Exodus 16:27-30
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The text highlights that this wasn't just an accidental oversight, but a deliberate act by some to test Moses and God, refusing to believe the promise of the Sabbath rest until their own eyes proved it true. Their failure to find manna on the seventh day wasn't a lack of provision, but a direct consequence of defying the commanded rest and instead trying to force God's miraculous provision to bend to their will.
On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following Moses' instruction to rest on the seventh day, some Israelites, driven by doubt or greed, went out to gather manna anyway. To their surprise and dismay, they found none, confirming that the miraculous food was not provided on the Sabbath. This disobedience prompted God's rebuke to Moses about the people's refusal to keep His commandments.
Imagine waking up on a day you know is meant for rest, but a nagging doubt whispers: 'What if the promise isn't real?' That's the tension Israel faced.
God wasn't just giving the Israelites food; He was establishing a sign. The manna appearing six days a week but not on the seventh was a constant reminder of His covenant and His command for a holy Sabbath.
Some people just couldn't believe the manna wouldn't appear. Their eyes told them one thing, but God's word told them another. What happens when we choose our perception over His promise?
When some Israelites went out on the seventh day to gather manna, it wasn't just a minor slip-up; it was a deliberate act of disbelief and disobedience.
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Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal name of the one true God of Israel, YHWH, who revealed Himself to Moses and entered into a covenant relationship with His people.
miṣwâ · Hebrew Noun
Divine instructions or authoritative pronouncements from God, intended to guide His people in holiness, obedience, and the way of life.
tôrâ · Hebrew Noun
A systematic body of divine instruction, guidance, or teaching provided by God to His people to govern their moral, social, and spiritual life.
leḥem · Hebrew Noun
Provision from God, often miraculous, intended to sustain physical life and demonstrate His sovereignty and care for His people.
šābat · Hebrew Verb
To stop working, to cease from activity, or to experience relief and rejuvenation, often associated with spiritual trust in God's provision.
This event highlights the Israelites' initial struggles to trust God's provision and obey His commands, even as they experienced His direct intervention in their daily lives.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites Depart Egypt
Following the ten plagues and the Passover, the Israelites leave Egypt under Moses' leadership, beginning their 40-year journey in the wilderness.
c. 1446 BC
Manna First Appears
As food supplies dwindle in the desert, God begins miraculously providing 'manna,' a bread-like substance, for the Israelites to gather daily.
c. 1446 BC
God Institutes the Sabbath
God instructs the Israelites to gather a double portion of manna on the sixth day, establishing the Sabbath as a day of rest and holy observance.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Some Gather Manna on Sabbath
Despite Moses' clear command, some Israelites go out on the seventh day to gather manna, but find none, demonstrating the miraculous nature of the provision and the sanctity of the Sabbath.
c. 1446 BC
God Rebuke Israel's Disobedience
God speaks to Moses, questioning the people's persistent refusal to obey His commandments and laws, particularly regarding the Sabbath observance.
This passage establishes the concept of the Sabbath as a day of rest instituted at creation, highlighting its ancient and foundational importance even before the giving of the Law.
Exodus 20:8-11This directly quotes the commandment to 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,' explaining its grounding in God's completed work of creation, reinforcing why the manna did not appear on the seventh day.
Nehemiah 13:15-21This passage shows a later violation of the Sabbath, with people trading on the holy day, demonstrating that this struggle to honor the Sabbath continued long after the Exodus generation.
John 6:31This verse describes the people asking Jesus for 'bread from heaven,' similar to how the Israelites received manna, and Jesus later explains His own role as the true 'bread of life' who satisfies spiritual hunger, contrasting with the physical manna that failed on the Sabbath.
gillExodus 16:27: "And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none."
And it came to pass,.... Perhaps the next seventh day following: that there went out some of the people for to gather; to gather manna, as on other days; which they did not through want of provision or a greedy appetite, for they had bread every day, and on that day to the full, but to gratify their curiosity, or to see whether the words of Moses stood, as Aben Ezra…
calvinExodus 16:19-30: "And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning."
Sed non audierunt Mosen: quia quidam reservarunt ex eo usque mane. Et scatere coepit vermibus, et computruit: ideoque iratus est contra eos Moses.
And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Itaque collegerunt illud singulis diebus mane: quisque secundum mensuram suam: et quum sol incaluerat, liquefiebat.
And it came to pass, that on th…
The text highlights that this wasn't just an accidental oversight, but a deliberate act by some to test Moses and God, refusing to believe the promise of the Sabbath rest until their own eyes proved it true. Their failure to find manna on the seventh day wasn't a lack of provision, but a direct consequence of defying the commanded rest and instead trying to force God's miraculous provision to bend to their will.
Following Moses' instruction to rest on the seventh day, some Israelites, driven by doubt or greed, went out to gather manna anyway. To their surprise and dismay, they found none, confirming that the miraculous food was not provided on the Sabbath. This disobedience prompted God's rebuke to Moses about the people's refusal to keep His commandments.
Following Moses' instruction to rest on the seventh day, some Israelites, driven by doubt or greed, went out to gather manna anyway. To their surprise and dismay, they found none, confirming that the miraculous food was not provided on the Sabbath. This disobedience prompted God's rebuke to Moses about the people's refusal to keep His commandments.
"On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day h…" — The text highlights that this wasn't just an accidental oversight, but a deliberate act by some to test Moses and God, refusing to believe the promise of the Sabbath rest until their own eyes proved…
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Last reviewed October 2026
