Manna and Quail from Heaven
In the wilderness, God miraculously provides manna each morning and quail each evening to feed the multitude of Israel, teaching them dependence on His daily provision.
Exodus 16:1-36
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The Story
Just one month after their miraculous exodus from Egypt, the entire congregation of Israel gathered against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sin. Their complaint was bitter: '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!' Memory proved selective—they romanticized their slavery, forgetting the brutal taskmasters and murdered infants. The LORD heard their murmuring and responded not with judgment but with grace. He promised Moses, 'I will rain bread from heaven for you.' That evening, quail covered the camp, providing meat. The next morning, when the dew lifted, thin flakes like hoarfrost covered the ground. 'What is it?' the people asked—'Manna' in Hebrew. Moses explained God's instructions: gather an omer per person daily, but on the sixth day, gather double, for the seventh is the Sabbath rest. This provision became a test of obedience. Some tried to hoard manna overnight; it bred worms and stank. Some sought it on the Sabbath; they found none. For forty years, until they entered Canaan, this bread from heaven sustained Israel. The manna tasted like wafers made with honey, could be baked or boiled, and ceased only when they ate the fruit of the Promised Land. God commanded Moses to preserve an omer of manna in a golden pot before the Testimony, a memorial for future generations. This daily bread became a profound spiritual lesson: man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Jesus later identified Himself as the true bread from heaven, the reality of which manna was merely a shadow.
Breakfast from Heaven
Kids Version
The people of Israel were traveling through a big, hot desert. They had no farms, no stores, and their food was running out. Instead of trusting God to help them, they started complaining to Moses. 'We're going to starve out here!' they cried. 'At least in Egypt we had food to eat!' They forgot how mean the Egyptians had been to them. God heard their complaining, but instead of being angry, He decided to do something amazing. He told Moses, 'I'm going to make food rain down from heaven! Every morning there will be special bread on the ground, and every evening I'll send birds for meat.' That evening, just like God said, a huge flock of quail birds flew into the camp. The people caught them and had meat for dinner. The next morning, something very strange appeared on the ground. It looked like little white flakes, kind of like frost. 'What is it?' everyone asked. Moses said, 'This is the bread God has given you to eat!' They called it manna, which means 'What is it?' It tasted sweet, like honey wafers. God gave them some special rules: collect just enough for your family each day. Don't try to save it for tomorrow, or it will go bad and get wormy. But on Friday, collect twice as much, because Saturday is a day of rest. Some people didn't listen and tried to keep manna overnight. In the morning—yuck! It was full of worms and smelled terrible. But the manna collected on Friday stayed fresh for Saturday. Every single morning for forty years, God sent manna. He took care of His people every single day!
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Scripture — Exodus 16:1-36 (KJV)
1And 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.
2And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
3And 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.
4Then 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. a certain: Heb. the portion of a day in his day
5And 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 .
6And 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:
7And 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?
8And 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.
9And 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.
10And 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.
11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12I 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.
13And 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.
14And 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.
15And 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. It is: or, What is this? or, It is a portion
16This 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. for every: Heb. by the poll, or, head persons: Heb. souls
17And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
18And 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.
19And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
20Notwithstanding 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.
21And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
22And 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.
23And 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.
24And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
25And 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.
26Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
27And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
28And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
29See, 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.
30So the people rested on the seventh day.
31And 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.
32And 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.
33And 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.
34As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
35And 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.
36Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
Memory Verse
“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.”
— Exodus 16:1 (KJV)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the story of “Manna and Quail from Heaven” in the Bible?
In the wilderness, God miraculously provides manna each morning and quail each evening to feed the multitude of Israel, teaching them dependence on His daily provision. This story is found in Exodus 16:1-36.
Where is “Manna and Quail from Heaven” found in the Bible?
“Manna and Quail from Heaven” is found in Exodus 16:1-36, in the book of Exodus.
What can children learn from “Manna and Quail from Heaven”?
This story teaches children about God's provision, Daily dependence on God, Testing obedience, Complaining versus trust. When God's people ran out of food in the desert, God sent them special bread from heaven every single morning!