Library Theodoret Questions on Exodus
Questions on Exodus 31: Why leftover manna spoiled the next day
Why did the manna left over for the next day spoil?
Because it was a transgression of the law. For teaching them a life free from cares, he promised to supply them each day with the necessary food; but they, disbelieving, kept a portion of what they had gathered for the next day—and for that reason it stank. That this affliction did not belong to the nature of the manna is proved by the Sabbath, on which what was gathered on the Preparation was kept unharmed; it is also proved by what was preserved in the ark for many generations.
Greek: Theodoret of Cyrus, Quaestiones in Octateuchum / Questions on Exodus (CPG 6200.02; cf. Fernández Marcos and Sáenz-Badillos; also PG 80, cols. 225–298). English: study translation for BWAB Library—not the copyrighted Robert C. Hill (CUA Press) translation. The full Questions on Exodus (72 questions) is hosted here.