When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.
The word Man itself, whether it means something prepared or a portion assigned, was their own confession of God's bounty, since they gathered food without labor. Yet unbelief clouded their senses; though Moses had warned them of the miracle beforehand, they stood astonished as if they had heard nothing, and their gratitude was only half-acknowledged, darkened by doubt.
AI summary
God provides not merely what we need but what delights us: quail at evening, then manna at morning, descending with the dew. This teaches us that He gives us good things for more than bare necessity, that we may serve Him cheerfully, not grudgingly, and learn temperance by this plain and spare diet.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 16:13-21
Man hu means What is it?, not a name they gave it; they could not know what it was, so how could they call it by a name? The word manna comes later, from the Hebrew root meaning to prepare and distribute. Christ likewise is appointed and prepared by God, and delivered as proper food to His people, each receiving their portion in due season.
AI summary