Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 16:18
And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
18. They gathered, as well as they could judge roughly, according to the size of their families; when they afterwards measured what they had gathered, they found to their surprise that they had each gathered exactly an omer a head. The verse is quoted in 2Co 8:15.
mete ] An archaism for ‘measure’: Mat 7:1 al.
had over
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Had nothing over – Whatever quantity each person had gathered, when he measured it in his tent, he found that he had just as many omers as he needed for the consumption of his family.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. He that gathered much had nothing over] Because his gathering was in proportion to the number of persons for whom he had to provide. And some having fewer, others more in family, and the gathering being in proportion to the persons who were to eat of it, therefore he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack. Probably every man gathered as much as he could; and then when brought home and measured by an omer, if he had a surplus, it went to supply the wants of some other family that had not been able to collect a sufficiency, the family being large, and the time in which the manna might be gathered, before the heat of the day, not being sufficient to collect enough for so numerous a household, several of whom might be so confined as not to be able to collect for themselves. Thus there was an equality, and in this light the words of St. Paul, 2Co 8:15, lead us to view the passage. Here the 36th verse should come in: Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
All that was gathered by the members of one family was put into a heap, and then distributed to each person an omer, neither more nor less; to which St. Paul alludes, 2Co 8:13, &c.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And when they did mete it with an omer,…. What was gathered in; and everyone had his measure, his omer dealt out to him by those that meted or measured it:
he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; when their gatherings were put together in one heap, and each had his omer measured out to him; he that had gathered more than an omer had no more allotted to him, and he that gathered not so much as an omer, yet had a full one measured out to him: or he, that is, Moses, “did not cause him to abound” q, that gathered much, he had no more for his share than another; nor “suffer” him “to want” r that gathered little, so that they all had alike; which shows, that though there may be different exercises of grace, yet it is the same grace in all; all have alike precious faith, and an equal interest in Christ, the object of it; all are equally redeemed by his precious blood, and justified by his righteousness, and have their sins forgiven on the foot of his atonement; all have the same Christ, and the same blessings of grace, and are entitled to the same eternal glory and happiness. The apostle quotes this passage, and applies it to that equality there should be among Christians in acts of beneficence and charity, that what is wanting in the one through poverty, may be made up by the riches of others, 2Co 8:14:
they gathered every man according to his eating; according to the number of persons he had to eat of it; there always was, upon an average, some gathering more and others less, an omer gathered and distributed to every person. Jarchi takes this to be a miracle, that nothing should ever be wanting of an omer to a man; and so Aben Ezra observes, that the ancients say this is a miracle.
q “et non abundare fecit”, Montanus. r “non minoravit”, Montanus; “non defuit”, Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(18) When they did mete it with an omer.Each Israelite gathered what he supposed would be about an omer for each member of his family. Some naturally made an over, some an under estimate; but whatever the quantity collected, when it came to be measured in the camp, the result was always the samethere was found to be just an omer for each. This result can only have been miraculous.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 16:18. When they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much, &c. An omer was the quantity allowed for each person, i.e. each person might, if he chose it, gather and use so much. Those who were aged and infirm, and could not themselves go out to gather it, were allowed the same quantity to be gathered by other persons for them; take ye every man for them which are in his tents, Exo 16:16. Obedient to the injunctions of God, the children of Israel went out, and gathered, some more, some less; “that is,” says Houbigant, “because there were in some tents or families more persons for whom manna was to be gathered, and in others fewer; for thus Moses had commanded, and thus the children of Israel did as they had been commanded, Exo 16:17. But because, in that first gathering of the manna, the Israelites had not the measure of an omer ready, it happened to them that they guessed for the number of heads; and every one gathered as much as they imagined would be sufficient for each person: but, upon returning to their tents, when each came to use the omer, they found that they had, in fact, gathered so many omers as there were persons in each tent; God admonishing them by this event, that they should afterwards do that which he himself had now perfected by his own immediate agency.” Houbigant supposes this applicable only to the first manna which fell. Others, averse to considering the matter as thus miraculous, imagine the fact was, that when the Israelites came to measure out what they had gathered, more or less, they, who had gathered more than their omer, readily imparted their overplus to those who had not gathered so much; and further, possibly, some, who thought an omer too much for their eating, supplied those who required more with what they had to spare. Thus they charitably assisted each other; and this appears to be the meaning of the passage, particularly as applied by St. Paul, 2Co 8:13-15 which, if the passage be understood in the first sense, must imply, that God, by his providential bounty, will bless and assist those who charitably aid their brethren.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Exo 16:18 And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
Ver. 18. He that gathered much. ] See Trapp on “ 2Co 8:15 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Co 8:14, 2Co 8:15
Reciprocal: Exo 16:16 – omer Lev 5:11 – the tenth part Lev 7:10 – one as much Num 35:8 – from them Jos 19:9 – too much Pro 30:8 – feed Mat 6:34 – no
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 16:18. He that gathered much had nothing over Commentators interpret this in different ways. Some suppose that God wrought a miracle in this case, and so ordered it, that when they came to measure what they had gathered, the store of him that had gathered too much was miraculously diminished to the exact number of omers he ought to have gathered, and the store of him who had not gathered the due quantity, was miraculously increased. Houbigant, however, supposes that this was only applicable to the first time of gathering, God admonishing them, by this event, that they should afterward do that which he himself had now perfected by his own immediate agency. But others suppose, that had this been the case, as it was an equal miracle with any other recorded, it would have been mentioned that the Lord had done it. And they think, therefore, all that is meant is, that he who had not gathered a sufficient quantity to make an omer for every one in his family, had it made up to him out of what others had gathered, who had more than enough, and that they charitably assisted each other. This sense of the passage seems to be countenanced by St. Paul, 2Co 8:13-15. If understood in the first-mentioned sense, the apostle, in the application of it as an argument to encourage charity, must be considered as signifying that God, in an extraordinary manner, in the course of his providences, will bless and prosper those who in charity assist their brethren.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
16:18 And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no {h} lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
(h) God richly feeds everyone, and no one can justly complain.