What does the Bible say about manna from heaven?

Manna was the miraculous food provided by God to the Israelites during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The first mention of manna appears in Exodus 16, shortly after the Israelites had been delivered from Egypt. When the people complained about a lack of food, saying they would have preferred to die in Egypt with full bellies, God told Moses that He would “rain bread from heaven” for them (Exodus 16:4).

In the morning, after the dew lifted, there appeared a small, round substance on the ground, “as fine as frost.” The Israelites asked, “What is it?”, in Hebrew, man hu, which became its name, “manna” (Exodus 16:14–15). It was described as white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey (Exodus 16:31).

God instructed the people to gather only what each person needed per day, about one omer per person. Gathering more than needed led to spoilage and worms, except on the sixth day when they were to gather double in preparation for the Sabbath. On the seventh day, no manna would appear, teaching them to rest and trust in God’s provision (Exodus 16:19–30).

Manna continued to sustain the Israelites throughout their entire journey in the wilderness until they came to the border of Canaan (Exodus 16:35). Moses was also commanded to place an omer of manna in a pot and lay it up before the Lord as a memorial, which was kept in the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 16:32–34; Hebrews 9:4).

In the New Testament, Jesus referred to manna in John 6. After feeding the five thousand, He explained that the manna was not the true bread from heaven but pointed to Himself: “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die” (John 6:48–50).

Manna symbolizes God’s faithful provision and points to Jesus Christ as the true sustenance for eternal life. It teaches reliance on God’s daily grace and the sufficiency of His Word and presence.

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