And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.

EXODUS 16:33KJV
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Exodus 16:33 (KJV)

What does Exodus 16:33 mean?

Exodus 16:33 describes Moses instructing Aaron to take a pot, fill it with an omer of manna, and place it before the LORD as something to be kept for future generations. This act was meant to preserve a sample of the manna as a reminder of how God provided food for the Israelites in the wilderness.

In this verse, Moses is speaking directly to Aaron during the Israelites’ journey through the desert after their escape from Egypt. The instruction is specific: use a pot, measure out an omer (a set amount), and set it aside in a sacred place before the LORD. The purpose is not just for immediate remembrance, but so that future generations would have a physical sign of God’s care and provision during a critical time in Israel’s history.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 16:33

  • The word for "pot" is צִנְצֶנֶת (tsintsenet), which refers to a jar or container. This is a rare word in the Hebrew Bible, highlighting the special nature of the vessel chosen to keep the manna.
  • The word "omer" עֹמֶר (omer) is a specific measure, about two quarts or liters, emphasizing that the amount to be kept was exact and not arbitrary.
  • The word for "kept" מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret) carries the sense of something to be guarded or preserved carefully, showing that this was not just storage but a form of safeguarding something precious for the future.
  • The word for "generations" דּוֹר (dor) points to descendants or future ages, making clear that the act was meant to have lasting significance beyond the current group.

Why Exodus 16:33 matters

  • Exodus 16:33 clarifies that the manna was not only daily provision but also a sign meant to be remembered and physically preserved, showing the importance of tangible reminders in faith history.
  • The verse connects the immediate experience of the Israelites with the ongoing story of their descendants, emphasizing that God's actions are meant to be remembered and taught across generations.
  • This instruction sets up later references to the pot of manna being placed in the Ark of the Covenant, linking this moment to key symbols of Israel’s relationship with God.

Where else these words appear

“manna” Hebrew H4478 · used in 12 verses

  • Exodus 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
  • Numbers 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
  • Deuteronomy 8:16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

“omer” Hebrew H6016 · used in 14 verses

  • Exodus 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
  • Exodus 16:36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
  • Leviticus 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

“full” Hebrew H4393 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
  • 2 Samuel 8:2 And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts.
  • Isaiah 31:4 For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

“kept” Hebrew H4931 · used in 69 verses

  • Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
  • Numbers 9:19 And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.
  • 1 Chronicles 26:12 Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men, having wards one against another, to minister in the house of the LORD.