Exodus 16 · Verse 2

Exodus 16:2

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
Exodus 16:2, King James Version

Exodus 16:2 in other translations

BSBAnd there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
WEBThe whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;
ASVAnd the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness:
YLTAnd all the company of the sons of Israel murmur against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;
DARBYAnd the whole assembly of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness.
BBEAnd all the children of Israel were crying out against Moses and Aaron in the waste land:
WebsterAnd the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

What does Exodus 16:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. the whole congregation ... murmured against Moses and Aaron--Modern travellers through the desert of Sinai are accustomed to take as much as is sufficient for the sustenance of men and beasts during forty days. The Israelites having been rather more than a month on their journey, their store of corn or other provisions was altogether or nearly exhausted; and there being no prospect of procuring any means of subsistence in the desert, except some wild olives and wild honey (De 32:13), loud complaints were made against the leaders.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 The whole congregation - murmured - This is an additional proof of the degraded state of the minds of this people; See Clarke's note on Exo 13:17. And this very circumstance affords a convincing argument that a people so stupidly carnal could not have been induced to leave Egypt had they not been persuaded so to do by the most evident and striking miracles. Human nature can never be reduced to a more abject state in this world than that in which the body is enthralled by political slavery, and the soul debased by the influence of sin. These poor Hebrews were both slaves and sinners, and were therefore capable of the meanest and most disgraceful acts.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 16:1-12

Chapter Outline The Israelites come to the wilderness of Sin. They murmur for food, God promises bread from heaven. (1-12) God sends quails and manna. (13-21) Particulars respecting the manna. (22-31) An omer of manna to be preserved. (32-36) Verses 1-12 The provisions of Israel, brought from Egypt, were spent by the middle of the second month, and they murmured. It is no new thing for the greatest kindness to be…

Read the full comment on Exodus 16:1-12 →

Exodus 16:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּלּ֜וֹנוּvai.yi.li.nuand they grumbledH3885
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
עֲדַ֧ת'a.Dat[the] congregation ofH5712
בְּנֵי\־be.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
עַל\־'al-onH5921
מֹשֶׁ֥הmo.ShehMosesH4872
וְעַֽל\־ve.'al-and onH5921
אַהֲרֹ֖ן'a.ha.RonAaronH175
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר\׃ba.mid.Barin the wildernessH4057

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 16:2

  • 1 Corinthians 10:10

    Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

  • Exodus 15:24

    And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

  • Psalms 106:7

    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.

  • Psalms 106:25

    But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.

  • Psalms 106:13

    They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:

  • Exodus 14:11

    And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

  • 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:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
15:24; Ge 19:4; Ps 106:7,13,25; 1Co 10:10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 16:1

    And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

  • Exodus 16:2

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

  • Exodus 16:3

    And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Read all of Exodus 16

Exodus 16:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y toda la congregación de los hijos de Israel murmuró contra Moisés y Aarón en el desierto;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et toute l’assemblée des fils d’Israël murmura contre Moïse et contre Aaron, dans le désert.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die ganze Gemeinde der Kinder Israel murrte wieder Mose und wider Aaron in der Wüste.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et murmuravit omnis congregatio filiorum Israël contra Moysen et Aaron in solitudine.