{"id":8291,"date":"2026-06-06T08:53:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T12:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/feettofaith\/?p=8291"},"modified":"2026-06-06T08:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T12:53:54","slug":"manna-gods-wonder-bread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/feettofaith\/2026\/06\/manna-gods-wonder-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"Manna – God’s Wonder Bread"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Half
Manmade bread as opposed to Manna \u2013 God\u2019s wonder bread [Image by Couleur from Pixabay]<\/figcaption><\/figure>The common presence of bread on our kitchen counters as well as on our plates makes it something people don\u2019t give a second thought. But for those in need of sustenance, bread is likely front and center in their mind. And, in a familiar Bible story, God chose to provide bread from heaven to the Israelites who clamored for food as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Then, as now, people knew little about manna \u2013 God\u2019s wonder bread. What do we know about this miraculous substance?<\/p>\n

The Ancient History Of Bread<\/h3>\n

Bread, a staple<\/a> across the world,\u00a0has been a major food<\/a> since prehistoric times. Thus, it is one of the oldest human-made<\/a> foods. Over the course of history, man has made bread with a variety of ingredients<\/a> and used various methods to produce it in an assortment of forms. Today we think of bread as a\u00a0baked edible<\/a> made from flour, water, and often yeast,<\/p>\n

The first appearance of bread came in Neolithic times<\/a>, about 12,200 years ago. The process<\/a> likely involved mixing coarsely crushed grain with water to make a dough. Baking took place by laying this dough on heated stones and covering it with hot ashes. Later, the Egyptians learned to allow wheat dough to ferment, with the gases formed allowing bakers to achieve an expanded and lighter<\/a> loaf.\u00a0 The enterprising Egyptians even developed baking ovens<\/a>. In fact, the degree of refinement in baking was seen as a sign of civilization<\/a> to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up
Egyptians allowed dough made from wheat to ferment to produce lighter bread [Image by Goran Horvat from Pixabay]<\/figcaption><\/figure>Modern Bread<\/strong>\n

Early loaves of bread hardly resemble the bread purchased in stores today. They came in various shapes<\/a> rather than even loaves. To eat such loaves, people would tear off chunks or pieces, giving rise to the expression<\/a> \u201cbreak bread together.\u201d This method of eating bread continued until<\/a> the 20th century.<\/p>\n

Things changed, however, with the development of sliced bread in 1928<\/a>. Otto Frederick Rohwedder<\/a>, a Missouri jeweler by profession but an inventor at heart, receives credit for the invention of sliced bread. The American baking company that produced Wonder Bread was one of the first companies to sell sliced bread nationwide by 1930<\/a>. Although at first viewed as a novelty<\/a>, sliced bread quickly became standard as its convenience for consumers became known. Even though sliced bread was convenient, it was still not as convenient as manna \u2013 God\u2019s wonder bread.<\/p>\n

\"Color
Moses speaks to Pharaoh to demand his people\u2019s release from slavery in Egypt [Image by James Tissot from Wikimedia Commons, public domain]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leaving Egypt Leads To Provision Of Manna \u2013 God\u2019s Wonder Bread<\/h3>\n

Moses leading God\u2019s people out of Egypt set the scene for a new and very special type of bread, manna \u2013 God\u2019s wonder bread. Exodus 16:1<\/a> relates that the travelers came into the Wilderness of Sin, also called the Desert of Sin, on the fifteenth day of Iyar<\/a>, the second month after leaving Egypt. All the Israelites groaned and complained<\/a> to Moses and Aaron that they would die of hunger there. In response, God told Moses He would rain down bread<\/a> from heaven each day for the people to gather. And so He did, providing this food for the Israelites for 40 years<\/a> until they came to the border of Canaan, the Promised Land.<\/p>\n

According to Numbers 11: 9<\/a>, the manna came down each night as the dew settled on the Israelites\u2019 camp. Per Moses\u2019 instructions from God, an omer<\/a> (about two liters<\/a>) for each person in their tent was gathered each day with a double portion collected on the sixth day. No collection occurred on the seventh day<\/a> because no manna appeared then. God\u2019s provision was daily, and the people were not to keep what they collected one day until the next morning except for the sabbath. If they did, they found it full of maggots and smelly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Painting
Israelites gathering manna, God\u2019s wonder bread, from the ground [Image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Is Manna \u2013 God\u2019s Wonder Bread?<\/h3>\n

The Israelites had no idea what they found on the ground for them to collect as food. In fact, manna, God\u2019s wonder bread, is said to be so named because the people asked \u201cwhat?\u201d<\/a> when they saw it. \u201cMon\u201d was the Egyptian word<\/a> for \u201cwhat.\u201d Exodus 16:35<\/a> describes the manna as tasting like honey. Numbers 11:7<\/a> adds that the manna looked like resin or bdellium<\/a> as the King James Version says. Further, it appeared as thin flakes<\/a> like frost on the desert floor. The size<\/a> of the manna was equivalent to that of coriander seeds, and it bore a white color similar to a white crystal.<\/p>\n

While some of this description may mean little to people today, the Israelites grasped its significance. Coriander, for example, came from a plant indigenous<\/a> to their area of the world. The seed provided a spice<\/a> well known to and valued by the people. Bdellium comes from a very ancient Hebrew word<\/a> associated with a product from the land of Havilah. The Bible mentions Havilah several times, beginning with the book of Genesis<\/a>, and the place is believed to be associated with<\/a> the Garden of Eden and the descendants of Noah. Exactly what bdellium was remains a subject of speculation. Some believe it was an aromatic gum<\/a> or resin from the false myrrh tree. Modern scholars widely believe bdellium is the crystallized honeydew<\/a> of certain insects which rapidly dries in the desert to become a sticky solid which turns white.<\/p>\n

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\"Closeup
God\u2019s wonder bread manna resembled coriander seeds in size [Image from Wikimedia Commons, https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Use Of Manna \u2013 God\u2019s Wonder Bread<\/h3>\n

Once gathered, what did the Israelites do with the manna? Bible verses indicate the people used it as a raw ingredient. They ground<\/a> the manna with a hand mill or crushed it with a mortar. Next, they formed it into loaves<\/a>, which were then baked. The finished product tasted like something made with olive oil<\/a>. So, God daily provided His people with what they needed for food, but some elbow grease on their part was required in both gathering and preparation. It was a team effort.<\/p>\n

Today Christians don\u2019t receive manna from heaven, but they have received the Bread of Life from heaven in the form of Jesus. In John 6:32-33<\/a> Jesus states that His Father gives the true bread from heaven who comes down and gives life to the world. Now it is a man, not manna, which can sustain life for God\u2019s people. But just like the manna in the wilderness, we have to make an effort to obtain it. They gathered manna, but today people merely need to accept the man, Jesus.<\/p>\n

Manna \u2013 God\u2019s Food From Heaven <\/span><\/p>\n