Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

EXODUS 16:26KJV
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Exodus 16:26 (KJV)

What does Exodus 16:26 mean?

Exodus 16:26 means that the Israelites were to gather manna for six days, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there would be no manna to collect. This verse sets a clear pattern for work and rest, showing that the Sabbath was a day when gathering food was not allowed because none would be provided.

In Exodus 16:26, God is speaking to the Israelites through Moses while they are in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. The people had been complaining about hunger, and God provided manna as food. This instruction about gathering manna ties the provision of daily bread to the rhythm of six days of labor and a seventh day of rest, introducing the Sabbath as a distinct and special day.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 16:26

  • שַׁבָּת (shabbat): This word means "Sabbath," referring to a day of rest. Its use here marks the seventh day as different from the others, not just by the absence of manna but by its identity as a day set apart for rest.
  • לָקַט (laqat): This word means "to gather." The command to gather manna is active for six days, but intentionally absent on the seventh, emphasizing the deliberate pause in daily routines.

Why Exodus 16:26 matters

  • Exodus 16:26 clarifies that the Sabbath was not just a suggestion but a built-in part of how God provided for the Israelites, reinforcing the importance of rest.
  • The verse highlights that God's provision was tied to obedience—those who tried to gather on the Sabbath would find nothing, teaching trust and reliance on God's timing.
  • This instruction connects the Sabbath rest to the creation pattern in Genesis, where God rested on the seventh day, and sets the stage for Sabbath laws throughout the rest of the Bible.

Where else these words appear

“gather” Hebrew H3950 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 31:46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.
  • Leviticus 19:10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
  • Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

“sabbath” Hebrew H7676 · used in 89 verses

  • Exodus 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
  • Leviticus 26:43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
  • Nehemiah 13:22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

“seventh” Hebrew H7637 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
  • 1 Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.