Numbers 11:7

New American Standard Bible

Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

Parallel Translations

Geneva Bible (1587)
(The Man also was as coriander seede, and his colour like the colour of bdelium.

George Lamsa Translation
And the manna was like coriander seed, and its color as the color of beryllium.

Hebrew Names Version
The manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance of it as the appearance of bdellium.

Easy-to-Read Version
(The manna was like small coriander seeds, and it looked like sap from a tree.

English Standard Version
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

American Standard Version
And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.

Bible in Basic English
Now the manna was like a seed of grain, like small clear drops.

Contemporary English Version
The manna was like small whitish seeds

Complete Jewish Bible
The man, by the way, was like coriander seed and white like gum resin.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.

King James Version (1611)
And the Manna was as Coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of Bdelium:

Amplified Bible
The manna was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the manna is as coriander seed, and the appearance of it the appearance of hoar-frost.

English Revised Version
And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.

Berean Standard Bible
Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin.

Lexham English Bible
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its outward appearance was like that of bdellium-gum.

Literal Translation
And the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like the appearance of bdellium resin gum.

New Century Version
The manna was like small white seeds.

New English Translation
(Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.

New King James Version
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.

New Living Translation
The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin.

New Life Bible
Now the bread from heaven was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, the manna, was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof like the appearance of bdellium,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now the manna was like coriander seed, of the colour of bdellium.

Revised Standard Version
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

Good News Translation
(Manna was like small seeds, whitish yellow in color.

King James Version
And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

Darby Translation
And the manna was as coriander seed, and its appearance as the appearance of bdellium.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe manna was as the seed of coriaundre, of the colour of bdellyum, which is whijt and briyt as cristal.

Young's Literal Translation
And the manna is as coriander seed, and its aspect as the aspect of bdolach;

World English Bible
The manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance of it as the appearance of bdellium.

Update Bible Version
And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the manna [was] as coriander-seed, and the color of it as the color of bdellium.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The Manna was as coriander seede, and to see to lyke Bedellion.

Christian Standard Bible®
The manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The Manna was like Coriader sede, and to loke vpon, like Bedellion.

THE MESSAGE
Manna was a seedlike substance with a shiny appearance like resin. The people went around collecting it and ground it between stones or pounded it fine in a mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a delicacy cooked in olive oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna was right there with it.

New Revised Standard
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color was like the color of gum resin.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

Contextual Overview

⁴ Now the rabble who were among them had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat? ⁵ "We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶ but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna!" ⁷ Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.⁸ The people would roam about and gather it and grind it between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of cake baked with oil. ⁹ When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down with it. ¹⁰ Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the LORD became very hot, and Moses was displeased. ¹¹ So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? ¹² "Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your arms, as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers'? ¹³ "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat so that we may eat!'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the manna: Exodus 16:14, Exodus 16:15, Exodus 16:31, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 1:24, Revelation 2:17

colour thereof as the colour of: Heb. eye of it as the eye of

bdellium: Genesis 2:12

Reciprocal: Psalms 105:40 - satisfied

Cross-References

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth."

Genesis 3:22
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"—

Genesis 10:5
From these the people of the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

Genesis 10:20
These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.

Genesis 10:32
These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their descendants, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11:2
And it came about, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

Genesis 11:4
And they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let's make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth."

Genesis 11:5
Now the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the men had built.

Genesis 11:11
and Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:12
Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and fathered Shelah;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the manna [was] as coriander seed,.... Not in colour, for that is black or darkish, whereas the manna was white, as is generally observed; of which :-; however it might be like the coriander, because of its form and figure, being round, and because of its quantity, being small, Exodus 16:14; Some think the mustard seed is meant, as Aben Ezra observes, which is the least of all seeds; it seems that the manna fell in small round grains, like to such seed. This, with what follows, is observed, to expose the folly and ingratitude of the Israelites, that having such bread from heaven, angels food, that they should slight it, and hanker after other food:

and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium; not an aromatic gum, which Pliny k speaks of, which is clear as wax, for that is black or blackish, and not white as the manna; besides, this should be read, not "bdellium", but "bdeloah", and is a precious stone, and, according to Bochart, the pearl; so Ben Melech observes, that it is a precious stone; some say the diamond, and others a round white stone, which they bore and join stones together, and make a chain of, he doubtless means a pearl necklace; though Jarchi says it is the crystal, and so the Jewish writers commonly; Exodus 16:14- :; hence it appears the manna was very pleasant to look at, being of a round form, and of a pearl or crystal colour.

k Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Occurrences at Kibroth-hattavah.

Numbers 11:4

The mixt multitude - The word in the original resembles our “riff-raff,” and denotes a mob of people scraped together. It refers here to the multitude of strangers (see Exodus 12:38) who had followed the Israelites from Egypt.

Numbers 11:5

The natural dainties of Egypt are set forth in this passage with the fullness and relish which bespeak personal experience.

Numbers 11:6-7

There is nothing at all ... - literally, “Nought at all have we except that our eyes are unto this manna;” i. e. “Nought else have we to expect beside this manna.” On the manna see Exodus 16:15 note; on bdellium see Genesis 2:12 note.

Numbers 11:10

The weeping was general; every family wept (compare Zechariah 12:12), and in a manner public and unconcealed.

Numbers 11:11-15

The complaint and remonstrance of Moses may be compared with that in 1 Kings 19:4 ff; Jonah 4:1-3, and contrasted with the language of Abraham (Genesis 18:23 ff) The meekness of Moses (compare Numbers 12:3) sank under vexation into despair. His language shows us how imperfect and prone to degeneracy are the best saints on earth.

Numbers 11:16

Seventy men of the elders of Israel - Seventy elders had also gone up with Moses to the Lord in the mount Exodus 24:1, Exodus 24:9. Seventy is accordingly the number of colleagues assigned to Moses to share his burden with him. To it, the Jews trace the origin of the Sanhedrim. Subsequent notices Numbers 16:25; Joshua 7:6; Joshua 8:10, Joshua 8:33; Joshua 9:11; Joshua 23:2; Joshua 24:1, Joshua 24:31 so connect the elders with the government of Israel as to point to the fact that the appointment now made was not a merely temporary one, though it would seem to have soon fallen into desuetude. We find no traces of it in the days of the Judges and the Kings.

Elders of the people, and officers over them - In English idiom, “elders and officers of the people.” Both elders and officers appear in Egypt (Exodus 3:16; Exodus 5:6 ff): the former had headed the nation in its efforts after freedom; the latter were the subordinate, though unwilling, agents of Egyptian tyranny. The two classes no doubt were working together; and from those who belonged to either, perhaps from those who were both eiders and officers, the council of Seventy was to be selected.

Numbers 11:17

I will take of the spirit which is upon thee - Render rather separate from the spirit, etc.; i. e. they shall have their portion in the same divine gift which thou hast.

Numbers 11:25

They prophesied - i. e. under the extraordinary impulse of the Holy Spirit they uttered forth the praises of God, or declared His will. Compare the marginal references.

And did not cease - Rather, and added not, i. e. they prophesied at this time only and not afterward. The sign was granted on the occasion of their appointment to accredit them in their office; it was not continued, because their proper function was to be that of governing not prophesying.

Numbers 11:26

Of them that were written - i. e. enrolled among the Seventy. The expression points to a regular appointment duly recorded and permanent.

Numbers 11:29

Enviest thou for my sake? - (Compare Mark 9:38 ff) The other members of the Seventy had been with Moses (compare Numbers 6:16, Numbers 6:24-25) when the gift of prophecy was bestowed on them. They received “of the spirit that was upon him,” and exercised their office visibly through and for him. Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp seemed to Joshua to be acting independently, and so establishing a separate center of authority.

Numbers 11:31

The southeast wind, which blew from the neighboring Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea, brought the quails Exodus 16:13.

Two cubits high - Better, “two cubits above the face of the ground:” i. e. the quails, wearied with their long flight, flew about breast high, and were easily secured by the people, who spread them all abroad for themselves Numbers 11:32, in order to salt and dry them. The quail habitually flies with the wind, and low.

Numbers 11:32

Ten homers - About 55 bushels. Compare Leviticus 27:16.

Numbers 11:33

Ere it was chewed - Better, ere it was consumed. See Numbers 11:19-20. The surfeit in which the people indulged, as described in Numbers 11:32, disposed them to sickness. God’s wrath, visiting the gluttonous through their gluttony, aggravated natural consequences into a supernatural visitation.

Numbers 11:34, Numbers 11:35

(Kibroth-hattaavah has been identified by Palmer with the extensive remains, graves, etc., at Erweis El Ebeirig, and Hazeroth “enclosures” with Ain Hadherah.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 11:7. The manna was as coriander seed — Probably this short description is added to show the iniquity of the people in murmuring, while they had so adequate a provision. But the baseness of their minds appears in every part of their conduct.

About the bdellium of the ancients the learned are not agreed; and I shall not trouble the reader with conjectures. Genesis 2:12. Concerning the manna, see the notes on Exodus 16:1-36.