Difference between revisions of "Manna"

<p> מן , Exodus 16:15; Exodus 16:33; Exodus 16:35; Numbers 11:6-7; Numbers 11:9; Joshua 5:12; Nehemiah 9:20; Psalms 78:24; μαννα , John 6:31; John 6:49; John 6:58; Hebrews 9:4; Revelation 2:17; the food which [[God]] gave the children of [[Israel]] during their continuance in the deserts of Arabia, from the eighth encampment in the wilderness of Sin. [[Moses]] describes it as white like hoar frost, round, and of the bigness of coriander seed. It fell every morning upon the dew; and when the dew was exhaled by the heat of the sun, the manna appeared alone, lying upon the rocks or the sand. It fell every day except on the Sabbath, and this only around the camp of the Israelites. Every sixth day there fell a double quantity; and though it putrefied and bred maggots when it was kept any other day, yet on the [[Sabbath]] there was no such alteration. The same substance which was melted by the heat of the sun when it was left abroad, was of so hard a consistence when brought into the tent, that it was beaten in mortars, and would even endure the fire, being made into cakes and baked in pans. It fell in so great quantities during the whole forty years of their journey, that it was sufficient to feed the whole multitude of above a million of souls. </p> <p> Every man, that is, every male or head of a family, was to gather each day the quantity of an omer, about three quarts English measure; and it is observed that "he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack," because his gathering was in proportion to the number of persons for whom he had to provide. Or every man gathered as much as he could; and then, when brought home and measured by an omer, if he had a surplus, it went to supply the wants of some other family that had not been able to collect a sufficiency, the family being large, and the time in which the manna might be gathered, before the heat of the day, not being sufficient to collect enough for so numerous a household, several of whom might be so confined as not to be able to collect for themselves. Thus there was an equality; and in this light the words of St. [[Paul]] lead us to view the passage, 2 Corinthians 8:15 . To commemorate their living upon manna, the [[Israelites]] were directed to put one omer of it into a golden vase; and it was preserved for many generations by the side of the ark. </p> <p> Our translators and others make a plain contradiction in the relation of this account of the manna, by rendering it thus: "And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna; for they knew not what it was;" whereas the Septuagint, and several authors, both ancient and modern, have translated the text according to the original: "The Israelites seeing this, said one to another, What is it? מן חוא ; they could not give it a name. Moses immediately answers the question, and says, "This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat." From Exodus 16:31 , we learn that this substance was afterward called מן , probably in commemoration of the question they had asked on its first appearance. What this substance was, we know not. It was nothing that was common in the wilderness. It is evident that the Israelites never saw it before; for Moses says, "He fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know," Deuteronomy 8:3; Deuteronomy 8:16; and it is very likely that nothing of the kind had ever been seen before; and by a pot of it being laid up in the ark, it is as likely that nothing of the kind ever appeared after the miraculous supply in the wilderness had ceased. The author of the book of Wisdom, Wis_16:20-21 , says, that the manna so accommodated itself to every one's taste that it proved palatable and pleasing to all. It has been remarked that at this day, what is called manna is found in several places; in Arabia, on Mount Libanus, Calabria, and elsewhere. The most famous is that of Arabia, which is a kind of condensed honey, which exudes from the leaves of trees, from whence it is collected when it has become concreted. [[Salmasius]] thinks this of the same kind which fed the children of Israel; and that the miracle lay, not in creating any new substance, but in making it fall duly at a set time every day throughout the whole year, and that in such plenty as to suffice so great a multitude. But in order for this, the Israelites must be supposed every day to have been in the neighbourhood of the trees on which this substance is formed; which was not the case, neither do these trees grow in those deserts. Beside, this kind of manna is purgative, and the stomach could not endure it in such quantity as is implied by its being eaten for food. The whole history of the giving the manna is evidently miraculous; and the manna was truly "bread from heaven," as sent by special interposition of God. </p>

<p> <strong> MANNA. </strong> The food of the [[Israelites]] during the wanderings ( Exodus 16:1 , Joshua 5:12 ), but not the only food available. Documents of various dates speak of ( <em> a </em> ) cattle ( Exodus 17:3; Exodus 19:13; Exodus 34:3 , Numbers 7:3; Numbers 7:6 f.), especially in connexion with sacrifice ( Exodus 24:5; Exodus 32:8 , Leviticus 8:2; Leviticus 8:25; Leviticus 8:31; Leviticus 9:4; Leviticus 10:14 , Numbers 7:15 ff.); ( <em> b </em> ) flour ( Numbers 7:13; Numbers 7:19; Numbers 7:25 etc., Leviticus 10:12; Leviticus 24:5 ); ( <em> c </em> ) food in general ( Deuteronomy 2:3 , Joshua 1:11 ). </p> <p> <strong> 1. </strong> The origin of the word is uncertain. In Exodus 16:13 the exclamation might be rendered, ‘It is <em> mân </em> !’ (note RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ). If so, the Israelites were reminded (but only vaguely, see Exodus 16:15 ) of some known substance. The similar Arabic word means ‘gift.’ More probably the words are a question ‘What is it?’ Unaware of the proper term, they thus spoke of manna as ‘the-what-is-it.’ </p> <p> 2. The manna was flaky, small, and white (Exodus 16:14; Exodus 16:31 ). It resembled the ‘seed’ (better ‘fruit’) of the coriander plant ( Exodus 16:31 , Numbers 11:7 ), and suggested bdellium ( Numbers 11:7 [see § 3]). It could be ground, and was stewed or baked ( Exodus 16:23 , Numbers 11:8 ). The taste is compared to that of honey-wafers ( Exodus 16:31 ), or oil ( Numbers 11:8 ), it was gathered fresh every morning early (but see § 4), for, if exposed to the sun, it melted ( Exodus 16:21; cf. Wis 19:2 ); if kept overnight (see § 4), it went had ( Exodus 16:19 f.). Each person was entitled to a measured <em> ’omer </em> of manna ( Exodus 16:19 ). </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> Many would identify manna with the juice of certain trees. The flowering ash (S. Europe) exudes a ‘manna’ (used in medicine); and a species of tamarisk found in the [[Sinai]] peninsula yields a substance containing sugar. The description of manna would not in every point support such an identification, but it is worth noting that manna is likened (see § 2) to bdellium, which is a resinous exudation. A more recent theory is that manna was an edible lichen like that found in Arabia, etc. </p> <p> <strong> 4. </strong> [[Manna]] would thus come under the category of ‘special providences,’ not ‘miracles.’ There can, however, be no doubt that the Biblical writers regarded it as miraculous. ( <em> a </em> ) There is enough for a host of ‘600,000 footmen.’ ( <em> b </em> ) The quantity gathered proves exactly suited to the consumer’s appetite ( Exodus 16:18 ). ( <em> c </em> ) The [[Sabbath]] supply (gathered the previous day) retains its freshness ( Exodus 16:23 f.). ( <em> d </em> ) An <em> ‘omer </em> of it is kept as a sacred object near ( Exodus 16:33 f.) but not <em> within </em> ( 1 Kings 8:9; ct. [Note: t. contrast.] Hebrews 9:4 , Revelation 2:17 ) the ark. ( <em> e </em> ) Allusions to it suggest the supernatural ( Nehemiah 9:20 , Psalms 78:24 f., Psa 105:40 , Esther 1:19 Esther 1:19 , Wis 16:20; Wis 19:21 ). </p> <p> <strong> 5. </strong> All this must lend significance to NT mention. [[Christ]] as the living bread is typified by manna ( John 6:31 ff., 1 Corinthians 10:3; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 ); and secret spiritual sustenance is the reward for ‘him that overcometh’ ( Revelation 2:17 ). </p> <p> H. F. B. Compston. </p>

<p> In the margin of the [[Bible]] it is called Man-hu, (Exodus 16:15) meaning the bread with which the Lord fed. [[Israel]] in the wilderness. It was altogether miraculous: for this food began to fall from heaven from the time the [[Israelites]] arrived in the wilderness of Zin, which was the sixteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt, until that they came to Canaan, during the pilgrimage of forty years. And what rendered this daily mercy the more miraculous was, that on the Sabbath-days it never fell, during the whole of this eventful period. I beg the reader to read the interesting account of it, Exodus 16:1-36 throughout: it will well reward his attention, The children of Israel called it Man-hu; that is, they asked the question, "What is this, far it is peculiar?" And hence Moses, (Deuteronomy 8:3) reminds Israel of their surprize at first beholding it. "Who fed thee (said Moses) with that peculiar things which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know." </p> <p> The miracle itself was designed to be a standing miracle, for Israel to remember and record in their generations for ever; hence an omer of it was to be reserved in a pot, and laid up before the Lord for a memorial. Here was a double proof of the miracle; for the manna itself was s perishable and delicate, that if only kept for day, it bred worms and stank; yet, to teach Israel to reverence the Sabbaths, that which we kept for the use of the [[Sabbath]] bred no worm nor stank; and the omer of it also which was laid up before the Lord, was preserved pure generation to generation. </p> <p> It was also no less miraculous, the immense quantity which regularly fell every day in the supply. It gave supply to the whole camp Israel—six hundred thousand on foot that we men, besides children, and mixed multitude that went with Israel, came out of Egypt; therefore allowing for increase, we may safely put down near a million of souls, who were daily fed from the supply of manna. (See Exodus 12:37-38) The manna had a remarkable quality, which, though not miraculous, is recorded as worthy our observation. Though it melted at the heat of the sun, yet when brought into the tent it became hard, so that the people ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar. (See Numbers 11:7-8 and Exodus 16:20-21) It may be proper to observe, that what is now called manna in the shop of the apothecary, hath no One resemblance or connection whatever with the manna of Scripture, but is the gum, or balsam, of certain trees. We are told indeed by historians, that in [[Arabia]] and in Calabria, and in other places, there is a dew on the ground still to be seen like manna. But that this cannot be similar to the manna of Israel is evident, for it is of medicinal quality, and affects the bowels. The [[Jews]] are so tenacious respecting the manna of their fathers, that they pronounce an anathema and execration on every one that would call in question the miraculous nature of it. And [[Christians]] ought not to be less earnest in defence of the same precious truth, since the manna of the Old [[Testament]] was but typical and figurative of the bread of life under the New. [[Jesus]] was all along thus represented to Israel; and was then, and is now, the living bread, by faith, with which the Lord feeds all the true Israel. (See John 6:31-58; Revelation 2:17) </p>

<p> (1): (n.) A sweetish exudation in the form of pale yellow friable flakes, coming from several trees and shrubs and used in medicine as a gentle laxative, as the secretion of Fraxinus Ornus, and F. rotundifolia, the manna ashes of Southern Europe. </p> <p> (2): (n.) A name given to lichens of the genus Lecanora, sometimes blown into heaps in the deserts of [[Arabia]] and Africa, and gathered and used as food. </p> <p> (3): (n.) The food supplied to the [[Israelites]] in their journey through the wilderness of Arabia; hence, divinely supplied food. </p>

<p> Manna, or Man. The name given to the miraculous food upon which the [[Israelites]] were fed for forty years, during their wanderings in the desert. The same name has in later ages been applied to some natural productions, chiefly found in warm dry countries, but which have little or no resemblance to the original manna. This is first mentioned in Exodus 16. It is there described as being first produced after the eighth encampment in the desert of Sin, as white like hoar frost (or of the color of bdellium, ), round, and of the bigness of coriander seed (gad). It fell with the dew every morning, and when the dew was exhaled by the heat of the sun, the manna appeared alone, lying upon the ground or the rocks round the encampment of the Israelites. 'When the children of [[Israel]] saw it, they said one to another, What is it? for they knew not what it was' . In the Authorized, and some other versions, this passage is inaccurately translated—which indeed is apparent from the two parts of the sentence contradicting each other. [[Josephus]] (Antiq. iii. 1. § 6), as quoted by Dr. Harris, says: 'The Hebrews call this food manna, for the particle man in our language is the asking of a question, What is this? (mah-hu). [[Moses]] answered this question by telling them, 'This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.' We are further informed that the manna fell every day, except on the Sabbath. Every sixth day, that is on Friday, there fell a double quantity of it. Every man was directed to gather an omer (about three English quarts) for each member of his family: and the whole seems afterwards to have been measured out at the rate of an omer to each person: 'He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack.' That which remained ungathered dissolved in the heat of the sun, and was lost. The quantity collected was intended for the food of the current day only; for if any were kept till next morning, it corrupted and bred worms. Yet it was directed that a double quantity should be gathered on the sixth day for consumption on the Sabbath. And it was found that the manna kept for the [[Sabbath]] remained sweet and wholesome, notwithstanding that it corrupted at other times, if kept for more than one day. In the same manner as they would have treated grain, they reduced it to meal, kneaded it into dough, and baked it into cakes, and the taste of it was like that of wafers made with honey, or of fresh oil. In , where the description of the manna is repeated, an omer of it is directed to be preserved as a memorial to future generations, 'that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness;' and in we learn that after the Israelites had encamped at Gilgal, and did eat of the old corn of the land, the manna ceased on the morrow after, neither had the children of Israel manna anymore.' </p> <p> Fig. 251—Manna Plants—1. Alhagi maurorum. 2. Tamarix gallica. </p> <p> This miracle is referred to in;;;;;; . Though the manna of [[Scripture]] was so evidently miraculous, both in the mode and in the quantities in which it was produced, and though its properties were so different from anything with which we are acquainted, yet, because its taste is in Exodus said to be like that of wafers made with honey, many writers have thought that they recognized the manna of Scripture in a sweetish exudation which is found on several plants in [[Arabia]] and Persia. The name man, or manna, is applied to this substance by the [[Arab]] writers, and was probably so applied even before their time. But the term is now almost entirely appropriated to the sweetish exudation of the ash trees of [[Sicily]] and Italy. These, however, have no relation to the supposed manna of Scripture. Of this one kind is known to the Arabs by the name of guzunjbeen, being the produce of a plant called guz, and which is ascertained to be a species of tamarisk. The same species seems also to be called toorfa, and is common along different parts of the coast of Arabia. It is also found in the neighborhood of Mount Sinai. In the month of June it drops from the thorns of the tamarisk upon the fallen twigs, leaves and thorns, which always cover the ground beneath the tree in the natural state. The Arabs use it as they do honey, to pour over their unleavened bread, or to dip their bread into; its taste is agreeable, somewhat aromatic, and as sweet as honey. 'If eaten in any quantity it is said to be highly purgative.' When Lieut. Wellsted visited this place in the month of September, he found the extremities of the twigs and branches retaining the peculiar sweetness and flavor which characterize the manna. The [[Bedouins]] collect it early in the morning, and, after straining it through a cloth, place it either in skins or gourds; a considerable quantity is consumed by themselves; a portion is sent to Cairo; and some is also disposed of to the monks at Mount Sinai. The latter retail it to the Russian pilgrims.' 'The Bedouins assured me that the whole quantity collected throughout the Peninsula, in the most fruitful season, did not exceed 150 wogas (about 700 pounds); and that it was usually disposed of at the rate of 60 dollars the woga.' </p> <p> Another kind of manna, which has been supposed to be that of Scripture, is yielded by a thorny plant very common from the north of [[India]] to Syria, and which by the Arabs is called Al-haj: whence botanists have constructed the name Alhagi. The Alhagi maurorum is remarkable for the exudation of a sweetish juice, which concretes into small granular masses, and which is usually distinguished by the name of [[Persian]] manna. The climates of [[Persia]] and Bokhara seem also well suited to the secretion of this manna, which in the latter country is employed as a substitute for sugar, and is imported into India for medicinal use through Caubul and Khorassan. These two, from the localities in which they are produced, have alone been thought to be the manna of Scripture. But, besides these, there are several other kinds of manna. Indeed, a sweetish secretion is found on the leaves of many other plants, produced sometimes by the plant itself, at others by the punctures of insects. It has been supposed, also, that these sweetish exudations being evaporated during the heat of the day in still weather, may afterwards become deposited, with the dew, on the ground, and on the leaves of plants; and thus explain some of the phenomena which have been observed by travelers and others. But none of these mannas explain, nor can it be expected that they should explain, the miracle of Scripture, by which abundance is stated to have been produced for millions, where hundreds cannot now be subsisted. </p>