Numbers 11:8 kjv
And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
Numbers 11:8 nkjv
The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.
Numbers 11:8 niv
The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil.
Numbers 11:8 esv
The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.
Numbers 11:8 nlt
The people would go out and gather it from the ground. They made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into flat cakes. These cakes tasted like pastries baked with olive oil.
Numbers 11 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 16:4 | "...I will rain bread from heaven for you...to test them, whether they will walk in my law or not." | God promises manna to test obedience and provide daily sustenance. |
| Exod 16:15 | "...When the sons 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 which the LORD has given you to eat.'" | Manna's first appearance and name, meaning "What is it?". |
| Exod 16:31 | "The house of Israel called its name manna; and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey." | Earlier description of manna's appearance and taste, consistent with sweetness. |
| Exod 16:35 | "The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan." | Manna was their sole, reliable food source for the entire wilderness journey. |
| Deut 8:3 | "...He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD." | Manna teaches dependence on God's word and spiritual sustenance. |
| Deut 8:16 | "...He fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end." | Manna served as a tool for humility and testing for the Israelites' good. |
| Neh 9:15 | "...You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst..." | Confirms God's miraculous provision of food and water in the wilderness. |
| Ps 78:24-25 | "...He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them grain of heaven. Man ate the bread of angels..." | Describes manna as divine food, emphasizing its heavenly origin. |
| Ps 105:40 | "...And satisfied them with the bread of heaven." | Reiterates God's faithful and satisfying provision of manna. |
| Num 11:4-6 | "Now the rabble who were among them craved intensely; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, 'Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.'" | The immediate context: Israel's deep dissatisfaction with manna, despite its quality. |
| Prov 27:7 | "The sated soul loathes honey, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." | Illustrates that constant abundance can lead to despising what was once good, relating to Israel's satiety with manna. |
| Lam 4:5 | "Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets; those nurtured in purple embrace ash heaps." | Shows the harsh consequences for those who once had abundance but lost it, reflecting misplaced desires. |
| Matt 4:4 (Deut 8:3) | "...Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." | Jesus quotes Deut 8:3, confirming the spiritual meaning of manna's provision. |
| John 6:31-33 | "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness...Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.'" | Manna as a type pointing to Christ, the true bread of life from heaven. |
| John 6:35 | "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.'" | Jesus presents Himself as the spiritual fulfillment of the manna, satisfying eternally. |
| John 6:49 | "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died." | Contrasts the temporal sustenance of manna with the eternal life given by Christ. |
| 1 Cor 10:3 | "...And all ate the same spiritual food..." | Manna is identified as "spiritual food," signifying God's presence and teaching through it. |
| Heb 9:4 | "...In which was a golden jar holding the manna..." | Reference to the manna kept as a memorial in the Ark of the Covenant, signifying its importance. |
| Rev 2:17 | "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna..." | Future spiritual provision for believers, drawing on the symbolism of manna. |
| Phil 4:11-12 | "...For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity..." | Manna's consistent provision contrasts with Israel's discontent, highlighting the spiritual lesson of contentment. |
| 1 Tim 6:6 | "But godliness with contentment is great gain." | Emphasizes contentment as a virtue, in contrast to the covetousness shown in Num 11. |
| Jer 2:13 | "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water." | The general spiritual apostasy and rejection of God's abundant provision, similar to despising manna. |
Numbers 11 verses
Numbers 11 8 Meaning
Numbers 11:8 describes the daily routine and preparation methods for the manna provided to the Israelites in the wilderness. It highlights the effort required to collect and process it, and most importantly, it vividly portrays the versatile and pleasant taste of the manna, likening it to a rich pastry or cake made with oil. This verse directly contradicts any notion that the manna was a monotonous, unpleasant, or difficult-to-prepare food, thus emphasizing the Israelites' ungratefulness for God's gracious and abundant provision.
Numbers 11 8 Context
Numbers 11 is a pivotal chapter, depicting a significant turning point in the Israelites' wilderness journey – their first major instance of organized complaint after receiving the Mosaic Law and the elaborate tabernacle worship. Having been miraculously fed by manna for about a year, they grow weary of it and crave the diverse foods of Egypt. The "rabble" or "mixed multitude" (Num 11:4) initiate this discontent, which then infects the entire Israelite community, leading to weeping and lamentation at the tent doors. Moses himself becomes exasperated by their demands for meat. This craving stems from a profound spiritual discontent, longing for the physical comforts of their past servitude rather than embracing God's unique provision in the wilderness. Numbers 11:8, placed within this narrative, serves to highlight the sheer irrationality and ingratitude of their complaint; it counters the potential assumption that the manna was in any way deficient or undesirable. It asserts that despite its varied preparation and agreeable taste, the people rejected it out of a deeper spiritual rebellion against God's plan and their present circumstances.
Numbers 11 8 Word Analysis
- The people: Hebrew, Ha'am (הָעָם). Refers to the main body of the Israelite congregation, highlighting that the widespread dissatisfaction and the previous daily collection of manna involved the entire community.
- went about: Hebrew, shat (שָׁט), from the root shut (שׁוּט). Implies roaming or going to and fro. It indicates that the manna was dispersed across the wilderness floor and required effort to find and gather. It suggests a daily expedition.
- gathered it: Hebrew, laqatu (לָקְטוּ), from the root laqat (לָקַט). To pick up, collect, glean. This verb emphasizes the active physical effort required by the people each morning. It wasn't handed to them effortlessly, teaching daily dependence.
- ground it: Hebrew, tachenu (טָחֲנוּ), from the root tachan (טָחַן). To grind, pulverize. This implies processing to a fine, flour-like consistency, suggesting the manna could be used like grain for baking.
- on millstones: Hebrew, birechayim (בָּרֵחַיִם). Refers to hand-operated grinding stones, a common domestic implement for preparing grains. This highlights the labor-intensive nature of preparing the manna, similar to preparing any other grain.
- or beat it: Hebrew, o dukku (אוֹ דָכוּ), from the root dakhah (דָּכָה) or kutash (כּתָשׁ). To pound, beat in a mortar, bruise. This offers an alternative processing method, likely for a different texture or product than grinding.
- in mortars: Hebrew, bam'dokhah (בַּמְּדֹכָה). A pounding bowl, typically made of stone or wood. Another common domestic tool, indicating familiar food preparation methods.
- and boiled it: Hebrew, ubishsh'lu (וּבִשְּׁלוּ), from the root bashal (בָּשַׁל). To boil, cook, prepare by heat. Shows the versatility of manna beyond being a simple dry food.
- in pots: Hebrew, baparurim (בַּפַּרּוּרִים). Cooking pots, usually for boiling.
- or made cakes of it: Hebrew, ve'asu otam ugoth (וְעָשׂוּ אֹתוֹ עֻגוֹת). To make flat, round cakes, akin to bread or pancakes. This shows manna's adaptability as a staple food, forming the basis for baked goods.
- and the taste of it was like: Hebrew, v'haya ta'amo k'ta'am (וְהָיָה טַעְמוֹ כְּטַעַם). Emphasizes the sensory experience of eating the manna, specifically its pleasant flavor.
- cakes baked with oil: Hebrew, leshadd hashamen (לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן). Literally, "taste of rich/fresh oil," or "rich pastry" (some traditions interpret leshad as referring to a moist, rich dough or cream/rich food). This simile emphasizes the manna's agreeable, rich, and palatable taste, dispelling any notion of it being bland or insipid. It suggests a delicacy, a satisfying and pleasant flavor. This detail directly counters the complaints in the preceding verses.
Numbers 11 8 Bonus section
- The leshad hashamen ("taste of fresh oil/rich pastry") indicates a departure from the earlier description in Exodus 16:31, which mentioned the taste was "like wafers with honey." This variation might reflect a slight change in the manna itself, a maturing appreciation over time, or perhaps more likely, highlights its flexibility and richness once properly prepared. The latter suggests that while it was inherently sweet, its taste became truly refined through various preparations.
- The contrast between the daily, humble gathering of manna and the eventual desire for "meat" (Num 11:4) highlights the human tendency to quickly become dissatisfied with divine provision, especially when it becomes routine. This foreshadows a deeper spiritual problem of discontent and lack of faith, showing how spiritual attitudes manifest in mundane desires.
- Manna, while appearing uniform, presented daily opportunities for human ingenuity in preparation. This teaches us that God's grace, though constant, allows for diverse expressions and responses from humanity, inviting creative engagement rather than passive consumption. The problem was not the "same food," but the "same desire."
Numbers 11 8 Commentary
Numbers 11:8 meticulously details the processes involved in preparing the manna, demonstrating its inherent versatility and palatable taste, contrary to the Israelites' later grumbling. The passage stresses that manna was not a ready-to-eat convenience food but required daily labor – gathering, grinding or pounding, and then cooking. This active participation was integral to God's pedagogical purpose, fostering daily dependence and discipline. Furthermore, the description of its various preparation methods (grinding, beating, boiling, baking) indicates that it was far from monotonous in its culinary applications. Most significantly, its taste, likened to "cakes baked with oil," paints a picture of a delightful and nourishing food, not a bland or meager one. This explicit commendation of manna's quality underscores the depth of Israel's ingratitude and their spiritual malaise. Their discontent was not rooted in the physical properties of the food but in a profound spiritual weariness and a rejection of God's present, miraculous provision in favor of the diverse (and possibly idol-tainted) memories of Egypt. It serves as a potent reminder that even perfect provision from God can be despised by hearts consumed by desire for other things.