Exodus 16:15
New International Version
When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

New Living Translation
The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the LORD has given you to eat.

English Standard Version
When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

Berean Standard Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

King James Bible
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

New King James Version
So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

New American Standard Bible
When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

NASB 1995
When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

NASB 1977
When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the sons of Israel saw it and said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.

Amplified Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

Christian Standard Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it? ” because they didn’t know what it was. Moses told them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was. Moses told them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

American Standard Version
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is it? for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them, It is the bread which Jehovah hath given you to eat.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the children of Israel saw, and they said, each man to his brother, “What is this? What is it?”, because they did not know what it was. Moshe said to them, “This is the bread that LORD JEHOVAH gives you to eat.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is this? for they knew not what it was; and Moses said to them,

Contemporary English Version
The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, "What is it?" Moses answered, "This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: Manhu! which signifieth: What is this! for they knew not what it was. And Moses said to them: This is the bread, which the Lord hath given you to eat.

English Revised Version
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is it? for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, "What is this?" because they didn't know what it was. Moses said to them, "It's the food the LORD has given you to eat.

Good News Translation
When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know what it was and asked each other, "What is it?" Moses said to them, "This is the food that the LORD has given you to eat.

International Standard Version
When the Israelis saw it, they asked one another, "What is it?", because they did not know what it was. Moses told them, "It's the food that the LORD has given you to eat.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: 'What is it?'--for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

Literal Standard Version
And the sons of Israel see, and say to one another, “What [is] it?” For they have not known what it [is]; and Moses says to them, “It [is] the bread which YHWH has given to you for food.

Majority Standard Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

New American Bible
On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, “What is this?” for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

NET Bible
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you for food.

New Revised Standard Version
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

New Heart English Bible
When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat."

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they knew not what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

World English Bible
When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.

Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel see, and say one unto another, 'What is it?' for they have not known what it is; and Moses saith unto them, 'It is the bread which Jehovah hath given to you for food.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Manna and Quail from Heaven
14When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. 16This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’ ”…

Cross References
John 6:31
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

1 Corinthians 10:3
They all ate the same spiritual food

Exodus 16:4
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.

Deuteronomy 8:16
He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.

Nehemiah 9:15
In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land which You had sworn to give them.

Psalm 78:24
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.

Psalm 105:40
They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.


Treasury of Scripture

And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they knew not what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

Exodus 16:31,33
And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey…

Deuteronomy 8:3,16
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live…

Joshua 5:12
And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

this is

Exodus 16:4
Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

Numbers 21:5
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Proverbs 9:5
Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

Jump to Previous
Bread Children Eat Idea Israel Israelites Manna Moses Wist
Jump to Next
Bread Children Eat Idea Israel Israelites Manna Moses Wist
Exodus 16
1. The Israelites come to Sin, and murmur for want of bread
4. God promises them bread and meat from heaven, and they are rebuked
13. Quail and manna are sent
16. The ordering of manna
25. It was not to be found on the Sabbath
32. An omer of it is preserved














(15) It is manna.--This is certainly a wrong translation. The words of the original, man hu, must either be rendered, as in the LXX. And the Vulg., "What is this ?" Or, as by Kimchi, Knobel, Gesenius, Kurtz, and others, "This is a gift." It is against the former rendering that man does not mean "what" in Hebrew, but only in Chaldee, and that "what is this" would be a very strange name to give to a substance. Against the latter it may be said that neither is man found elsewhere in Hebrew in the sense of "a gift;" but it has that sense in Arabic; and in Hebrew manan is "to give."

This is the bread--i.e., the promised bread. (See Exodus 16:4.)

Verse 15. - They said one to another, this is manna. Rather, "this is a gift." To suppose that they recognised the substance as one known to them in Egypt under the name of menu or mennu, is to make this clause contradict the next. To translate "what is this?" gives good sense, but is against grammar, since the Hebrew for "what" is not man but mah. The Septuagint translators (who render τί ἐστι τοῦτο) were probably deceived by their familiarity with the Chaldee, in which man corresponds to "what." Not knowing what to call the substance, the Israelites said one to another, "it is a gift" - meaning a gift from heaven, God's gift (compare verse 8); and afterwards, in consequence of this, the word man (properly "gift") became the accepted name of the thing.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When the Israelites
בְנֵֽי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

saw it,
וַיִּרְא֣וּ (way·yir·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7200: To see

they asked
וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

one
אִ֤ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

another,
אָחִיו֙ (’ā·ḥîw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

“What
מָ֣ן (mān)
Interrogative
Strong's 4478: Manna (a kind of bread)

is it?”
ה֔וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

For
כִּ֛י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they did not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

know
יָדְע֖וּ (yā·ḏə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

what
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

it was.
ה֑וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

So Moses
מֹשֶׁה֙ (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

told them,
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“It
ה֣וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is the bread
הַלֶּ֔חֶם (hal·le·ḥem)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

the LORD
יְהוָ֛ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has given
נָתַ֧ן (nā·ṯan)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

you to eat.
לְאָכְלָֽה׃ (lə·’āḵ·lāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 402: Food, eating


Links
Exodus 16:15 NIV
Exodus 16:15 NLT
Exodus 16:15 ESV
Exodus 16:15 NASB
Exodus 16:15 KJV

Exodus 16:15 BibleApps.com
Exodus 16:15 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 16:15 Chinese Bible
Exodus 16:15 French Bible
Exodus 16:15 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Exodus 16:15 When the children of Israel saw it (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 16:14
Top of Page
Top of Page