Manna
מָן (man)
Miraculous provision, not a plant or animal — outside the scope of Leviticus 11’s dietary laws
Would you eat it?
Mentioned in 17 verses (KJV)
Description
Manna was the fine, flake-like food that appeared on the ground each morning through Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, gathered fresh daily because it spoiled overnight. Its name comes from the Israelites’ own bewildered question when they first saw it.
Key verses
“And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”
Exodus 16:31
“Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
John 6:31
Symbolism
Bread from heaven that was only a shadow of the greater bread to come — ‘my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven’ (John 6:32).
Fun fact
Manna gets its name from the Hebrew for ‘what is it?’ — the question the Israelites asked when they first saw it covering the ground (Exodus 16:15).
All 17 referencesshow
- Deuteronomy 8:3
- Deuteronomy 8:16
- Exodus 16:15
- Exodus 16:31
- Exodus 16:33
- Exodus 16:35
- Hebrews 9:4
- John 6:31
- John 6:49
- John 6:58
- Joshua 5:12
- Nehemiah 9:20
- Numbers 11:6
- Numbers 11:7
- Numbers 11:9
- Psalms 78:24
- Revelation 2:17