing of the kind had ever been seen before; and by a pot of it being laid up in the ark, it is as likely that nothing of the kind ever appeared more, after the miraculous supply in the wilderness had ceased. It seems to have been created for the present occasion, and, like Him whom it typified, to have been the only thing of the kind, the only bread from heaven, which God ever gave to preserve the life of man, as Christ is the true bread that came down from heaven, and was given for the life of the world. See John 6:31-58.