The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little.
Parallel translations
- WEB The children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.
- KJV And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
- BSB So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.
- NKJV Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.
- NLT So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Israelites obeyed and gathered, some more and some less. Human effort varied, but God's provision would prove equal.
Overview
The people follow God's command, though their gathering differed in quantity. This sets up the miracle of the following verse, where divine provision overrides human disparity. The account underscores that God's supply does not finally depend on human striving but on his gracious arrangement.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 16:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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