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Pentecost Season · Proper 20 · Year A

Exodus 16:2-15

Manna and Quail

September 20, 2026

The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert, Nicolas Poussin
The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert, Nicolas Poussin, 1637–1639Musee du Louvre, Paris
Poussin called this painting an argument in figures: on the left people are still starving, in the middle they are gathering, on the right they are already sharing it out.Exodus gives the manna and John 6 argues about what it meant; Poussin painted the stages of a crowd realising it has been fed.Nicolas PoussinA French painter who lived almost entirely in Rome, building his compositions from wax figures in a box, and became the model of classical order.Musee du Louvre, ParisThe former royal palace of France, opened as a public museum in 1793 after the Revolution, and now the most visited museum in the world.Musee du Louvre, Paris
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelMatt. 20:1-16Mt 20:1-16
EpistlePhil. 1:21-30Phil 1:21-30
Old TestamentExod. 16:2-15Ex 16:2-15Alt. OTJonah 3:10-4:11Jon 3:10-4:11
PsalterPs. 105:1-6, 37-45Ps 105:1-6, 37-45Alt. PsalmPs. 145:1-8Ps 145:1-8

Overview & Insights

“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites… in the morning you will be filled with bread.” (Exodus 16:12)

Leadership, Learning, Manna, Meat, and the First Sabbath Rest: In Exodus 16, Israel begins learning to walk in the Lord’s way (vv. 4b, 28b). The survival of the people depended on the transformation of their culture. The text presents a jumble of themes around this purpose, some for the first time in Exodus: the grumbling and lessons of the newly redeemed slaves; the status of Moses and Aaron’s leadership; the Lord’s visible presence with the people; and the Lord’s provision of bread, quail, and rest. The chapter ends with instructions for the first Sabbath rest and a manna memorial for the generations after the manna ceases. The people were successful in learning to follow the Lord’s instructions for their daily bread and weekly rest.

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Take it further: Exodus 16:2-15

Commentary

Working Preacher: Exodus 16:2-15Working Preacher: Ex 16:2-15 Working Preacher

Luther Seminary exegesis on complaint, testing, and God's reliable provision.

CEP: Exodus 16:2-15CEP: Ex 16:2-15 Center for Excellence in Preaching

Reformed preaching commentary tracing the sevenfold grumbling and the gift of manna.

Enduring Word: Exodus 16Enduring Word: Ex 16 Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse-by-verse evangelical notes on the chapter.

Precept Austin: Exodus 16 CommentaryPrecept Austin: Ex 16 Commentary Precept Austin

Verse-level study helps, Hebrew word notes, and gathered quotations.

BibleHub: Exodus 16:2 CommentariesBibleHub: Ex 16:2 Commentaries BibleHub

Aggregated classic commentaries on the wilderness complaint and manna.

Background & Word Study

Sefaria: Exodus 16 (Hebrew)Sefaria: Ex 16 (Hebrew) Sefaria

Hebrew text with English and classical Jewish commentary on the manna account.

BibleHub Interlinear: Exodus 16:2BibleHub Interlinear: Ex 16:2 BibleHub

Hebrew text with parsing for grumbling, quail, and the what-is-it of manna.

The Church Fathers

Catena: Exodus 16Catena: Ex 16 Catena

Patristic comment chain gathering the Fathers on the chapter.

Questions preachers ask

What is the manna?

When Israel grumbles for food in the wilderness, God rains down bread from heaven each morning and quail in the evening (Exodus 16). “Manna” means “What is it?”, the people’s own question. Each gathers just enough for the day, a daily-bread lesson in trust that Jesus later takes up in John 6.

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