Exodus 16:14

New Life Version

When the water had gone, there were small white pieces all over the ground of the desert.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the hoar-frost on the ground.

King James Version
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

Lexham English Bible
And the layer of dew came up, and there on the face of the desert was a fine granular substance, fine like frost on the ground.

New Century Version
When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost were on the desert ground.

New English Translation
When the layer of dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth.

Amplified Bible
When the layer of dew evaporated, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine, flake-like thing, as fine as frost on the ground.

New American Standard Bible
When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the dewe that was fallen was ascended, beholde, a small round thing was vpon the face of the wildernes, small as the hoare frost on the earth.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the layer of dew evaporated, and behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

Contemporary English Version
After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost.

Complete Jewish Bible
When the dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

Darby Translation
And when the dew that lay [round it] was gone up, behold, on the face of the wilderness there was [something] fine, granular, fine as hoar-frost, on the ground.

Easy-to-Read Version
After the dew was gone, something like thin flakes of frost was on the ground.

English Standard Version
And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.

George Lamsa Translation
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a thin round crust, like the hoar frost on the ground.

Good News Translation
When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as delicate as frost.

Christian Standard Bible®
When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground.

Literal Translation
And 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.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the dew was falle, beholde, there laye a thinge in the wildernes, thynne and small, as the horefrost vpon the grounde.

American Standard Version
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness a small round thing, small as the hoar-frost on the ground.

Bible in Basic English
And when the dew was gone, on the face of the earth was a small round thing, like small drops of ice on the earth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the deawe was gone, beholde, vpon the grounde in the wyldernesse there lay a small rounde thyng, as small as the hoare frost on the ground.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when the layer of dew was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the hoar-frost on the ground.

King James Version (1611)
And when the dewe that lay was gone vp, behold, vpon the face of the wildernesse there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoare frost on the ground.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
in the morning it came to pass as the dew ceased round about the camp, that, behold, on the face of the wilderness was a small thing like white coriander seed, as frost upon the earth.

English Revised Version
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness a small round thing, small as the hoar frost on the ground.

Berean Standard Bible
When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne it hadde hilid the erthe, a litil thing, and as powned with a pestel, in the licnesse of an hoorfrost on erthe, apperide in the wildirnesse.

Young's Literal Translation
and the lying of the dew goeth up, and lo, on the face of the wilderness a thin, bare thing, thin as hoar-frost on the earth.

Update Bible Version
And when the dew that lay was gone up, look, on the face of the wilderness a small round thing, small as the hoar-frost on the ground.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground:

World English Bible
When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the hoar-frost on the ground.

New King James Version
And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

New Living Translation
When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground.

New Revised Standard
When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and when the outpouring of dew went up, then lo! on the face of the desert, a thin flake, thin as hoar-frost on the earth,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when it had covered the face of the earth, it appeared in the wilderness small, and as it were beaten with a pestle, like unto the hoar frost on the ground.

Revised Standard Version
And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

Contextual Overview

¹³ In the evening quails came and covered the place where the people were staying. And in the early morning a little water was around the tents. ¹⁴ When the water had gone, there were small white pieces all over the ground of the desert. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has told you to do: ‘Every man gather as much of it as he can eat. Take a jar for every person that each of you has in his tent.'" ¹⁷ The people did so. Some gathered much and some less. ¹⁸ When they saw how much they had, he who had gathered much had no more than what was needed. And he who had gathered less had enough. Every man gathered as much as he could eat. ¹⁹ Moses said to them, "Let no one save any of it until morning." ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it until morning. And worms grew in it and it became bad to eat. So Moses was angry with them. ²¹ Morning after morning they gathered it, every man as much as he could eat. But when the sun became hot, it would melt.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the dew: Numbers 11:7-9, Deuteronomy 8:3, Nehemiah 9:15, Psalms 78:24, Psalms 105:40

the hoar frost: Psalms 147:16

Reciprocal: Leviticus 8:11 - General Numbers 11:9 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 14:7
Then they turned around and came to Enmishpat (that is, Kadesh). There they won a war against all the country of the Amalekites and the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

Genesis 21:31
So he gave that place the name Beersheba because both of them made a promise there.

Genesis 24:62
Now Isaac had come from Beerlahairoi, and was living in the Negev.

Genesis 25:11
After the death of Abraham, God brought good to his son Isaac. And Isaac lived at Beerlahairoi.

Numbers 13:26
And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the people of Israel in the desert of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought news to them and to all the people, and showed them the fruit of the land.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the dew that lay was gone up,.... Exhaled by the sun upon the rising of it:

behold, upon the face of the wilderness; upon the surface of it, all around the camp of Israel:

there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground; which is what is in the next verse called "manna". Before the sun rose there was nothing but a dew to be seen; when that was gone off through the force of the sun, then the manna appeared; which was but a "small thing", and very unpromising for food, and especially for such a vast number of people; and a "round" thing, for which it is after compared to a coriander seed, as is thought; though the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan do not interpret the word of the round form, but rather refer to its smallness; and which is expressed in the Vulgate Latin version,

"small, and as if beat with a pestle;''

and for its white colour, as well as its smallness, it looked like hoar frost on the ground. Jarchi says there were two dews, within which it lay as something covered in a box, and he seems to be right; for it is certain from Numbers 11:9, that there was a dew which fell first, and then the manna fell upon it; and from hence it is plain also, that there was a dew over the manna, which went up from it when the sun rose: and the design of this seems to be to keep this heavenly bread pure and clean for the Israelites, that it might neither partake of the dust nor sand of the wilderness where it fell, and that nothing might light upon it until the time of gathering it came. The Jews, in memory of this, will sometimes put bread upon the table between two table cloths n; and it is highly probable, that to this the allusion is of the "hidden manna" in Revelation 2:17, by which is meant our Lord Jesus Christ, the antitype of this manna, as will be observed as we pass on, in all the circumstances of it; the manna came with the dew, and was covered with it, and hid in it; Christ is the gift of God's free grace to the sons of men, and is exhibited in the word of grace, where he lies hid to men in the glory of his person and the fulness of his grace, until revealed and made known. The figure of the manna being "round", which is a perfect figure, may denote the perfection of Christ in his person, natures, and office; he being perfectly God and perfectly man, having all the essential perfections both of the divine and human natures in him, as well as all fulness of grace; and being made perfect through sufferings, is become a complete Saviour, and by his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, has perfected for ever his sanctified ones: and the manna being "small", may signify the meanness of Christ in the eyes of men in his state of humiliation, and the unpromising appearance he made of being the Saviour and King of Israel; the white colour of it may direct to the purity of Christ, to the holiness of his natures, and the beauty of his person, being white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousands.

n Vid. Fagium in loc.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 16:14. Behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing — It appears that this small round thing fell with the dew, or rather the dew fell first, and this substance fell on it. The dew might have been intended to cool the ground, that the manna on its fall might not be dissolved; for we find from Exodus 16:21, that the heat of the sun melted it. The ground therefore being sufficiently cooled by the dew, the manna lay unmelted long enough for the Israelites to collect a sufficient quantity for their dally use.