Exode 16:15

La Bible Ostervald

Quand les enfants d'Israël la virent, ils se dirent l'un à l'autre: Qu'est cela? car ils ne savaient ce que c'était. Et Moïse leur dit: C'est le pain que l'Éternel vous a donné à manger.

Parallel Translations

Louis Segond (1910)
Les enfants d'Isra�l regard�rent et ils se dirent l'un � l'autre: Qu'est-ce que cela? car ils ne savaient pas ce que c'�tait. Mo�se leur dit: C'est le pain que L'Eternel vous donne pour nourriture.

La Bible David Martin (1744)
Ce que les enfants d'Isra�l ayant vu, ils se dirent l'un � l'autre : qu'est-ce? car ils ne savaient ce que c'[�tait]. Et Mo�se leur dit : c'est le pain que l'Eternel vous a donn� � manger.

Darby's French Translation
Et les fils d'Isra�l le virent, et se dirent l'un � l'autre: Qu'est-ce que cela? Car ils ne savaient ce que c'�tait. Et Mo�se leur dit: C'est le pain que l'�ternel vous a donn� � manger.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

It is manna: or, What is this, or, It is a portion, Exodus 16:31, Exodus 16:33, Deuteronomy 8:3, Deuteronomy 8:16, Joshua 5:12, Nehemiah 9:15, Nehemiah 9:20, John 6:31, John 6:32, John 6:49, John 6:58, 1 Corinthians 10:3, Hebrews 9:4, Revelation 2:17

This is: Exodus 16:4, Numbers 21:5, Proverbs 9:5, Luke 12:30

Reciprocal: Exodus 34:29 - wist Numbers 11:7 - the manna Proverbs 30:8 - feed Matthew 4:4 - but Luke 11:3 - Give

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the children of Israel saw it,.... As they could not but observe it, it being spread over the face of the wilderness; and besides, as they were told, that in the morning they should have bread to the full, they were up early to look after it:

they said one to another, it [is] manna; not such as is known by that name now, which is only used in medicine; nor anything that was then known by any such name; but so they called it, because it was, as Jarchi says, a preparation of food, or food ready prepared for them, from מנה, "manah", which signifies to appoint, prepare, and distribute, see Daniel 1:5, so Christ is appointed of God, and prepared in his purposes and decrees, and delivered out, by his grace as proper food for his people, who have everyone their portion in due season: for Kimchi and Ben Melech give the sense of the word, a gift and portion from God; and such is Christ, the gift of his grace, and an unspeakable one. Some think these words were spoken by the Israelites on first sight of the manna, by way of question, "Man hu, what is it?" and so Josephus o says it signifies in their language; but it does not appear that the word is so used in the Hebrew tongue, though it might in the Syriac or Chaldee, which was more in use in the times of Josephus. But it can hardly be thought that the Israelites could speak in either of these dialects at this time; it is much more probable what others say, that it so signifies in the Egyptian tongue; and it is not at all to be wondered at that Israel, just come out of Egypt, should use an Egyptian word: and this best agrees with the reason that follows, "for they wist not what it was"; which contradicts our version; for if they knew not what it was, how came they to call it manna? but taking the above words as an interrogation, asking one another what it was, those come in very pertinently, and assign a reason of the question, because they were ignorant of it, having never seen any such thing before; and this sense is confirmed by what Moses says in the next clause, telling them what it was: and thus Christ is unknown to his own people, until he is revealed unto them; not by flesh and blood, by carnal reason or carnal men, but by the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; and he remains always unknown to natural men, though ever so wise and prudent:

and Moses said unto them, this is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat; which he had promised them the day before, and which he had now rained in plenty about them; and which they had as a free gift of his, without any merit and desert of theirs, and without their labour, diligence, and industry, and which they had now power from him to eat of freely and plentifully.

o Antiqu. l. 3. c. 1. sect. 6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is manna - “Man” or “man-hut,” i. e. white manna, was the name under which the substance was known to the Egyptians, and therefore to the Israelites. The manna of the Peninsula of Sinai is the sweet juice of the Tarfa, a species of tamarisk. It exudes from the trunk and branches in hot weather, and forms small round white grains. In cold weather it preserves its consistency, in hot weather it melts rapidly. It is either gathered from the twigs of tamarisk, or from the fallen leaves underneath the tree. The color is a greyish yellow. It begins to exude in May, and lasts about six weeks. According to Ehrenberg, it is produced by the puncture of an insect. It is abundant in rainy seasons, many years it ceases altogether. The whole quantity now produced in a single year does not exceed 600 or 700 pounds. It is found in the district between the Wady Gharandel, i. e. Elim, and Sinai, in the Wady Sheikh, and in some other parts of the Peninsula. When therefore the Israelites saw the “small round thing,” they said at once “this is manna,” but with an exclamation of surprise at finding it, not under the tamarisk tree, but on the open plain, in such immense quantities, under circumstances so unlike what they could have expected: in fact they did not know what it really was, only what it resembled.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 16:15. They said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was.] This is a most unfortunate translation, because it not only gives no sense, but it contradicts itself. The Hebrew מן הוא man hu, literally signifies, What is this? for, says the text, they wist not what it was, and therefore they could not give it a name. Moses immediately answers the question, and says, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. From Exodus 16:31 we learn that this substance was afterwards called man, probably in commemoration of the question they had asked on its first appearance. Almost all our own ancient versions translate the words, What is this?

What this substance was we know not. It was nothing that was common to the wilderness. It is evident the Israelites never saw it before, for Moses says, Deuteronomy 8:3; Deuteronomy 8:16: He fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; and it is very likely that nothing of the kind had ever been seen before; and by a pot of it being laid up in the ark, it is as likely that nothing of the kind ever appeared more, after the miraculous supply in the wilderness had ceased. It seems to have been created for the present occasion, and, like Him whom it typified, to have been the only thing of the kind, the only bread from heaven, which God ever gave to preserve the life of man, as Christ is the true bread that came down from heaven, and was given for the life of the world. See John 6:31-58.