OET EXO section

This is still a very early look into the unfinished text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.

Readers’ Version

Literal Version

16:1 The manna and the quail

16 Then they left Elim, and all the Israelis entered into the wilderness at Siyn (between Elim and Sinai) around six weeks after leaving Egypt, 2 and all the Israelis murmured against Mosheh and Aharon there in the wilderness, 3 saying, “If only Yahweh had killed us in Egypt, where we’d be sitting by a pot of meat eating bread until we’re full, because you’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

4 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, “Just watch me make food rain down from the sky for you all. Then the people will be able to go out every day and gather enough for that day so that I can test them: Will they obey my law or not?[ref] 5 But every Friday they can gather and prepare twice as much as what they gather on the other days.”

6 So Mosheh and Aharon told all the Israelis, “This evening you’ll all know that Yahweh was the one who brought you out from Egypt. 7 In the morning you’ll all see Yahweh’s greatness as he’s heard your murmurings against him. I mean, who are we that you’d murmur against us?” 8 Then Mosheh continued, “So Yahweh will give you all meat to eat in the evening and enough bread in the morning to make you all full. Yes, Yahweh has heard your murmurings against him. As for us, we’re insignificant. Your murmuring isn’t against us, but against Yahweh.”

9 Then Mosheh told Aharon, “Summon everyone to come and face Yahweh, because he’s heard their murmurings.” 10 And so while Aharon spoke to all the Israelis, they turned toward the wilderness, and wow, Yahweh’s dazzling brightness appeared in the cloud! 11 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, 12 “I’ve heard the murmurings of the Israelis. Speak to them saying, ‘In the evenings, you’ll all eat meat, and in the mornings you’ll all be satisfied with bread. Then you’ll all know that I’m your God, Yahweh.’ ”

13 And so that evening, quail appeared and covered the camp. And in the morning, something like dew was lying all around the camp, 14 and when it evaporated, wow, it left behind thin flakes—thin like frost on the ground there in the wilderness. 15 When the Israelis saw it, they asked each other, ‘What is it?’ because they didn’t know what it was.

And Mosheh told them, “It’s the food that Yahweh has given you all to eat.[ref] 16 These are Yahweh’s instructions: Gather enough of it according to how many people you’re feeding—about two litres per person who lives in your tents.”

17 So the Israelis went ahead and gathered it—some collecting a lot, and others, less, 18 but when they measured it out, those who’d collected a lot didn’t have any extra, and those who hadn’t gathered so much still had enough to eat—each person had gathered just enough.[ref] 19 Then Mosheh told them, “Don’t save any of it for tomorrow,” 20 but some of them didn’t take any notice of him and kept it until the next morning. However, by then it was full of maggots and smelt rotten, and Mosheh was very angry at them.

21 So from that day onwards, they gathered it every morning, depending on how many they were feeding, and then when the sun got hot, the rest melted away. 22 On the Friday, they gathered twice as much—around four litres for each person—and all the leaders of the community came and informed Mosheh 23 and he told them, “This is what Yahweh said: Tomorrow is a rest day to be set aside for Yahweh. So bake or cook your food, and keep the left-overs overnight to use in the morning.”[ref] 24 So they did what Mosheh had told them and kept the left-overs until the morning, and it didn’t stink or have any bugs in it. 25 On that Saturday morning, Mosheh told them, “Go ahead and eat the previously cooked food because today is set aside for Yahweh and so you all won’t find any more on the ground— 26 you’ll gather it for six days each week, but on the Saturday, there won’t be any.”

27 However, some people did go out to collect it, but they couldn’t find any, 28 and Yahweh said to Mosheh, “For how long will you all keep refusing to obey my commandments and my laws? 29 Listen, Yahweh has given you the Rest Day, so on the Friday he gives you food for two days. On the Saturday, everyone should stay where they are—there’s no need for anyone to go outside searching.” 30 So the people didn’t work on the Saturday.

31 The Israelis named it ‘manna’ (which sounds like Hebrew ‘What is it?’). It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like wafers with honey.[ref] 32 Then Mosheh said, “This is the procedure that Yahweh has commanded: Keep a full measure of it for preservation for your descendants so that they can see the food which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out from Egypt.” 33 So Mosheh said to Aharon, “Take a jar and fill it with the full two litres of manna. Place it in front of Yahweh for preservation for your descendants.”[ref] 34 So Aharon prepared the jar and kept it (and would eventually place it in the box with the stone tablets.) 35 The Israelis ate manna for forty years, until they eventually left the wilderness and came to the borders of the region of Canaan.[ref] 36 (Two litres is called an ‘omer’ which is a tenth of a ‘efah’.)

16:4: Yhn 6:31.

16:15: 1Cor 10:3.

16:18: 2Cor 8:15.

16:23: Exo 20:8-11.

16:31: Num 11:7-8.

16:33: Heb 9:4.

16:35: Josh 5:12.

16:2 Variant note: ו/ילינו: (x-qere) ’וַ/יִּלּ֜וֹנוּ’: lemma_c/3885 b n_0.0.0.0 morph_HC/VNw3mp id_02iJj וַ/יִּלּ֜וֹנוּ

16:7 Variant note: תלונו: (x-qere) ’תַלִּ֖ינוּ’: lemma_3885 b n_0.0 morph_HVhi2mp id_02yoM תַלִּ֖ינוּ

BMM BibleMapper.com Maps:

Map

The Route of the Exodus

Exodus 13-19; Numbers 33

Like several other events recorded in Scripture, the Bible’s account of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai includes an abundance of geographical references, yet it remains one of the most hotly debated topics among scholars, and numerous theories have been offered. The vast majority of geographical references provided in the story are disputed, including the place where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the location of Mount Sinai (see Proposed Locations for Mount Sinai map), and the various stops along the Israelites’ journey. A few locations have been established with some degree of scholarly consensus, but even these are not without opposing viewpoints. Amidst this incredible diversity of opinion, however, a single verse provides one of the most helpful clues for weighing the merits of one viewpoint over another: “By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb” (Deuteronomy 1:2). For those who assume the Bible’s account to be trustworthy, this verse appears to require the following for any theory to be considered viable: 1) Kadesh-barnea and Mount Sinai must have been located at a distance from each other that could reasonably have been expected to take eleven days for an entire nation of people with small children, flocks, equipment, and perhaps even elderly members to travel on foot; and 2) the pace established by this distance over eleven days should most likely be considered the typical pace for the Israelites as they traveled from place to place along the other parts of the journey. This two-pronged test clearly strains many of the theories put forth to this point, especially when one factors in the time references given for the start of the journey (Exodus 12:6; Numbers 33:3), the middle of the journey (Exodus 16:1; Numbers 33:8), and the end of the journey (Exodus 19:1). In short, the journey from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin took 31 days, since it included the 15th day of the second month, and the rest of the journey took another 16 days, assuming they arrived at Mount Sinai on the 15th day (not the first day, etc.) of the third month. Along with these criteria, a theory’s overall congruence with other established geographical and archeological data should bolster its credibility over other proposals. Another consideration is the extreme similarity between the events at Rephidim (Exodus 17) and the events at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 20:1-13; 27:12-14; Deuteronomy 32:51; Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28), raising the question of whether Rephidim (meaning “resting places”) is in fact Kadesh-barnea. With these things in mind, the map below proposes a route for the exodus that meets virtually all of these criteria. A careful analysis and explanation of all the elements of the map is far beyond the scope of this article, but a few key points should be noted. The term Red Sea, in addition to referring to what we now regard it, must have also applied to the interconnected lakes and marshlands that lay along what is now the Suez Canal. Also, the portion of the journey that passed through the wilderness for three days without water (Exodus 15:22; Numbers 33:8) may have been comprised of a partial first day, a full second day, and a partial third day, much like Jesus’ time in the tomb is reckoned as three days in Matthew 12:40. Most notably, Mount Sinai is placed on this map at Gebel Khashm et-Tarif, which is appropriately located near, but not in, Midian (Exodus 3:1; 18:5; Numbers 10:29-30). It is also located 89 miles from Kadesh-barnea (assuming Kadesh is at Tall al-Quderat), which establishes a reasonable pace of 7.6 miles (12.2 km) per day to travel between them in 11 days. This lines up well with several known sources of water along that route (e.g., `Ain Qedeis [Hazar-addar?], Tamilat Suwelima [Hor-haggiggad?], and the spring at Kuntillet al-Girafi [unknown ancient identification]). This general pace then synchronizes very well with the timetable and distances required by this map for the other parts of the journey. The distance from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin (where it is located here) could be completed in under 26 days, leaving an acceptable buffer of about 5 days for the parting of the Red Sea and perhaps a slower pace through the Wilderness of Shur/Etham. The entire journey took about 60 days, and the journey from the Wilderness of Sin to Mount Sinai took about 29 days. This leaves an acceptable buffer of time to complete the rest of the journey (about 16 days of travel) with a very adequate two weeks of extra time for Jethro to visit Moses and the Israelites to do battle with the Amalekites (Exodus 17-18). It should be noted that this timetable generally assumes (but does not necessarily require) that travel continued on sabbath days, but Scripture does not make clear whether travel was prohibited as work prior to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.

OET by section EXO 16:1

The manna and the quail

Readers’ Version

Literal Version Hide marks

The Route of the Exodus

Literal Version