King James Version

What Does Exodus 16:15 Mean?

“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. It is: or, What is this? or, It is a portion”

Context

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.

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.

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. It is: or, What is this? or, It is a portion

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. for every: Heb. by the poll, or, head persons: Heb. souls

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

Read full chapter →

Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **It is manna.**—This is certainly a wrong translation. The words of the original, *man hu, *must either be rendered, as in the LXX. And the Vulg., “What is this ?” Or, as by Kimchi, Knobel, Gesenius, Kurtz, and others, “This is a gift.” It is against the former rendering that *man *does not mean “what” in Hebrew, but only in Chaldee, and that “what is this” would be a very strange name to give to a substance. Against the latter it may be said that neither is *man *found elsewhere in Hebrew in the sense of “a gift;” but it has that sense in Arabic; and in Hebrew *manan *is “to give.” **This is the bread**—*i.e., the promised bread. *(See Exodus 16:4.)

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Exodus. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Exodus 16:15 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.