A crowd of figures gathers in a rocky landscape, their gestures animated as they reach for small white objects scattered on the ground. In the foreground, women and children kneel and stoop, collecting manna into vessels and cloths, while a man in a red cloak stands at the left, bending over a child. To the right, a woman in yellow and blue kneels with her arm extended, guiding a child toward the manna, while behind her, men and women bend low, intent on gathering the miraculous food.

At the center, two bearded men in blue and red robes stand upright, one raising his arm in a commanding gesture, as others kneel or bow before them in reverence. Behind this central group, more figures cluster in animated poses, some with arms raised in gratitude or supplication, their faces turned toward the men at the center. Rows of tents fill the valley in the middle distance, suggesting the encampment of the Israelites, while beyond them, rocky cliffs and dense trees rise on either side, framing a dramatic sky lit by a break in the clouds.

Golden light breaks through the clouds, illuminating the central figures and highlighting the folds of their drapery in vivid reds, blues, yellows, and greens, while shadowed areas deepen the sense of depth and drama. Brushwork appears smooth and controlled, with subtle transitions in flesh tones and careful modeling of fabric, characteristic of the classicist approach. Details such as the scattered manna, the variety of vessels, and the expressive faces and hands add to the narrative richness of the scene. The Israelites gathering Manna in the Desert is the work of Nicolas Poussin, painted between 1637 and 1639.

The scene is set in a rocky desert with high cliffs and broad-leaved trees, echoing the grandeur and order of Classicism, the movement with which Poussin is associated.