Comentarios bíblicos

The children of Israel sojourn in the wilderness of Sin, Exodus 16:1; murmur against Moses, Exodus 16:2,3. God promises to supply their wants with bread from heaven, Exodus 16:4; and directs about preparing this bread, Exodus 16:5. Moses reproves the people for murmuring, Exodus 16:7,8; appoints them to come before the Lord, Exodus 16:9. God’s glory appeareth in the cloud, Exodus 16:10. He sendeth quails, Exodus 16:13, and manna, Exodus 16:14,15. Every one gather a quantity, Exodus 16:16-18. The command about keeping it, Exodus 16:19, is disobeyed, Exodus 16:20. The time of gathering, Exodus 16:21. Their increasing the quantity on the sixth day, Exodus 16:22-24. The command concerning the sabbath, Exodus 16:25,26, disobeyed, Exodus 16:27; for which God is angry, Exodus 16:28. Moses’ s counsel, Exodus 16:29. They rest, Exodus 16:30. The name of the bread, Exodus 16:31. The command concerning the preservation of the manna, Exodus 16:32,33. The time of the manna’s continuance, Exodus 16:35.

BC 1491

They came not immediately

to the wilderness of Sin; for there is another stage of theirs by the Red Sea, mentioned Numbers 33:10, (in which chapter Moses designed exactly to set down all their stations,) but omitted here, because nothing remarkable happened in it; and Moses in this place designed to record only the memorable passages. The wilderness of Sin was a great wilderness between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai, but differing from that Zin mentioned Numbers 20:1.

For want of meat, as appears from the following verse, their provisions brought out of Egypt being now spent.

By the hand of the Lord; by any of those plagues wherewith God destroyed the Egyptians.

When we did eat bread to the full; which is not probable; but they amplify their former mercies, that they might aggravate their present calamity, as the manner of impatient and ungodly men is.

Quest. What danger was there of dying with hunger, seeing they had their flocks and herds which they brought out of Egypt?

Answ. 1. There was no great danger of it, but they use aggravating expressions, as discontented persons use to do.

2. Their flocks and herds were not so numerous as to suffice them for above a month’s provision, if they had all been slain and eaten, as it is implied Numbers 11:21,22. So there was some danger of it, though neither immediate nor great.

3. They were it seems resolved to spare these, partly for increase, and for their future subsistence; and partly for sacrifice, as not knowing how many of them they should be required to offer. See Exodus 10:26.

Bread, i.e. manna, which shall serve them instead of bread, Numbers 11:8, and was a more delicate and pleasant kind of bread, called therefore the bread of angels, Psalm 78:24,25.

From heaven; the air, oft called heaven, in which manna is produced.

Every day, Heb. the thing, i.e. the provision of a day in his day, i.e. every day, as much as was sufficient for a man’s sustenance that day. That I may prove them; either,

1. Whether by my giving them such miraculous and excellent provision they will be won to love and obey me. Or,

2. Whether by raining it down upon them for several days together they will learn to trust me for the following days, and therefore gather no more than that day required.

Prepare; lay up, grind, bake, or seethe. See Exodus 16:23. and Numbers 11:8.

And not by your our own authority or counsel, as you suggest.

The glory of the Lord; either this glorious work of God in giving manna; or rather the glorious appearance of God in the cloud, as is evident from Exodus 16:10.

No text from Poole on this verse.