Lexical Summary manna: Manna Original Word: μάννα Strong's Exhaustive Concordance manna. Of Hebrew origin (man); manna (i.e. Man), an edible gum -- manna. see HEBREW man HELPS Word-studies 3131 mánna – literally, "What is it?" – the question asked by the wandering Israelites in the OT when God gave them manna (divinely-sent bread wafers) (see Nu 11:6). 3131 /mánna ("necessary provisions") refers to what God provides to live in His preferred-will (cf. 2307 /thélēma). [G. H. C. MacGregor, "There is evidence to show that Jewish theology regarded the giving of the manna as the miracle par excellence, the non plus ultra even for the Messiah. In fact, the Rabbis taught that Messiah would prove his authority by repeating just this miracle by which, they held, Moses had proved his. 'As was the first Redeemer,' so ran the Midrash, 'so shall be the final Redeemer; as the first Redeemer caused the manna to fall from heaven, even so shall the second Redeemer cause the manna to fall' " (The Gospel of John, London, 1928, pp 142-43; cf. Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1.9).] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof Hebrew origin man Definition manna NASB Translation manna (4). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3131: μάνναμάννα, τό, indeclinable; (also) ἡ μάννα in Josephus (Antiquities 3, 13, 1 (etc.; ἡ μαννη, Sibylline Oracles 8, 411)); the Sept. τό μαν (also τό μάννα, a, Numbers 11:7) for Hebrew מָן (from the unused מָנַן, Arabic d. seances de l'acad. des sciences. Paris 1861, 2de semestre (30 the Sept.), p. 583ff); especially Ritter, Erdkunde Part xiv. pp. 665-695 (Gage's translation, vol. i., pp. 271-292, where a full list of references is given); especially E. Renaud and E. Lacour, De la manne du desert etc. (1881). Against the indentification of the natural manna with the miraculous, see BB. DD., under the word; especially Riehm in his HWB; Carruthers in the Bible Educator ii. 174ff). In the N. T. mention is made of a. that manna with which the Israelites of old were nourished: John 6:31, 49, and R L in 58; b. that which was kept in the ark of the covenant: Hebrews 9:4(Exodus 16:33); c. that which in the symbolic language of Revelation 2:17 is spoken of as kept in the heavenly temple for the food of angels and the blessed; (see δίδωμι, B. I., p. 146a). Manna first appears in Exodus 16, when the Lord rains down “bread from heaven” for Israel. Its daily gathering trained the nation in dependence, Sabbath rest, and obedience. Deuteronomy 8:3 interprets the miracle as a lesson that “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” One omer was placed in a golden jar before the LORD (Exodus 16:32-34), establishing a perpetual testimony to God’s faithfulness that is later recalled in Hebrews 9:4. New Testament Usage John 6:31-51: After the feeding of the five thousand, the crowd cites Exodus: “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (John 6:31). Jesus responds by identifying Himself as the true bread: “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Verse 49 contrasts the temporal provision—“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died”—with the eternal life that comes through faith in Christ. Hebrews 9:4: The writer names the “golden jar of manna” alongside Aaron’s rod and the tablets, underscoring manna’s covenantal significance and its witness to divine provision inside the holiest place. Revelation 2:17: To the church in Pergamum the risen Christ promises, “To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna,” an eschatological pledge of intimate fellowship and eternal sustenance for the faithful. Typological and Christological Significance 1. Pre-incarnate Type: The wilderness manna prefigures Christ, the living Bread. As manna descended daily, so the Son was sent from heaven. As manna had to be gathered personally, so saving faith must be personally appropriated. Covenantal and Liturgical Themes • Memorial of Provision: The jar of manna in the Ark confirmed that covenant fellowship is grounded in God’s sovereign grace, not human merit. Eschatological Promise Revelation’s “hidden manna” links present perseverance with future reward. Jewish tradition expected a new gift of manna in the Messianic age; Jesus affirms this expectation but centers it in Himself. The manna is “hidden” in that its full enjoyment awaits the heavenly banquet, yet believers taste it even now through union with Christ. Historical Interpretation • Patristic writers—Ignatius, Irenaeus, and Augustine—saw manna as a symbol of both Incarnation and Eucharist. Practical Ministry Application 1. Dependence: Encourage congregations to rely daily on God’s provision, material and spiritual. Summary Manna in Scripture moves from historical provision to christological fulfillment and future hope. Its appearances in John, Hebrews, and Revelation weave a coherent testimony: the God who fed Israel now offers in His Son both present nourishment and everlasting satisfaction to all who overcome. Englishman's Concordance John 6:31 HebGRK: ἡμῶν τὸ μάννα ἔφαγον ἐν NAS: ate the manna in the wilderness; KJV: fathers did eat manna in the desert; INT: of us the manna ate in John 6:49 Heb Hebrews 9:4 Heb Revelation 2:17 Heb |
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