Exodus 16:2–15 CEB 2 The whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in ...

46 Pages·2017·0.42 MB·English

by  Sonny Sellers

Exodus 16:2–15 CEB
2 The whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in
the desert. 3 The Israelites said to them, “Oh, how we wish that the LORD
had just put us to death while we were still in the land of Egypt. There we
could sit by the pots cooking meat and eat our fill of bread. Instead, you’ve
brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death.”
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I’m going to make bread rain down from
the sky for you. The people will go out each day and gather just enough for
that day. In this way, I’ll test them to see whether or not they follow my
Instruction. 5 On the sixth day, when they measure out what they have
collected, it will be twice as much as they collected on other days.” 6 So
Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know
that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 And in
the morning you will see the LORD’s glorious presence, because your
complaints against the LORD have been heard. Who are we? Why blame
us?” 8 Moses continued, “The LORD will give you meat to eat in the
evening and your fill of bread in the morning because the LORD heard the
complaints you made against him. Who are we? Your complaints aren’t
against us but against the LORD.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole Israelite community, ‘Come
near to the LORD, because he’s heard your complaints.’ ” 10 As Aaron
spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned to look toward the
desert, and just then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared in the
cloud.
11 The LORD spoke to Moses, 12 “I’ve heard the complaints of the Israelites.
Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat. And in the morning you will have
your fill of bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”

Page 1 of 46
13 In the evening a flock of quail flew down and covered the camp. And in
the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the
layer of dew lifted, there on the desert surface were thin flakes, as thin as
frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other,
“What is it?” They didn’t know what it was.
Moses said to them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
The JPS Torah Commentary
CHAPTER 16
THE SHORTAGE OF FOOD
MANNA AND QUAIL (vv. 1–20)
It is now six weeks after the Exodus. With the oasis at Elim now behind
them and the provisions brought from Egypt exhausted, the people face a
severe shortage of food. The wilderness conditions offer little possibility of
securing fresh supplies. Popular discontent flares, and harsh accusations
are hurled against Moses and Aaron.
God responds to Israel’s material and spiritual needs: He supplies manna
and quail and institutes the weekly Sabbath rest day.
The Complaint (vv. 1–3)
1. The wilderness itinerary set forth in Numbers 33:10–11 refers to an
intermediate encampment by the Sea of Reeds on the way to the region of
Sinai, a clear indication that the present record is condensed.
2–3. The hardships of life in the wilderness arouse nostalgia for life in
Egypt. Another popular idealizing of the past is chronicled in Numbers 11:5:

Page 2 of 46
“We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers,
the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”
2. the whole Israelite community The suffering is more severe and more
widespread than in the previous crisis, for in that instance the grumblers
are described as simply “the people” (15:24).
3. died by the hand of the LORD That is, from natural causes. Death in old
age in slavery is deemed preferable to premature death by starvation in
freedom.2 These hypothetical options show a lack of faith in divine
Providence.
fleshpots … bread Since the people left Egypt with their flocks and herds,4
they could hardly have been in danger of starvation. However, livestock is
the most valuable possession of the pastoralist, who can seldom be induced
to part with an animal. Besides, the people had probably already suffered
losses for lack of adequate pasturage.
The Divine Response (vv. 4–5)
Even before Moses can “cry out to the LORD,” as in the preceding crisis
(15:25), God responds to Israel’s needs. No anger is displayed at the
people’s complaint; nor is any recorded in the historical recapitulation of
this episode in Deuteronomy 8:3, 16. But in his sermon in Psalm 78:18–22,
the psalmist portrays God as incensed at the disbelief and faithlessness
inherent in the people’s grumbling.
It may well be that implicit in the Torah’s narrative is the biblical teaching
that human beings have an obligation to imitate divine qualities (imitatio

Page 3 of 46
dei). This Jewish doctrine is based on such passages as Leviticus 19:2—“You
shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy”—and on the several texts
in Deuteronomy that enjoin Israel “to walk” in God’s way. The Sifrei
phrases the teaching this way: “Just as He is compassionate, so be you; just
as He is gracious, so be you.” It follows from the present narrative that
Israel would be expected to emulate God’s qualities of self-restraint in the
face of base ingratitude and of solicitous concern for the hungry.
4. the LORD said to Moses Moses is privy to God’s intentions, but he is not
instructed to divulge the information to the people.
bread … from the sky This contrasts with the usual “bread from the earth.”
The substance is also poetically called “heavenly grain,” “the bread of
heroes,” “heavenly bread,” and “bread from heaven.”
each day Hebrew devar yom be-yomo is an administrative formula used in
connection with work schedules, sacrifices, and rations. The fixed daily
allotment of manna to each individual ensured fair and equal distribution
of this scarce commodity (v. 16). The insecurity of the people’s day-to-day
existence, wholly dependent on this unfamiliar substance, heightens their
consciousness of absolute reliance upon God’s beneficence.
that I may thus test them Two interpretations of this phrase are
possible: (1) the gift of manna is to be subject to restrictions that test
Israel’s obedience and trust; and (2) God intentionally subjects Israel to
hunger in order to demonstrate and inculcate the lesson of their absolute
dependence upon Him for sustenance.12 This follows the understanding of
the manna episode in Deuteronomy 8:2–3.

Page 4 of 46
My instructions This may refer to laws specifically relating to the manna
or to God’s laws in general. Exodus 15:25 leads us to assume a tradition
about laws given before the Sinaitic revelation.
5. the sixth day Of the week. The sentence is elliptical, meaning that “on
Friday, twice the usual daily amount shall be collected and prepared.”
Verses 22–23 show that this is precisely what the people did. The Mekhilta
takes the sentence to mean that the regular day’s allotment would
miraculously double when brought home, but the Hebrew should then be
ve-hayah le-mishnah.
THE PEOPLE ARE INFORMED (vv. 6–10)
Even though Moses and Aaron are not commanded to relay God’s message,
they do so in order to pacify the populace. But they speak in generalities
and say nothing about the sixth day. That is why the chieftains are later
puzzled about the purpose of the double portion of manna (v. 22).
6. Aaron He is included because, along with Moses, he was the target of the
people’s complaint.
all the Israelites The comprehensive formulation echoes verse 2.
it was the LORD And not we, as was charged in verse 2. The unexpected
and timely satisfaction of the craving for meat will be incontestable proof
that Israel’s experiences are determined by God’s sovereign will.
7. The Presence of the LORD This is the first biblical usage of the seminal
Hebrew phrase kevod YHVH. Formerly rendered “the glory of God,” it is
now recognized to be multifaceted in meaning, its precise signification

Page 5 of 46
determined by the context. The reference here, as Rashi and Rashbam note,
is not to any visible symbol, as in verse 10, but to the manifestation of God’s
essential nature, as He caringly and beneficently provides for His people’s
needs.
against the LORD The carping against Moses and Aaron is really a
questioning of God, from whom their mission and authority derived.
For who are we … A self-deprecating rhetorical question that is
intensified by the use of Hebrew mah, literally “what,” employed of things
rather than persons.
8. Moses reiterates the sentiment just voiced and expands it to emphasize
that the people’s complaint is really a challenge to God.
to eat … to the full The varying expressions indicate that the cravings for
both flesh and bread are to be satisfied but that the former is an
unreasonable need.
9. Aaron acts as Moses’ spokesman—now to Israel rather than to Pharaoh.
toward the LORD Literally, “before the Lord,” a phrase that usually
means in front of the altar, Ark, or Tabernacle. Here, as Rashi notes, it must
refer to the direction of the cloud.
10. in a cloud Rather, “in the cloud,” that is, the luminous cloud that
symbolizes God’s active, dynamic, indwelling Presence in Israel during the
wilderness period; see Comment to 13:22. The sudden appearance of the
cloud is an affirmation of the declaration, announced by Aaron.

Page 6 of 46
THE QUAIL AND MANNA ARRIVE (vv. 11–20)
The divine promise is fulfilled. The narrative is expansive on the
manna but terse with respect to the quail, for several reasons: the cry for
bread was reasonable, the craving for meat was not; the manna appeared
with attendant supernatural features, but, except for its timing, the quail
was a wholly natural phenomenon; and the manna was supplied
continuously for forty years, whereas the quail was only occasional.
12. I have heard The repetition serves to introduce the account of the actual
arrival of quail and manna. This is not fortuitous but determined by divine
deliberation.
The JPS Torah Commentary On Hebrew bein ha-ʿarbayim, literally “at
twilight”; see Comment to 12:6.
eat … have your fill See Comment to verse 8.
you shall know This echoes verse 6. Israel “knows” God through the
experience of His actions on their behalf. On the meaning of the Hebrew
verb y-d-ʿ, see Comments to 1:8 and 6:3.
13. quail These migratory birds of the pheasant family, scientifically known
as Coturnix coturnix, are to this day caught in large numbers in northern
Sinai and Egypt. They migrate in vast flocks from central Europe to Africa
in the autumn and return in the spring. They are small in size and make the
long and tiring journey in stages. Flying low and landing exhausted, they
are easily captured with nets or by hand. Numbers 11:31–32 gives a vivid
description of this process. The tender meat of the baby quail is regarded as
a great delicacy. It requires no oil for cooking and is speedily prepared over

Page 7 of 46
a hot flame. There is no suggestion in the narrative that the quail was other
than a one-time provision. This is supported by the account in Numbers
11:4, 6, 13, 21–22, which records that some people, bored with the manna
beyond endurance, hankered after meat. Hence, the quail could not have
been available regularly or even intermittently. That is why both
Deuteronomy 8:3, 16 and Nehemiah 9, which recount God’s benefactions to
Israel in the wilderness, ignore the gift of quail.
a fall of dew Numbers 11:9 reads: “When the dew fell on the camp at
night, the manna would fall upon it.” That text, read in combination with
verses 13–14, here yields a description of the manna as enveloped in two
layers of dew. It would thereby remain clean until collected in the early
morning. Because of its association with dew, which in biblical times was
thought to descend like rain from the sky, the manna could be called “bread
from heaven.”
14. To the description “fine and flaky, as fine as frost” must be added the
specification in Numbers 11:7 that the manna was like coriander seed, of
the color of bdellium, and it tasted like rich cream when prepared. No
natural phenomenon in the Sinai region entirely matches these details.
Closest is a white honeylike substance excreted from the tamarisk bush and
called manna to this day by the Bedouin who collect it and eat it. This sap,
rich in carbohydrates, is sucked by insects, which excrete the surplus onto
the twigs. These form tiny globules that crystallize and fall to the ground.
However, no naturalistic explanation can do justice to the manna tradition
as it is presented in biblical literature. Here the substance possesses a
numinous quality. Its bestowal is distinguished by certain wondrous
features. However much one gathered, it amounted to only one omer; on

Page 8 of 46
Fridays the amount doubled; it did not fall on the Sabbath; any surplus
beyond the allotted amount became rancid on weekdays but not on the
Sabbath. What’s more, although the manna collected by Bedouins in the
Sinai is seasonal and of limited quantity, the biblical manna nourished the
entire Israelite population throughout the forty years of the wilderness
wanderings.
flaky
15. What is it? Hebrew man hu is a folk explanation for the term by which
the inhabitants of the wilderness knew the substance described above. The
usual Hebrew would be mah hu, but the form man may be an ancient
dialectic variant.
Sarna, Nahum M. Exodus. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1991.
Print. The JPS Torah Commentary.
Interpretation, a Bible Commentary Exodus 16:1–36
Food and Faith
Elim is a welcome oasis in the wilderness. There are springs of water and
palm trees in abundance. But leaving time comes, and forty-five days
beyond Egypt it is back into the wilderness, the wilderness of Sin (not the
English word, but apt!). The continuing interest in an itinerary is evident,
though scholars remain puzzled regarding the exact route (see at 17:1). The
text is clearly composite, evident particularly in verses 4–12. Its focus has to
do with a food crisis, which leads to a faith crisis. The lack of discernment
of God’s presence in the ordinary leads to a denial of God’s activity in the
extraordinary.

Page 9 of 46
The complaints begin once again in earnest. This time it is food. Stress is
laid upon the people as the “congregation” of Israel (rare elsewhere in
Exodus), a recognition of the new identity they had received through God’s
creative act. But their perceptions do not correspond to this new reality;
they have not yet become who they are. They wish they had stayed in Egypt.
If it is finally a choice of places to die, satiety with oppression—an idealized
and selective memory—is preferred to starvation with freedom.
Complaining turns to accusation: Moses and Aaron intend to kill them (see
Num. 11:4–9)! Faith is eroding with the sand dunes.
God responds to Moses with nary a word of anger: I will rain bread on you!
(Ps. 78:24, 27 understood this to include both manna and quail; the anger
of God in Ps. 78:21 may be related to the story in Numbers, cf. Num. 11:10.)
As we have seen in the introduction to this section, in contrast to the
raining of hail, this is testimony to God’s new creation. Life and blessing
abound in the natural order rather than destruction. (The stress on evening
and morning recalls Gen. 1.) Food abounds even in the wilderness (see Isa.
49:9–10; 51:3).
For the various issues in this chapter, it is important to stress the
naturalness of the manna and the quail (contra Durham, p. 224). It is
precisely the “natural” that is seen as a gift from God. God’s gifts to Israel
are to be found not only in the unusual but also in the everyday. If the
provisions of God in the wilderness are all subsumed under the
extraordinary or miraculous, then the people of God will tend to look for
God’s providential care only in that which falls outside the ordinary. The all
too common effect of this is to absent God from the ordinary and everyday
and to go searching for God only in the deep-sea and mountaintop

Page 10 of 46