In 1626, the city of Antwerp was reeling from war and famine when Peter Paul Rubens painted The Israelites Gathering Manna, a scene of miraculous nourishment. The subject was not chosen at random: in the Catholic Netherlands, this Old Testament episode had become a symbol of hope and divine providence, especially meaningful in a city beset by hardship. Rubens, already famed for his grand altarpieces, was commissioned to create this work for the Abbey of Saint Michael, where it would remind viewers of God's mercy in times of need. The painting captures the Israelites at dawn, their faces lit by the first rays of sun as they stoop to collect the mysterious manna that has fallen overnight.

Rubens chooses the moment of discovery: baskets and cloths fill with the white, bread-like substance, while figures young and old reach out in gratitude and astonishment. The composition teems with movement—children tug at their mothers, elders gaze heavenward, and Moses stands at the left, his staff raised in guidance. Rubens’s use of rich color and muscular forms recalls the energy of his Italian contemporaries, yet his scene is more crowded and immediate than, for example, Nicolas Poussin's more restrained The Gathering of the Manna. As with many large religious canvases of the Baroque era, the original patronage of The Israelites Gathering Manna is well documented, but its journey after leaving the Abbey is less clear.

The painting was likely moved or sold during the upheavals of the late 18th century, as church property was seized and dispersed. Today, it hangs in the Museo del Prado, where it stands as a testament to Rubens’s ability to blend drama, faith, and the everyday. This work marks a mature phase in Rubens’s career, when his workshop was at its busiest and his influence at its peak, shaping the visual language of Catholic Europe.