Exoduschapter 16
36 verses · Moses, by tradition · 15th or 13th century BC · The Law
In Jewish life
The reading
Weekly portion 16 of 54
בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach, Exodus 13:17 to 17:16
Read with it: Judges 4:4 to 5:31 in Ashkenazi use, and Judges 5:1 to 5:31 in Sephardi use.
The verse numbers here are the ones a Hebrew Bible carries, which differ from an English Bible by a verse or two in several places. The Sephardi reading is named only where this site records a difference; communities vary beyond what is listed. What these books are, and how a Christian reader meets them →
How it is read
Rashi dates the chapter and counts the meals. The encampment of verse 1 is named, he says, because the dough carried out of Egypt ran out that day, and he reckons sixty-one meals from it before the manna fell (Rashi on Exodus 16:1:1). At verses 7 and 8 he draws a distinction between the two requests. Bread was asked for out of need, so it came in the morning with the light of favour. Meat was asked for out of plenty, so it came at evening (Rashi on Exodus 16:7:1 and 16:8:1). At verse 17 he describes the measuring as the miracle of the chapter. Whoever gathered much had no more than an omer a head, and whoever gathered little had no less (Rashi on Exodus 16:17:1). At verse 20 he names the men who left it overnight as Dathan and Abiram (Rashi on Exodus 16:20:1). At verse 21 he carries the saying that what melted in the field ran in streams, and that the nations tasted the manna through the deer that drank there (Rashi on Exodus 16:21:1). The text is the Rosenbaum and Silbermann Rashi of 1929 to 1934, in the public domain. Ibn Ezra stands by reference at five places, and this is the one chapter of the span where the corpus also carries Malbim (Malbim on Exodus 16:24:1).
What the rabbis say
The rabbis take up the murmuring for bread at Bamidbar Rabbah 12:7 and Avot DeRabbi Natan, Recension B 38:1. On the quails they taught at Arakhin 15b:2, and on the daily gathering at Arakhin 15b:1. On the omer and its measure they taught at Chullin 135b:11. On the double portion of the sixth day they taught at Berakhot 39b:9, and on the baking and boiling of it at Avodah Zarah 39a:8. The Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai carries this chapter at eight places, from 16:1 to 16:25.
The text, verse by verse
Each word shows the Hebrew, the English under it, how it sounds and its Strong’s number. A rule between verses marks where the Hebrew manuscripts end a paragraph.
Grumbling for the Fleshpots of Egypt
Onkelos Exodus 16:1
They journeyed from Eilim, and the entire community of the B’nei Yisrael came to the desert of Sin, which is between Eilim and Sinai.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 [with Onkelos translation]
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 16:10
It became clear to them that when Aaron spoke to them, they came near before the Lord.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 16:11
The Israelites saw that Moses went to the glory of the Lord and spoke to God.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004
Ramban on Exodus 16:12
SPEAK UNTO THEM, SAYING: AT DUSK YE SHALL EAT FLESH. This communication [ at dusk ye shall eat, etc.], had already been conveyed by Moses to Israel, 365 Above, Verse.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976
What Is It? Bread from Heaven
A Double Portion Before the Sabbath
An Omer of Manna Kept
Hebrew words in this chapter
The 40 most used Hebrew words of the chapter, counted by lemma. The article, the object marker, the negatives and the common prepositions are left out.
| Word | Sense here | Uses | Strong’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh | yahweh | 22 | H3068 |
| יוֹםyôwm | day | 17 | H3117 |
| מֹשֶׁהMôsheh | Moses | 17 | H4872 |
| אָמַרʼâmar | to say | 16 | H559 |
| יִשְׂרָאֵלYisrâʼêl | Israel | 11 | H3478 |
| בֵּןbên | people of | 10 | H1121 |
| בֹּקֶרbôqer | morning | 10 | H1242 |
| לָקַטlâqaṭ | to gather | 9 | H3950 |
| לֶחֶםlechem | food | 8 | H3899 |
| אִישׁʼîysh | each | 8 | H376 |
| יָצָאyâtsâʼ | to come out | 7 | H3318 |
| אֶרֶץʼerets | land | 7 | H776 |
| אָכַלʼâkal | to eat | 7 | H398 |
| מִדְבָּרmidbâr | wilderness of | 6 | H4057 |
| אַהֲרוֹןʼAhărôwn | Aaron | 6 | H175 |
| נָתַןnâthan | to give | 6 | H5414 |
| עֹמֶרʻômer | an omer | 6 | H6016 |
| בּוֹאbôwʼ | and they came | 5 | H935 |
| עֵדָהʻêdâh | congregation | 5 | H5712 |
| רָאָהrâʼâh | to see | 5 | H7200 |
| Word | Sense here | Uses | Strong’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| שָׁמַעshâmaʻ | because has heard he | 5 | H8085 |
| תְּלוּנָהtᵉlûwnâh | grumblings your | 5 | H8519 |
| מָןmân | manna | 5 | H4478 |
| מִצְרַיִםMitsrayim | Egypt | 4 | H4714 |
| עֶרֶבʻereb | evening | 4 | H6153 |
| דָבַרdâbar | to speak | 4 | H1696 |
| צָוָהtsâvâh | to command | 4 | H6680 |
| שַׁבָּתshabbâth | Sabbath | 4 | H7676 |
| נוּחַnûwach | leave | 4 | H5117 |
| מִשְׁמֶרֶתmishmereth | for keeping | 4 | H4931 |
| שְׁבִיעִיshᵉbîyʻîy | seventh | 4 | H7637 |
| לוּןlûwn | and they grumbled | 3 | H3885 |
| יָשַׁבyâshab | when sat we | 3 | H3427 |
| בָּשָׂרbâsâr | the meat | 3 | H1320 |
| עַםʻam | people | 3 | H5971 |
| דָּבָרdâbâr | word | 3 | H1697 |
| שִׁשִּׁיshishshîy | sixth | 3 | H8345 |
| יָדַעyâdaʻ | to know | 3 | H3045 |
| פֶּהpeh | to mouth of | 3 | H6310 |
| אֹכֶלʼôkel | food | 3 | H400 |
Keep studying
Studies5
Sources for this chapter
The Hebrew text
STEP Bible, the tagged Hebrew text and its English glosses and James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.
In Jewish life
Rashi, Rashi on Exodus 16:1:1, 16:7:1, 16:8:1, 16:17:1, 16:20:1 and 16:21:1, Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A. M. Silbermann, 1929 to 1934 (public domain); Malbim, Malbim on Exodus 16:24:1, cited by ref alone under the corpus licence rule; Ibn Ezra, Ibn Ezra on Exodus 16:12:1 and 16:19:1, cited by ref alone under the corpus licence rule; The Babylonian Talmud, Arakhin 15b:1 and 15b:2, Chullin 135b:11, Berakhot 39b:9 and Avodah Zarah 39a:8, cited by ref and The Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 12:7, Avot DeRabbi Natan, Recension B 38:1, and Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai 16:1 to 16:25, cited by ref.
The rabbinic texts
Ramban, Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976; Ibn Ezra, Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004; Targum, Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 [with Onkelos translation] and Sefaria, texts and citation data.