Lexical Summary tsappichith: Cake, wafer Original Word: צַפִיחִת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance wafer From the same as tsappachath; a flat thin cake -- wafer. see HEBREW tsappachath NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as tsappachath Definition a flat cake, wafer NASB Translation wafers (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs צְפִיחִת noun feminine flat cake, wafer; — Exodus 16:31. Topical Lexicon Biblical Setting צַפִיחִת appears a single time in Scripture—Exodus 16:31—where Israel beholds manna in the wilderness. “It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31). The term portrays the sweetness and delicate texture by which the Lord sustained His people day after day for forty years (Exodus 16:35). Sensory and Culinary Aspects The word evokes a thin, crisp wafer infused with honey, an image that communicates delight rather than mere subsistence. In an arid desert, such honey-like sweetness highlighted the gracious excess of divine provision. The comparison to coriander seed stresses appearance, while the wafer simile focuses on flavor and mouthfeel. Together they present manna as both nourishing and pleasurable. Typological Significance 1. Foreshadowing Christ – Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life… your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died” (John 6:48-49). The satisfying honey-wafer taste anticipates the surpassing sweetness of fellowship with Christ, the true Bread from heaven (John 6:51). Comparison with Other Offerings While Leviticus 2:4 refers to unleavened “wafers” (plural, a different Hebrew term), those were human offerings to God. In Exodus 16:31 the wafer motif reverses the direction: God is the giver. The contrast magnifies grace—divine initiative precedes and enables human worship. Theological Reflections • Sufficiency – The sweet wafer underscores that divine provision satisfies every legitimate appetite (Philippians 4:19). Modern Ministry Applications • Preaching – Illustrate the gospel’s sweetness: as manna tasted like honeyed wafers, so grace tastes of “the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:3). In its lone biblical appearance, צַפִיחִת offers more than a culinary footnote. It invites the reader to savor the abundant, reliable, and sweet nature of God’s provision, culminating in Jesus Christ, the Bread that gives life forever. Forms and Transliterations כְּצַפִּיחִ֥ת כצפיחת kə·ṣap·pî·ḥiṯ kəṣappîḥiṯ ketzappiChitLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 16:31 HEB: לָבָ֔ן וְטַעְמ֖וֹ כְּצַפִּיחִ֥ת בִּדְבָֽשׁ׃ NAS: and its taste was like wafers with honey. KJV: and the taste of it [was] like wafers [made] with honey. INT: white taste wafers honey 1 Occurrence |
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