Exodus 16:15

And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is Manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said vnto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath giuen you to eate. Exodus 16:15 (KJV)

This verse belongs to the account of the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness after their liberation from slavery in Egypt. After three days of travel in the wilderness of Sin, and having been on the journey for about a month, they began to experience hunger and complained to Moses and Aaron about the lack of food. In response to their complaints, God promised to send bread from heaven to sustain them (Exodus 16:4). When the Israelites woke up one morning, they found a thin, flaky substance covering the ground, described as “like wheat flour upon the surface of the ground.”

The people did not recognise it and asked one another, “What is it?” The Hebrew word for “what is it?” is “manna,” a term that tradition holds derives from the phrase “man hu,” meaning exactly that question. Moses explained that the manna was the bread the LORD had provided for them to eat. It was a miraculous provision from God to sustain the Israelites during their wilderness journey.

God gave specific instructions regarding the gathering of the manna: each person was to collect only the amount needed for that day, and the collection had to be made daily, except on the Sabbath when a double portion was to be gathered (see Exodus 16:16‑20, 23‑30). This daily reliance taught the Israelites to trust in God’s continual provision.

The account of the manna serves as a significant lesson in God’s faithfulness and care. It demonstrates that God provides for His people even in challenging circumstances, urging believers to depend on His daily grace. In the New Testament, Jesus referred to Himself as the “bread of life” (John 6:35), drawing on the imagery of the manna. He explained that just as the manna supplied physical sustenance, He, as the bread of life, offers spiritual sustenance and eternal life to all who believe.

Thus Exodus 16:15 highlights the miraculous provision of manna by God during the Israelites’ wilderness journey, reminding us of His faithfulness and ability to meet our needs, and it foreshadows Jesus as the ultimate provider of eternal spiritual nourishment.