Exodus 16 – Manna from Heaven and the Test of Obedience
Exodus 16 introduces the miraculous provision of manna as Israel journeys through the wilderness. Hungry and murmuring, the people receive bread from heaven—but with instructions to gather only enough for each day. God teaches dependence, trust, and the sanctity of the Sabbath. This chapter is not only about food—it’s about faith and formation.
Bread for the Body, Lessons for the Soul
The journey to the Promised Land requires more than miracles—it requires transformation. God meets physical hunger with heavenly provision, but He uses the opportunity to train His people in trust, obedience, and Sabbath rhythm. Manna is both meal and message.
✔ Israel murmurs for food.
✔ God provides manna and quail.
✔ Instructions are given for gathering and storing.
✔ The Sabbath command is honored with double provision.
📖 Key Verse: “Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you…” – Exodus 16:4
🔎 God gives more than provision—He gives purpose through each command.
Exodus Chapter 16 Overview
Exodus 16:1–21 – Manna and Murmuring
📖 Exodus 16:1–3 – “Would to God we had died… when we sat by the flesh pots…”
🔎 Egypt’s illusion of comfort returns:
🔹 Just one month out of Egypt, the people romanticize their slavery.
🔹 Hunger tempts them to forget miracles and distort memory.
🔹 Murmuring becomes the language of mistrust.
➡️ Spiritual Warning: In discomfort, beware of looking back to bondage as if it was blessing.
📖 Exodus 16:4–5 – “I will rain bread from heaven for you… that I may prove them.”
🔎 God responds with mercy—and a test:
🔹 “Rain bread” shows abundant grace even amidst complaining.
🔹 The daily gathering is a test of obedience and trust.
🔹 Double on the sixth day points to Sabbath preparation and rest.
➡️ Faith Principle: Provision is linked to obedience. God feeds, but He also forms.
📖 Exodus 16:6–10 – “At even… ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out…”
🔎 Murmuring is misdirected—yet heard:
🔹 God says their murmuring is against Him, not Moses and Aaron.
🔹 He plans to reveal His glory through quail and manna.
🔹 God meets their physical need while pointing to spiritual understanding.
➡️ Mercy Displayed: Even in grumbling, God is patient and purposeful.
📖 Exodus 16:11–15 – “…in the morning ye shall be filled with bread… and when the dew lifted, behold, upon the face of the wilderness… a small round thing.”
🔎 Manna appears for the first time:
🔹 Quail come in the evening—meat to silence fleshly cravings.
🔹 Manna comes in the morning—a symbol of fresh spiritual nourishment.
🔹 “What is it?” (man hu) becomes its name—manna = mystery.
➡️ Christ Connection: Jesus, the Bread of Life, also came quietly and humbly to feed the soul (John 6:32–35).
📖 Exodus 16:16–21 – “Gather of it every man according to his eating… let no man leave of it till the morning.”
🔎 God instructs daily dependence:
🔹 Each person must gather personally—no proxies in faith.
🔹 Gathering too much or hoarding leads to rotting and worms.
🔹 Some disobey—and face the consequences.
➡️ Life Lesson: Yesterday’s manna won’t feed you today. Fresh obedience is required daily.
Exodus 16:22–36 – Sabbath and the Jar of Remembrance
📖 Exodus 16:22–24 – “On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread… and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.”
🔎 A miracle tied to obedience:
🔹 The manna lasted when gathered for Sabbath—but rotted on other days.
🔹 God built the rhythm of rest and trust into their provision.
🔹 The double portion teaches preparation, not procrastination.
➡️ Sabbath Insight: God blesses preparation that honors His command. Sabbath rest requires intentional obedience.
📖 Exodus 16:25–30 – “Abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out…”
🔎 Sabbath is not optional—it is commanded:
🔹 Some still disobey and seek manna on the seventh day—but find none.
🔹 God calls it refusal to keep His laws and instructions, even before Sinai.
🔹 He makes it clear: rest is part of His covenant expectation.
➡️ Covenant Reminder: Sabbath is not just about rest—it’s a sign of relationship and obedience (Exodus 31:13).
📖 Exodus 16:31–34 – “And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer… to be kept for your generations.”
🔎 A memorial of God’s faithfulness:
🔹 A jar of manna is placed before the Lord, to remind future generations.
🔹 It would later be kept in the Ark of the Covenant (Hebrews 9:4).
🔹 This preserved manna never decayed—a symbol of eternal provision and the Word made flesh.
➡️ Prophetic Foreshadow: Christ, the Bread of Life, is our unspoiled and everlasting nourishment.
📖 Exodus 16:35–36 – “And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years…”
🔎 God’s consistency in the wilderness:
🔹 Manna was provided every day for four decades.
🔹 Even in rebellion, grumbling, or wandering—God remained faithful.
🔹 The people never went without daily provision.
➡️ Grace Truth: God is not just faithful in victory—He is faithful in the wilderness seasons too.
Exodus Chapter 16 - Deeper Study
Overview: Provision with Purpose
🔹 Timeframe: About one month after leaving Egypt.
🔹 Setting: Wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai.
🔹 Theme: God provides daily, but He also trains hearts to obey and rest.
Key Takeaways
🔑 Complaining clouds remembrance of miracles.
🔑 Daily provision teaches daily dependence.
🔑 Obedience matters in small things.
🔑 Sabbath is built into creation and provision.
🔑 God’s word must be trusted above human logic.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Manna from heaven – A type of Christ, the Bread of Life (John 6:32–35).
🔮 Double portion on the sixth day – A foreshadow of end-time Sabbath restoration.
🔮 Jar of manna – Preserved in the Ark, pointing to eternal provision and the Word kept alive.
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Murmuring in the wilderness – Common among ancient peoples in hardship, yet God uses it for spiritual shaping.
📜 Daily bread culture – Unlike Egypt’s storage systems, this trained Israel to live day by day.
📜 Sabbath command – Preceding Sinai’s law, showing it was already holy and honored.
💡 Final Reflection: Are You Trusting the Giver Daily?
The miracle of manna wasn’t just food—it was a divine test. Would they trust Him every morning? Would they rest when told? Would they obey without seeing the outcome?
📌 Are you trying to store what God said to gather fresh each day?
📌 Are you resting in His rhythm—or living by your own?
📌 Are you trusting the Giver—or just the gift?
🚀 God still rains provision. But only those who rise in faith receive it.
Bread from Heaven
Exo 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
Exo 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
Exo 16:6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:
Exo 16:7 And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?
Exo 16:8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.
Exo 16:9 And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.
Exo 16:10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
Exo 16:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.
Exo 16:13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.
Exo 16:14 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.
Exo 16:15 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.
Exo 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
Exo 16:17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
Exo 16:18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
Exo 16:19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
Exo 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
Exo 16:21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Exo 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
Exo 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Exo 16:24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
Exo 16:25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
Exo 16:26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
Exo 16:27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
Exo 16:28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
Exo 16:29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.
Exo 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
Exo 16:31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
Exo 16:32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
Exo 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
Exo 16:35 And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
Exo 16:36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
36