S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

During the forty years between the time the Israelites left Egypt and entered the Promised Land, they faced harsh conditions, including a scarcity of food. To alleviate this problem, God miraculous...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Tom howard Supporter Contender of the Faith

It was what it represented more importantly than what it was. Here is a few comparisons between the true bread and the shadowy bread, while at same time revealing both. Taken from John Gill's commentary on John 6:32. 

Christ being as little known by carnal men, as the manna was at first to the Israelites: and in its nature, kind, form, and quality;

It was round in form, which might be expressive of the perfections of Christ, and particularly his eternity, being without beginning or end; 

It was white in color, which may denote the purity and innocence of him;

It was sweet in taste, as he, his fruits, his word, and ordinances, are to them that are born again; 

It was small in quantity, which may set forth the meanness of Christ in his state of humiliation:

It was also typical of Christ in its usefulness; it was sufficient to supply a, great multitude, and that for many years, as the fullness of grace in Christ is sufficient for the whole family in heaven, and in earth, in time, and to all eternity;

Israelites all shared in it, and had all an equal portion of it; so all the people of God have an interest in Christ, and equally participate of the blessings of his grace, and shall enjoy the same eternal life and glory by him:

April 24 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College & Dallas Seminary graduate, Pentair

It was an edible substance which God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert during the 40-year period following the Exodus and prior to the conquest of Canaan. --Wikipedia

Psalm 78:25:
"Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 1 He sent them more than enough to eat." 2

1 Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV). --bible.org 
The KJV (the King James Version) has "Man did eat angels food."

2 Heb: “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”

"O Bread of life from Heaven, [Jesus]
O Food to pilgrims given,
O Manna from above:
Feed with the blessèd sweetness
Of Your divine completeness
The souls that want and need Your love." 
-- Anonymous

"The Word of God is the 'bread of heaven' that God’s people must feed on daily if they’re going to succeed in their pilgrim journey (Matt. 4:4). The way we treat His Word at the beginning of each day reveals whether or not we are yielded to Him and want to obey Him. To enter a new day without first feeding on the heavenly manna is to invite disappointment and defeat." --Wiersbe

Manna is reserved as the future food of the righteous (Revelation 2:17 -- "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.") -- [ISBE]

The Israelites were to gather the manna on 6 days, but not on the 7th day as it was God's gift to them, a Sabbath, or Day of Rest. Nevertheless, some of them went out anyway on the 7th day, but they found no food. God was mad. He said, "they [the people] must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord's gift" (Exodus 16:29). Likewise, God's gift to married couples is the gift of sex. But do we receive it gladly and not reject His gift? See 1 Corinthians 7:1-5. And if the Israelites further disobeyed God and tried to keep leftover manna from any one of the first 5 of the 6 days, it would go bad, "it bred maggots and stunk."
But on the 6th day, the Jews could set aside leftovers for the next day, the Sabbath. They did and it was without worms and odor. God still expects obedience, and if we find that we cannot obey always (Matthew 5:48; and Galatians 3:10, KJV: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," then there is an answer!

What's this? " Rules and rituals given in the Law cannot save anyone. They can only condemn those who try to follow them. 
everyone who tries to follow the law in order to be saved is always under the threat of being cursed by God. As Paul will go on to show, nobody is able to do everything the law says to do perfectly. Life under law, therefore, is life under God's curse."

--What does Galatians 3:10 mean? - BibleRef.com

But Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, doing all things by the book, that is, The Book, God's book of the Law. So only He could volunteer to pay the penalty which our disobedience deserves. And He did. "Jesus Christ died as our substitute on the cross fulfilling the just demands of God’s Law (2 Cor. 5:21)." --http://www.abideinchrist.com/gra/jn15v5b.gif


Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." I believed this, repented of my sins, and took Jesus as my Savior, and now look forward to going to Heaven one day. Jesus is waiting to hear from you, too. He is standing up there in Heaven waiting for you to call upon Him to give you His free gift of salvation, eternal life. He is waiting and watching. Do it today!

November 17 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What was manna?

Manna was the food given to the Israelites during their forty years in the wilderness. According to Exodus, it appeared each morning beneath the dew, except on the Sabbath. When the people first encountered it, they asked "man huʼ?" meaning "What is it?" This question became its name.

Biblical texts describe manna as white, small, and similar in appearance to coriander seed or bdellium, a translucent gum. Its taste is compared to flat cakes sweetened with honey or to an oiled sweet cake. The Israelites prepared it by grinding or pounding it, then boiling or baking it into simple cakes. It could not be stored overnight, except on the day before the Sabbath, when it remained fresh.

Scripture refers to manna with several titles: Ex 16:13-15, 35. In other contexts, it is called "the grain of heaven" (Ps 78:24), "bread from heaven" (Ps 105:40), and "the bread of mighty ones" (Ps 78:25). Jesus also referred to manna figuratively.​—John 6:49, 50. These expressions highlight its role as a direct provision. Jesus later used manna symbolically when teaching about spiritual nourishment. 

The daily arrival of manna taught trust. Each person gathered only what was needed for that day, reinforcing reliance rather than hoarding. It continued throughout the entire period of wandering and ceased only when the Israelites entered a land where they could harvest their own food.

In later tradition, manna became a symbol of care, guidance, and sustenance during hardship. It represented the idea that support can come from unexpected sources and that survival involves more than physical food.

Some researchers have suggested natural substances that resemble the descriptions, such as plant resins or hardened insect secretions. These ideas attempt to match its appearance and behaviour, though none fully correspond to every detail recorded.

Overall, manna is remembered as a unique provision that sustained a displaced people, carried symbolic meaning, and remained central in religious reflection long after the wilderness journey ended.

September 18 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report