Bible Strands
Exodus 16:17
So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses conveys the Lord’s manna distribution command to the Israelites during their wilderness journey after departing Egypt. The verse records their immediate execution of the instruction before the measurement outcome is revealed.
The words — The Hebrew verbs וַיַּעֲשׂוּ (va.ya‘asu) and וַיִּלְקְטוּ (va.yilketu) mean “they did” and “they gathered.” The nouns הַמַרְבֶּה (hamarbeh) and הַמַמְעִיט (hamma‘it) label the participants as “the one who made much” and “the one who made little.”
The thread — The uneven gathering described here resolves into the equitable measurement reported in Exodus 16:18. This narrative sequence establishes the manna distribution pattern that frames the broader Exodus 16 account.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that human initiative precedes divine calibration. Readers must accept that apparent inequality in gathering is a necessary step toward the measured sufficiency that follows.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.