And Moses added, "The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD." And Moses continuedThis phrase indicates the ongoing leadership and communication role of Moses. In Hebrew, the name "Moses" (מֹשֶׁה, Moshe) is derived from the root meaning "to draw out," reflecting his role in drawing the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses is a central figure, chosen by God to lead His people, and his continued speech signifies his dedication and obedience to God's mission. The LORD will give you
The term "LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal presence and faithfulness. The promise that "the LORD will give" underscores God's provision and sovereignty. It is a reminder that God is the ultimate provider, fulfilling His promises to care for His people, even in the wilderness. meat to eat this evening
The provision of "meat" refers to the quail that God provided. Historically, quail migrations were known in the region, and their sudden appearance would have been seen as a miraculous provision. The evening provision signifies God's timely response to the needs of His people, demonstrating His awareness and care for their physical sustenance. and bread to fill you in the morning
The "bread" refers to manna, a miraculous food provided by God. The Hebrew word "manna" (מָן, man) is derived from the question "What is it?" reflecting the Israelites' initial wonder. This daily provision symbolizes God's faithfulness and the importance of relying on Him for daily needs, echoing the prayer "Give us this day our daily bread." for He has heard your complaints against Him
The phrase "He has heard" emphasizes God's attentiveness to His people's cries. The Hebrew root for "complaints" (תְּלוּנָה, telunah) suggests murmuring or grumbling, highlighting the Israelites' lack of faith. Despite their complaints, God's response is one of grace and provision, teaching them to trust in His care. Who are we?
Moses and Aaron's rhetorical question "Who are we?" reflects their humility and recognition of their roles as God's servants. It underscores that the true leader and provider is God Himself, not human intermediaries. This humility is a model for leadership, pointing to reliance on God's authority. Your complaints are not against us
This phrase clarifies that the Israelites' grievances, though directed at Moses and Aaron, are ultimately against God. It serves as a reminder that rebellion against God's appointed leaders is, in essence, rebellion against God Himself. This highlights the importance of respecting God's chosen instruments. but against the LORD
The final phrase reiterates the gravity of the Israelites' complaints. By complaining against God's provision, they are challenging His wisdom and care. This serves as a cautionary lesson about the dangers of ingratitude and the need to trust in God's plan, even when circumstances seem challenging. It calls believers to a posture of faith and reliance on God's goodness. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt. In this verse, Moses is addressing the Israelites' complaints. 2. The IsraelitesThe people of God who were delivered from slavery in Egypt. They are in the wilderness, expressing dissatisfaction with their circumstances. 3. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, who provides for His people despite their grumbling. 4. The WildernessThe setting where the Israelites are journeying after their exodus from Egypt, a place of testing and reliance on God. 5. Manna and QuailThe miraculous provision of food by God, with manna in the morning and quail in the evening, demonstrating His care and power. Teaching Points God's ProvisionGod hears and responds to the needs of His people, even when they grumble. Trust in His provision is essential. Grumbling Against GodComplaints against leaders or circumstances can often be complaints against God Himself. Recognize His sovereignty in all situations. Leadership and ResponsibilityLeaders like Moses are conduits of God's will, not the source of provision. Respect and pray for those in leadership. Contentment and GratitudeCultivate a heart of gratitude and contentment, recognizing God's daily provisions and blessings. Faith in TestingThe wilderness is a place of testing and growth. Embrace challenges as opportunities to deepen faith and reliance on God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the provision of manna and quail in Exodus 16:8 demonstrate God's faithfulness to His people? 2. In what ways can we identify with the Israelites' tendency to grumble, and how can we shift our perspective to one of gratitude? 3. How does understanding that grumbling is ultimately against God change the way we approach our complaints and frustrations? 4. What lessons can we learn from Moses' leadership in this passage, and how can we apply them to our roles in our communities or families? 5. How does the concept of God providing "bread from heaven" in Exodus connect to Jesus' teaching in John 6, and what does this mean for our spiritual lives today? Connections to Other Scriptures Numbers 11This chapter also discusses the Israelites' complaints about food and God's provision of quail, highlighting a recurring theme of grumbling and divine provision. John 6Jesus refers to Himself as the "bread of life," drawing a parallel to the manna provided in the wilderness, emphasizing spiritual sustenance. Philippians 2:14-15Paul instructs believers to do everything without grumbling, connecting to the attitude of the Israelites and encouraging a Christ-like mindset. People Aaron, Ephah, Israelites, MosesPlaces Canaan, Elim, Sin Desert, SinaiTopics Bread, Ears, Eat, Evening, Flesh, Full, Gives, Giving, Grumble, Grumbling, Grumblings, Heareth, Hearing, Hears, Measure, Meat, Morning, Murmur, Murmuring, Murmurings, Outcry, Satiety, SatisfyDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 16:8 5029 knowledge, of God
5265 complaints
5889 ingratitude
7968 spiritual gifts, nature of Exodus 16:1-10 7206 community Exodus 16:1-14 4478 meat Exodus 16:1-30 8131 guidance, results Exodus 16:3-8 8841 unfaithfulness, to people Exodus 16:4-8 4418 bread Exodus 16:6-8 8112 certainty Exodus 16:7-8 4954 morning
6231 rejection of God Exodus 16:7-9 5159 hearing Exodus 16:8-9 5928 resentment, against God Library The Bread of God
'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. 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. 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: …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureSeptember the Twenty-Eighth the Daily Manna
"I will rain bread from heaven for you." --EXODUS xvi. 11-18. And this gracious provision is made for people who are complaining, and who are sighing for the flesh-pots of Egypt! Our Lord can be patient with the impatient: He can be "kind to the unthankful." If it were easy to drive the Lord away I should have succeeded long ago. I have murmured, I have sulked, I have turned Him out of my thoughts, and "He stands at the door and knocks!" I yearn for "the flesh-pots," "He sends me manna," "Was …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year Dining with a Pharisee. Sabbath Healing and Three Lessons Suggested by the Event.
(Probably Peræa.) ^C Luke XIV. 1-24. ^c 1 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him. [The Pharisees were an unorganized party, hence their rulers were such not by office, but by influence. Those who were members of the Sanhedrin, or who were distinguished among the rabbis, might fitly be spoken of as rulers among them. The context favors the idea that Jesus was invited for the purpose of being …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Beauty and Glory of the Risen Body.
We have seen in the foregoing chapters that, in the Beatific Vision, the human soul sees, loves, and enjoys God, and that her essential happiness consists in that unfailing, blessed vision. But, although the blessedness she now enjoys is far greater than words can express, it is not yet integral or complete, and never will be, except when she is again clothed in her own body, beautified, and glorified after the likeness of her Saviour's body. However, although her happiness is not yet complete, you …
F. J. Boudreaux—The Happiness of Heaven Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Tithing
There are few subjects on which the Lord's own people are more astray than on the subject of giving. They profess to take the Bible as their own rule of faith and practice, and yet in the matter of Christian finance, the vast majority have utterly ignored its plain teachings and have tried every substitute the carnal mind could devise; therefore it is no wonder that the majority of Christian enterprises in the world today are handicapped and crippled through the lack of funds. Is our giving to be …
Arthur W. Pink—Tithing The Personality of Power.
A Personally Conducted Journey. Everyone enjoys the pleasure of travel; but nearly all shrink back from its tiresomeness and drudgery. The transportation companies are constantly scheming to overcome this disagreeable side for both pleasure and business travel. One of the popular ways of pleasure travel of late is by means of personally conducted tours. A party is formed, often by the railroad company, and is accompanied by a special agent to attend to all the business matters of the trip. A variation …
S.D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on Power Epistle xvii. To Felix, Bishop of Messana.
To Felix, Bishop of Messana. To our most reverend brother, the Bishop Felix, Gregory, servant of the servants of God [246] . Our Head, which is Christ, to this end has willed us to be His members, that through His large charity and faithfulness He might make us one body in Himself, to whom it befits us so to cling that, since without Him we can do nothing, through Him we may be enabled to be what we are called. From the citadel of the Head let nothing divide us, lest, if we refuse to be His members, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great How Subjects and Prelates are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 5.) Differently to be admonished are subjects and prelates: the former that subjection crush them not, the latter that superior place elate them not: the former that they fail not to fulfil what is commanded them, the latter that they command not more to be fulfilled than is just: the former that they submit humbly, the latter that they preside temperately. For this, which may be understood also figuratively, is said to the former, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: but to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great 1 to Pray is as it were to be on Speaking Terms with Me...
1. To pray is as it were to be on speaking terms with Me, and so by being in communion with and abiding in Me to become like Me. There is a kind of insect which feeds upon and lives among grass and green leaves and becomes like them in colour. Also the polar bear dwelling among the white snows has the same snowy whiteness, and the tiger of Bengal bears upon its skin the marks of the reeds among which it lives. So those, who by means of prayer abide in communion with Me partake, with the saints and …
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet Appendix viii. Rabbinic Traditions About Elijah, the Forerunner of the Messiah
To complete the evidence, presented in the text, as to the essential difference between the teaching of the ancient Synagogue about the Forerunner of the Messiah' and the history and mission of John the Baptist, as described in the New Testaments, we subjoin a full, though condensed, account of the earlier Rabbinic traditions about Elijah. Opinions differ as to the descent and birthplace of Elijah. According to some, he was from the land of Gilead (Bemid. R. 14), and of the tribe of Gad (Tanch. on …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Deity of the Holy Spirit.
In the preceding chapter we have seen clearly that the Holy Spirit is a Person. But what sort of a Person is He? Is He a finite person or an infinite person? Is He God? This question also is plainly answered in the Bible. There are in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments five distinct and decisive lines of proof of the Deity of the Holy Spirit. I. Each of the four distinctively Divine attributes is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. What are the distinctively Divine attributes? Eternity, omnipresence, …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 16:8 NIVExodus 16:8 NLTExodus 16:8 ESVExodus 16:8 NASBExodus 16:8 KJV
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