H4478a H4478a
Manna — the miraculous bread-like substance God provided daily during Israel's wilderness wandering
The mysterious food that sustained Israel for forty years in the desert, appearing each morning with the dew as fine, white, flake-like granules tasting of honey wafers (Exod 16:14, 31). When the Israelites first saw it they asked 'What is it?' (מָן הוּא, Exod 16:15), and the name stuck. God used manna as a daily test of faith and obedience — gather only what you need, gather double before the Sabbath (Exod 16:16–26). Moses preserved a jar of it before the LORD as a memorial (Exod 16:33), and Deuteronomy reflects theologically that God humbled Israel with manna to teach them that 'man does not live by bread alone' (Deut 8:3, 16). The manna ceased the day after Israel ate the produce of Canaan (Josh 5:12).
Senses
1. manna — The divinely supplied food of the wilderness period, a bread-like substance that appeared with the morning dew (Exod 16:14; Num 11:9) and tasted like wafers with honey (Exod 16:31) or fresh oil (Num 11:8). Central to Israel's formation narratives: daily provision and Sabbath discipline (Exod 16:15–35), memorial preservation (Exod 16:33), theological lesson on dependence on God's word (Deut 8:3, 16), cessation upon entering Canaan (Josh 5:12), and retrospective praise (Neh 9:20; Ps 78:24). Multilingual glosses universally retain the loanword: eng 'manna', spa 'mana', fra 'manne', deu 'Manna'. 13×
AR["المَنُّ", "الْمَنَّ", "الْمَنُّ", "الْمَنِّ", "مَنًّا", "مَنٌّ", "وَ-الْمَنُّ", "وَ-مَنَّكَ"]·ben["-মান্না", "-মান্নার", "আর-তোমার-মান্না", "এবং-মান্না", "মান্না", "মান্না-(সেই)"]·DE["Manna", "[ומנך]", "der-Manna", "der-manna", "manna", "und-der-manna"]·EN["and-the-manna", "and-your-manna", "manna", "the-manna"]·FR["[ומנך]", "et-le-manna", "le-manna", "le-manne", "manna", "manne", "quoi"]·heb["ה-מן", "ו-ה-והמן", "ו-מנך-ך", "מן"]·HI["और-अपना-मन्ना", "और-मन्ना", "मन्ना", "मन्ना-के"]·ID["dan-manna", "dan-manna-Mu", "manna", "manna-itu"]·IT["[ומנך]", "[מן]", "e-il-manna", "il-manna", "manna"]·jav["Lan-manna", "lan-manna-Paduka", "manna"]·KO["그-만나", "그-만나-가", "그-만나가", "그-만나를", "그리고-그-만나-는", "그리고-주의-만나를", "만나-를", "만나가", "만나라", "만나를"]·PT["E-o-maná", "e-maná-Teu", "man,", "man;", "maná", "o-man", "o-maná"]·RU["-манной", "и-манна", "и-манну-Твою", "ман", "мана", "манна", "манной", "манну", "манны"]·ES["Y-el-maná", "con-maná", "el-man", "el-maná", "man", "maná", "y-maná-de-ti"]·SW["mana", "na-mana", "na-mana-yako"]·TR["-man", "man", "man'yı", "man'ı", "manı", "ve-man", "ve-mannanı"]·urd["اور-تیرا-من", "اور-من", "من", "مَن"]
Exod 16:31, Exod 16:33, Exod 16:35, Exod 16:35, Num 11:6, Num 11:7, Num 11:9, Deut 8:3, Deut 8:16, Josh 5:12, Josh 5:12, Neh 9:20 (+1 more)
Related Senses
H8081 1. oil (substance) (180×)H3196 1. wine (fermented grape juice) (141×)H1706 1. honey (54×)H4682 1. unleavened bread/cakes (53×)H2461 1. milk (42×)H8492 1. new wine / must (38×)H0400 1. food, nourishment (36×)G3631 1. wine (34×)H3978 1. food, nourishment (30×)H1314 1. spice / perfume / balsam (29×)H7416 1. pomegranate (fruit/ornament) (28×)H3323 1. fresh oil, olive oil (23×)H2964 1. prey, torn flesh (19×)H3899 2. food, sustenance (19×)G1033 1. food (17×)G5160 1. food (16×)H5561 1. spices, aromatic substances (16×)H0402 1. food, nourishment (14×)G2219 1. leaven (13×)G1637 1. olive oil (11×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. מָן n.m. Nu 11:9 manna ( = Arabic مَنٌّ, known to Beduin in Sin. Penin.; a juice exuding in heavy drops from twigs (some say also the leaves) of Ṭarfa (Ṭŭrfa) tree (tamarix gallica mannifera) in W. Sin. Penin., end of May and in June, sweet, sticky, honey-like; cf. Di Ex 16:36 RobBR i, 75, 115, 590 EbGS 233 ff., 574 ff. SocZMG xxxv. 1881, 254);—מ׳ abs. Ex 16:15 + 12 times, sf. מַנְךָ Ne…