What was manna?
Manna was the bread-like food God provided to Israel daily in the wilderness for forty years — a small, white flake that tasted like wafers with honey, teaching dependence on the God who feeds his people.
Each morning Israel found "thin flakes like frost on the ground." They called it manna, which means "What is it?" Moses said, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat."
It came six days a week; on the sixth they gathered a double portion for the Sabbath. It taught daily dependence: hoarders found their extra rotten by morning.
Jesus later took up the picture: "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). Manna fed Israel one day at a time; Christ feeds his people forever — and we still pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.