Omer

Biblical Text

The omer is a unit of volume that appears only in Exodus 16, the chapter that contains the account of the manna and the quail. The text includes the following details:

• A daily portion: God directed each person to gather as much manna as he needed: "Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man" (Exodus 16:16).
• Neither lack nor surplus: When the people measured what they had gathered with an omer, "he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack" (Exodus 16:18).
• The sixth day: On the sixth day, before the Sabbath, they gathered a double portion, two omers for each person (Exodus 16:22).
• Preserved manna: Moses relayed the command to put an omer of manna in a pot and keep it throughout the generations, and Aaron laid it up before the Testimony (Exodus 16:32–34).
• Definition of the unit: The chapter closes with an explanatory note: "Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah" (Exodus 16:36).

Background and Meaning of the Word

"Omer" is a transliteration of the Hebrew omer. A word with the same spelling is used in Leviticus 23 with the meaning "sheaf" (a bundle of grain). The Korean Revised Version renders it there as "one sheaf of the first ears," and the KJV reads "a sheaf of the firstfruits" (Leviticus 23:10).

The modern equivalent of an omer depends on how large the ephah is taken to be. Scholarly estimates vary, ranging roughly from 2 to 4 liters. The omer should be distinguished from the similarly named homer, a much larger unit equal to ten ephahs. Some scholars regard the explanation in Exodus 16:36 as a gloss added for later readers.

Significance in the Wider Bible

When urging the collection (offering) for the saints in Jerusalem, Paul quoted Exodus 16:18 (2 Corinthians 8:13–15). He used it to support his appeal that those with abundance supply those in need, so that there might be "equality."

Hebrews 9:4 states that "the golden pot that had manna" was in the Ark of the Covenant. By contrast, 1 Kings 8:9 records that in Solomon's time there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone. The manna itself is frequently connected with Jesus' words in John 6:35, where he calls himself "the bread of life."

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

Interpreters read Exodus 16:18 in two main ways:

• Miraculous reading: Whatever amount each person gathered turned out, when measured, to be exactly one omer.
• Distributive reading: What was gathered was pooled and then distributed at one omer per person.

The text does not specify which is meant. The statement that the pot of manna was placed before the Testimony also raises a question of timing, since the account of receiving the tablets of the Testimony comes later. For this reason the passage is often explained as anticipating a later situation.

The story that the pot of manna disappeared along with the Ark of the Covenant comes from later tradition, not from the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

"One omer" is often cited in sermons about setting aside greed and being content with what is needed each day. It is also frequently used in sermons about sharing with one's neighbors. In such contexts it is often interpreted together with the petition for "daily bread" in the Lord's Prayer.