John Calvin Commentary Exodus 16:9

"And Moses said unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before Jehovah; for he hath heard your murmurings." — Exodus 16:9 (ASV)

And Moses spoke to Aaron. There is no question that he here cites them as criminals before the tribunal of God, as if he were saying that they were mistaken if they thought their murmurings were unobserved. Nevertheless, he also alludes to the cloud, which was the visible symbol of God’s presence, and thus reproves their folly in not hesitating to provoke a God who was so near, and who was almost before their very eyes.

First, then, we must remark that they were, as it were, drawn from their hiding-places, so that their pride might be broken; and, secondly, that their stupidity was rebuked for not reverencing God even though He was present.

And this is made more clear by the context, where it is said that the glory of the Lord appeared toward the wilderness, by which term I imagine the less habitable region to be indicated. For, although the country on all sides was barren and uninhabited, yet on one side the Amalekites were near, and other tribes, as we shall soon see. The glory of God I suppose to mean, not that which they saw daily, but that which was now manifested to them in an unusual manner to inspire alarm, because they were hardened against its ordinary manifestations.