Our Father Rains Bread From Heaven
Hungry in the wilderness, Israel wishes they had died in Egypt beside pots of meat. Our Father rains bread from heaven, and the gathering is itself a test: enough for the day, nothing hoarded overnight, double before the Sabbath. Some hoard anyway, and it breeds worms.
16 1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by our Father's hand in Egypt, sitting by pots of meat, eating bread to the full! For you brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
4 Then our Father said to Moses, "Look, I will rain bread from heaven for you. Each day the people must go out and gather that day's portion, so I can test them—will they follow my instruction or not?" a a v4 Jesus pointed back to this bread from heaven when he called himself the true bread our Father gives — the bread of life that came down from heaven to give life to the world. 5 On the sixth day, they will prepare what they bring in — twice what they gather daily.
6 Moses and Aaron told all Israel's people, "At evening you will know it was our Father who brought you out of the land of Egypt," 7 In the morning you'll see the glory of our Father — he's heard your grumbling against him. What are we, that you grumble against us? 8 Moses said, "When our Father gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, since he heard your grumbling against him—what are we? Your grumbling isn't against us, but against our Father." 9 Moses told Aaron, "Tell all Israel's community: Come near our Father — he's heard your complaints." 10 Aaron spoke to all Israel's people; they looked toward the wilderness, and our Father's glory appeared in the cloud. 11 And our Father said to Moses,
12 I have heard Israel's grumbling. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat; in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know I am your Father.
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp; in the morning a layer of dew lay around it. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, fine flakes, fine as frost, covered the wilderness surface. 15 Seeing it, the Israelites asked each other, 'What is this?'—not knowing what it was. Moses said, 'This is the bread our Father has given you to eat.' 16 This is what our Father has commanded: 'Gather what each person can eat, about two quarts per head, for everyone in your tent.' 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when measured by the two-quart measure, whoever gathered much had no surplus, and whoever gathered little had no shortage—each gathered exactly what he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over until the morning." 20 They didn't listen to Moses—some left part until morning; it bred worms and stank. Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each according to his eating; when the sun grew hot, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered double the bread, two omers each, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. 23 He told them, "This is what our Father said: Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to your Father. Bake what you'll bake, boil what you'll boil, and keep whatever's left until morning." 24 So it was set aside until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or breed worms. 25 Moses said, "Eat it today; today is a Sabbath to our Father; today you won't find it in the field." 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none." 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
28 And our Father said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions?" 29 See, I have given you the Sabbath; so on the sixth day I give you two days' bread. Everyone, stay in your place; no one may leave your place on the seventh day.
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel named it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and tasted like honey wafers. b b v31 The name manna echoes the people's first question, "What is it?" — they named the bread after their own wonder at it. 32 Moses said, "This is what our Father commanded: 'Keep about two quarts of it for your generations, so they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'" 33 Moses told Aaron, "Take a jar, fill it with about two quarts of manna, and set it before our Father, kept through your generations." 34 As our Father commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. c c v34 The testimony: the stone tablets of the covenant, later kept inside the Ark. 35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they reached a settled land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer holds about two quarts—one-tenth of an ephah.)
