Exodus 16:14
And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The dew covering the manna before sunrise, only to evaporate and reveal it, suggests a divine intention to keep this miraculous bread pure and untouched by the dust of the wilderness until it was time to gather. This hidden element, revealed by the sun, points to God's care in preparing a clean sustenance for His people.
The Israelites, grumbling about their lack of food in the wilderness, have just been promised a meal of flesh in the evening and bread in the morning by God. As the sun rises after a night of dew, they discover a fine, flake-like substance scattered across the desert floor, which they don't recognize and thus call "manna." This miraculous bread from heaven, appearing just as the dew dissipates, marks a pivotal moment of divine provision and a test of their faith.
Imagine waking up in a barren desert, the air thick with morning dew, and finding the ground covered in a delicate, crystalline substance. This was the Israelites' reality, but this wasn't just any frost.
The description of manna as 'fine, flake-like' and 'fine as frost' highlights its miraculous nature. Commentators note that while natural substances exist with similar names, they don't match the manna's unique properties: its daily, year-round provision, its quantity, its specific Sabbath-related behavior, and its ability to sustain a nation for 40 years. This wasn't a natural phenomenon; it was a divine intervention designed to nourish God's people in their most vulnerable state.
The morning dew might seem insignificant, but in the Exodus account, it plays a crucial role in God's provision. What can we learn from this gentle morning phenomenon?
The dew acts as a protective layer, falling before the manna and then covering it as it appears. This served to keep the manna clean from the dust and sand of the wilderness, preserving its purity until the Israelites could gather it. It also shielded it from the sun's heat, which would otherwise cause it to melt. This detail shows God's meticulous care – even the dew was part of His plan to deliver this heavenly bread safely and cleanly.
When the Israelites saw the strange substance on the ground, their first reaction was confusion and a question: 'What is it?' This reveals a deeper spiritual need.
The people's question, 'What is this?' (later articulated as 'manna'), stemmed from their unfamiliarity with God's provision. They had become accustomed to the predictable diet of Egypt and were thrown by this new, miraculous food. Moses’ response clarifies that this 'is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.' This highlights the importance of recognizing God's hand even when His methods are unfamiliar. True faith involves trusting God's provision, even when it doesn't look like what we expect or what we're used to.
Understand the original words
midbar · Hebrew Noun
An uncultivated, desolate place outside of human habitation where God tested, sustained, and shaped His people in dependence upon Him.
c. 1440 BC
Israelites depart Egypt
Following God's deliverance through the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites begin their journey into the wilderness, marking the start of their forty years of wandering.
c. 1440 BC— this verse
Murmurings begin in the Wilderness of Sin
Just weeks after leaving Egypt, the Israelites' initial joy turns to complaint due to lack of food, leading to God's first miraculous provision.
c. 1440 BC
God provides Quail and Manna
In response to the people's grumbling, God sends quail in the evening and a white, flaky substance called manna each morning, which becomes their staple food.
c. 1440 BC
Instructions for gathering Manna
Moses relays God's commands for the Israelites to gather a specific amount of manna daily, with a double portion prepared on the sixth day for the Sabbath.
c. 1440 BC
Manna ceases upon entering Canaan
This passage directly quotes from Exodus 16:4, referencing the manna as a sign pointing to Jesus, the true bread from heaven, highlighting the spiritual nourishment that surpasses physical sustenance.
1 Corinthians 10:3-4Paul explicitly states that the Israelites ate the 'spiritual food' and drank from the 'spiritual rock,' both of which he identifies with Christ, connecting the manna to Jesus and His sustaining work for believers.
Psalm 78:24This psalm recounts God's provision of manna, calling it 'grain of heaven' and 'bread of angels,' underscoring the miraculous and divine nature of the sustenance provided in the wilderness, mirroring the description in Exodus.
Nehemiah 9:15This prayer recalls God's provision of food from heaven for His people in their wilderness wandering, directly referencing the manna and emphasizing God's faithfulness in supplying their needs.
calvinExodus 16:9-18: "And 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."
I 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 he filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.
Audivi murmurationes filiorum Israel: alloquere eos, dicendo, Inter vesperas comedetis carnem, et mane saturabimini pane…
gillExodus 16:14: "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 dew that lay was gone up,.... Exhaled by the sun upon the rising of it: behold, upon the face of the wilderness; upon the surface of it, all around the camp of Israel: there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground; which is what is in the next verse called "manna". Before the sun rose there…
The dew covering the manna before sunrise, only to evaporate and reveal it, suggests a divine intention to keep this miraculous bread pure and untouched by the dust of the wilderness until it was time to gather. This hidden element, revealed by the sun, points to God's care in preparing a clean sustenance for His people.
The Israelites, grumbling about their lack of food in the wilderness, have just been promised a meal of flesh in the evening and bread in the morning by God. As the sun rises after a night of dew, they discover a fine, flake-like substance scattered across the desert floor, which they don't recognize and thus call "manna." This miraculous bread from heaven, appearing just as the dew dissipates, marks a pivotal moment of divine provision and a test of their faith.
The Israelites, grumbling about their lack of food in the wilderness, have just been promised a meal of flesh in the evening and bread in the morning by God. As the sun rises after a night of dew, they discover a fine, flake-like substance scattered across the desert floor, which they don't recognize and thus call "manna." This miraculous bread from heaven, appearing just as the dew dissipates, marks a pivotal moment of divine provision and a test of their faith.
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After forty years of sustenance in the wilderness, the manna stops falling the day after the Israelites eat the produce of the land.
"And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground." — The dew covering the manna before sunrise, only to evaporate and reveal it, suggests a divine intention to keep this miraculous bread pure and untouched by the dust of the wilderness until it was tim…
