Manna from Heaven
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Book: Exodus 16
- Summary: God provides manna — bread from heaven — to sustain Israel in the wilderness for 40 years.
Details
After crossing the Red Sea, Israel camped at Elim then entered the Wilderness of Sin. The people complained of hunger. God promised to give them “bread from heaven” — meat in the evening and bread in the morning.
In the evening, quail came up. In the morning, a thin flake appeared on the ground — “white as coriander seed, and the taste of it like wafers made with honey.” God called it “manna” (“What is it?”).
Instructions: Gather only enough for each day. On the sixth day, gather double for the Sabbath. Those who kept some overnight found it wormy and stinking. On the Sabbath, none appeared.
Moses commanded: “A portion of an omer of it shall be kept throughout your generations.” An omer of manna was placed before the Ark of the Covenant as a reminder.
Key People Involved
Important Verses
- “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you… and I will prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” — Exodus 16:4
- “And the house of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.” — Exodus 16:35
Cross-References
- John 6:31-35 — Jesus: “I am the bread of life”
- Deuteronomy 8:3 — “Man doth not live by bread alone”
- Matthew 4:4 — Jesus tempted in wilderness
- Psalm 78:24-25 — “He gave them the bread of heaven”