Bible Commentaries
Exodus 16

Verse 1

journey. The Egyptian kings of twelfth dynasty worked copper and turquoise mines in peninsula of Sinai. Afterward disused until eighteenth dynasty. Old roads left. See App-50 . on the forty years' wandering; and note on Numbers 33:1 .

children = sons.

Sin. Hebrew a bush.

Sinai = Bush of Jehovah. Sinai mentioned thirty-one times in Pentateuch, only four times in rest of Old Testament (Judges 5:5 .Nehemiah 9:13 .Psalms 68:8 , Psalms 68:17 ); in New Testament four times (Acts 7:30 , Acts 7:38 . Galatians 1:4 , Galatians 1:24 , Gal 1:26 ).

fifteenth day . See App-50 .

Verse 2

murmured . Murmurings mentioned eight times in these verses: viz Exodus 2:7 , Exodus 2:7 , Exodus 2:8 , Exodus 2:8 , Exodus 2:8 , Exodus 2:9 , Exodus 2:12 .

Verse 3

the LORD . Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

bread . Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), put for all kinds of food ( App-6 ). not for water, because of Exodus 15:27 .

Verse 4

said the LORD . See notes on Exodus 3:7 and Exodus 6:10 . Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

Verse 7

what . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

Verse 8

murmurings which ye murmur . Figure of speech Polyptoton. App-6 . = your wicked or terrible murmurings.

Verse 11

the LORD spake . See note on Exodus 6:10 , and compare note on Exodus 3:7 .

Verse 12

God . Hebrew. Elohim . App-4 .

Verse 13

host = camp.

Verse 14

small = thin.

round thing = flakey.

Verse 15

"It is manna". Hebrew. man-hu = " What is that? for they knew not what 'that' was". See on Exodus 16:31 .

wist = knew. From Anglo-Saxon, witan, to know.

it = that.

This = that.

Verse 16

man. Hebrew ' ish . See App-14 .

for every man = for every skull. Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part). App-6 . Skull put for person, as we say "per head".

persons . Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .

Verse 21

it melted . See note on Numbers 14:9 .

Verse 23

rest of the [holy] sabbath . Hebrew "a sabbath of sabbaths". Occurs seven times (see App-10 ). Four times of the weekly sabbath (Exodus 16:23 ; Exodus 31:15 ; Exodus 35:2 .Leviticus 23:3; Leviticus 23:3 ). Twice of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31 ; Leviticus 23:32 ). Once of the sabbath of years (Leviticus 25:4 ).

Verse 24

as = according to what.

Verse 28

the LORD said . See note on Exodus 3:7 , and compare note on Exodus 6:10 .

How long . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

Verse 29

See . Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

seventh day . See App-50 .

Verse 31

the house of Israel . (First occurrence.) The Massorah ( App-30 ) contains a list of all the occurrences of this expression. There are fourteen occurrences of this expression before the division of the nation into two kingdoms: Exodus 16:31 ; Exodus 40:38 . Leviticus 10:6 ; Leviticus 17:3 .Numbers 20:29 . Jos 21:45 . 1 Samuel 7:2 , 1Sa 7:3 ; 2 Samuel 1:12 ; 2 Samuel 6:5 , 2Sa 6:15 ; 2 Samuel 12:8 ; 2 Samuel 16:3 .Ruth 4:11 (compare Exodus 19:3 , note). "The house of Judah" also occurs four times. See its first occurance, 2 Samuel 2:4 . See note on 1 Kings 12:17 .

Manna. Hebrew "What is that? "Seven characteristics: 1. Small = thin, Exodus 16:14 (Antitype, Philippians 1:2 , Philippians 1:6-8 ). 2. Round = flakey, Exodus 16:14 . 3. White, Exodus 16:31 . 4. Sweet, Exodus 16:31 (Psalms 119:103 .Jeremiah 15:16; Jeremiah 15:16 ). 5. Hard, Numbers 11:8 . 6. Melted, Numbers 14:9 . 7. From heaven (daily), Exodus 16:13 . See note on Matthew 6:1 .

wafers = flat-cake.

Verse 32

omer . See App-51 .

Verse 33

a = one.

Verse 34

the Testimony = the Ark. Figure of speech Hysterologia. App-6 . The ark not yet made.

Verse 35

did eat manna . The repetition (for emphasis) is the Figure of speech Epibole ( App-6 ).

forty years . Compare Joshua 5:6 , Joshua 5:11 , Joshua 5:12 . Figure of speech Hysterologia ( App-6 ), a prior mention of a subsequent event.

until they came . Given on 16th Ziph, B.C. 1491, ceased 16th Ziph, B.C. 1461 = 39 years 11 months. See Joshua 5:12 . See App-60 .

Verse 36

an omer is the tenth part of an ephah . This is not to be confused with Ezekiel 45:11 , "an ephah is the tenth part of an homer". They are two different

words : in Exodus 16:36 it is ` omen, in Ezekiel 45:11 it is homer. See note on Leviticus 27:16 , and App-51 .