Exodus 16:2
New International Version
In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

New Living Translation
There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

English Standard Version
And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,

Berean Standard Bible
And there in the desert the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

King James Bible
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

New King James Version
Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

New American Standard Bible
But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

NASB 1995
The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

NASB 1977
And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

Amplified Bible
The whole congregation of the Israelites [grew discontented and] murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,

Christian Standard Bible
The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

American Standard Version
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness:

Contemporary English Version
There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron,

English Revised Version
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the desert the whole community complained about Moses and Aaron.

Good News Translation
There in the desert they all complained to Moses and Aaron

International Standard Version
The whole congregation of the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert.

Majority Standard Bible
And there in the desert the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

NET Bible
The entire company of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert.

New Heart English Bible
The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;

Webster's Bible Translation
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

World English Bible
The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And all the congregation of the sons of Israel murmur against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;

Young's Literal Translation
And all the company of the sons of Israel murmur against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;

Smith's Literal Translation
And all the assembly of the sons of Israel will murmur against Moses and against Aaron in the desert.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the entire congregation of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

New American Bible
Here in the wilderness the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

New Revised Standard Version
The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And all of the assembly of the children of Israel complained against Moshe and against Ahron in the wilderness:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Manna and Quail from Heaven
1On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. 2And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3“If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”…

Cross References
Numbers 14:2
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!

Numbers 11:4-6
Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat? / We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. / But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!”

Numbers 20:2-5
Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron. / The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! / Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? ...

Psalm 78:18-20
They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved. / They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness? / When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”

Psalm 106:13-15
Yet they soon forgot His works and failed to wait for His counsel. / They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. / So He granted their request, but sent a wasting disease upon them.

Numbers 21:5
and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”

Deuteronomy 1:27
You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.

Psalm 78:40
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!

Psalm 95:8-9
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work.

1 Corinthians 10:10
And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.

John 6:41-43
At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” / They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’” / “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied.

John 6:49
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.

Hebrews 3:8-9
do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.

Hebrews 3:16-17
For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? / And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

Philippians 2:14
Do everything without complaining or arguing,


Treasury of Scripture

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

Exodus 15:24
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

Genesis 19:4
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

Psalm 106:7,13,25
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea…

Jump to Previous
Aaron Assembly Children Community Company Congregation Crying Desert Grumbled Israel Moses Murmur Murmured Waste Whole Wilderness
Jump to Next
Aaron Assembly Children Community Company Congregation Crying Desert Grumbled Israel Moses Murmur Murmured Waste Whole Wilderness
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














And there in the desert
The phrase "in the desert" refers to the wilderness of Sin, a barren and desolate region between Elim and Sinai. The Hebrew word for desert, "midbar," often signifies a place of testing and reliance on God. Historically, the desert represents a place of purification and preparation, where the Israelites were to learn dependence on God. This setting underscores the theme of divine provision and guidance, as the Israelites are removed from the comforts of Egypt and must trust in God's sustenance.

the whole congregation
The term "whole congregation" emphasizes the unity and collective experience of the Israelites. In Hebrew, "edah" refers to an assembly or community, highlighting the corporate nature of Israel's journey and struggles. This collective identity is crucial, as it reflects the covenant relationship between God and His people. The entire community's involvement in this narrative underscores the shared responsibility and experience of faith and obedience.

of Israel
"Israel" refers to the descendants of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel after wrestling with God. This name carries the connotation of struggle and perseverance with God. The identity of the Israelites as God's chosen people is central to their narrative, reminding them of their unique relationship with God and His promises to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

grumbled
The word "grumbled" is translated from the Hebrew "lun," which conveys a sense of complaining or murmuring. This term is significant as it reflects a recurring theme in the Israelites' journey: their tendency to doubt and express dissatisfaction despite God's continuous provision. This grumbling is a spiritual issue, revealing a lack of faith and trust in God's plan and timing.

against Moses and Aaron
Moses and Aaron, as leaders appointed by God, are often the targets of the Israelites' complaints. This phrase highlights the challenge of leadership and the burden of mediating between God and His people. Moses and Aaron represent God's authority and guidance, and the people's grumbling against them is ultimately a reflection of their discontent with God's leadership. This dynamic sets the stage for God's response and the lessons He imparts to His people through their leaders.

(2) The whole congregration . . . murmured.--This is the third "murmuring." The first was at Pi-hahiroth, on the appearance of the host of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:11-12); the second was at Marah, when the water proved undrinkable (Exodus 15:24); the third, in the wilderness of Sin, was brought about by no special occurrence--unless it were the exhaustion of the supplies of grain which had been brought out of Egypt--but seems to have resulted from a general dissatisfaction with the conditions of life in the wilderness, and with the prospects which lay before them.

Verse 2. - The whole congregation... murmured, It has been observed above, that only the poorer sort could have been as yet in any peril of actual starvation; but it may well have been that the rest, once launched into the wilderness, and becoming practically acquainted with its unproductiveness, foresaw that ultimately starvation must come upon them too, when all the cattle were eaten up, or had died through insufficient nourishment Nothing is more clear than that, without the miracle of the manna, it would have been impossible for a population of two millions to have supported themselves for forty years, or even for two years, in such a region as the Sinaitic peninsula, even though it had been in ancient times three or four times as productive as at present. The cattle brought out of Egypt must have rapidly diminished (Exodus 17:3); and though the Israelites had brought with them also great wealth in the precious metals, yet it must have been some time before they could establish commercial relations with the neighbouring nations so as to obtain such supplies as they needed. Thus we can well understand that at the expiration of a month the people generally should have recognized that their situation was one of great danger, and should have vented their discontent upon their leaders.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And
0 (0)
0
Strong's Hebrew

[there] in the desert
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ (bam·miḏ·bār)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

[they all]
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

grumbled
וַיִּלּ֜וֹנוּ (way·yil·lō·w·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3885: To stop, to stay permanently, to be obstinate

against
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

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

and Aaron.
אַהֲרֹ֖ן (’a·hă·rōn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 175: Aaron -- an elder brother of Moses


Links
Exodus 16:2 NIV
Exodus 16:2 NLT
Exodus 16:2 ESV
Exodus 16:2 NASB
Exodus 16:2 KJV

Exodus 16:2 BibleApps.com
Exodus 16:2 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 16:2 Chinese Bible
Exodus 16:2 French Bible
Exodus 16:2 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Exodus 16:2 The whole congregation of the children (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 16:1
Top of Page
Top of Page