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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Numbers 11:4–15. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
These verses represent things sadly unhinged and out of order in Israel, both the people and the prince uneasy.
I.Here is the people fretting, and speaking against God himself (as it is interpreted, Psa 78:19), notwithstanding his glorious appearances both to them and for them. Observe,
1.Who were the criminals.
(1.)The mixed multitude began, they fell a lusting, Num 11:4. The rabble that came with them out of Egypt, expecting only the land of promise, but not a state of probation in the way to it. They were hangers on, who took hold of the skirts of the Jews, and would go with them only because they knew not how to live at home, and were disposed to seek their fortunes (as we say) abroad. These were the scabbed sheep that infected the flock, the leaven that leavened the whole lump. Note, A few factious, discontented, ill-natured people, may do a great deal of mischief in the best societies, if great care be not taken to discountenance them. Such as these are an untoward generation, from which it is our wisdom to save ourselves, Act 2:40.
(2.)Even the children of Israel took the infection, as we are informed, Num 11:4. The holy seed joined themselves to the people of these abominations. The mixed multitude here spoken of were not numbered with the children of Israel, but were set aside as a people God made no account of; and yet the children of Israel, forgetting their own character and distinction, herded themselves with them and learned their way, as if the scum and outcasts of the camp were to be the privy-counsellors of it. The children of Israel, a people near to God and highly privileged, yet drawn into rebellion against him! O how little honour has God in the world, when even the people which he formed for himself, to show forth his praise, were so much a dishonour to him! Therefore let none think that their external professions and privileges will be their security either against Satan's temptations to sin or God's judgments for sin. See Co1 10:1, Co1 10:2, Co1 10:12.
2.What was the crime: they lusted and murmured. Though they had been lately corrected for this sin, and many of them overthrown for it, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and the smell of the fire was still in their nostrils, yet they returned to it. See Pro 27:22.
(1.)They magnified the plenty and dainties they had had in Egypt (Num 11:5), as if God had done them a great deal of wrong in taking them thence. While they were in Egypt they sighed by reason of their burdens, for their lives were made bitter to them with hard bondage; and yet now they talk of Egypt as if they had all lived like princes there, when this serves as a colour for their present discontent. But with what face can they talk of eating fish in Egypt freely, or for nought, as if it cost them nothing, when they paid so dearly for it with their hard service? They remember the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick (precious stuff indeed to be fond of!), but they do not remember the brick-kilns and the task-masters, the voice of the oppressor and the smart of the whip. No, these are forgotten by these ungrateful people.
(2.)They were sick of the good provision God had made for them, Num 11:6. It was bread from heaven, angels' food. To show how unreasonable their complaint was, it is here described, Num 11:7-9. It was good for food, and pleasant to the eye, every grain like an orient pearl; it was wholesome food and nourishing; it was not to be called dry bread, for it tasted like fresh oil; it was agreeable (the Jews say, Wisd. 16:20) to every man's palate, and tasted as he would have it; and, though it was still the same, yet, by the different ways of dressing it, it yielded them a grateful variety; it cost them no money, nor care, for it fell in the night, while they slept; and the labour of gathering it was not worth speaking of; they lived upon free quarter, and yet could talk of Egypt's cheapness and the fish they ate there freely. Nay, which was much more valuable than all this, the manna came from the immediate power and bounty of God, not from common providence, but from special favour. It was, as God's compassion, new every morning, always fresh, not as their food who live on shipboard. While they lived on manna, they seemed to be exempted from the curse which sin has brought on man, that in the sweat of his face should he eat bread. And yet they speak of manna with such scorn, as if it were not good enough to be meat for swine: Our soul is dried away. They speak as if God dealt hardly with them in allowing them no better food. At first they admired it (Exo 16:15): What is this? "What a curious precious thing is this!" But now they despised it. Note, Peevish discontented minds will find fault with that which has no fault in it but that it is too good for them. It is very provoking to God to undervalue his favours, and to put a but upon our common mercies. Nothing but manna! Those that might be very happy often make themselves very miserable by their discontents.
(3.)They could not be satisfied unless they had flesh to eat. They brought flocks and herds with them in great abundance out of Egypt; but either they were covetous, and could not find in their hearts to kill them, lest they should lessen their flocks (they must have flesh as cheap as they had bread, or they would not be pleased), or else they were curious, beef and mutton would not please them; they must have something more nice and delicate, like the fish they did eat in Egypt. Food would not serve; they must be feasted. They had feasted with God upon the peace-offerings which they had their share of; but it seems God did not keep a table good enough for them, they must have daintier bits than any that came to his altar. Note, It is an evidence of the dominion of the carnal mind when we are solicitous to have all the delights and satisfactions of sense wound up to the height of pleasurableness. Be not desirous of dainties, Pro 23:1-3. If God gives us food convenient, we ought to be thankful, though we do not eat the fat and drink the sweet.
(4.)They distrusted the power and goodness of God as insufficient for their supply: Who will give us flesh to eat? taking it for granted that God could not. Thus this question is commented upon, Psa 78:19, Psa 78:20, Can he provide flesh also? though he had given them flesh with their bread once, when he saw fit (Exo 16:13), and they might have expected that he would do it again, and in mercy, if, instead of murmuring, they had prayed. Note, It is an offence to God to let our desires go beyond our faith.
(5.)They were eager and importunate in their desires; they lusted a lust, so the word is, lusted greatly and greedily, till they wept again for vexation. So childish were the children of Israel, and so humoursome, that they cried because they had not what they would have and when they would have it. They did not offer up this desire to God, but would rather be beholden to any one else than to him. We should not indulge ourselves in any desire which we cannot in faith turn into prayer, as we cannot when we ask meat for our lust, Psa 78:18. For this sin the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly against them, which is written for our admonition, that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted, Co1 10:6.
(6.)Flesh is good food, and may lawfully be eaten; yet they are said to lust after evil things. What is lawful of itself becomes evil to us when it is what God does not allot to us and yet we eagerly desire it.
II.Moses himself, though so meek and good a man, is uneasy upon this occasion: Moses also was displeased. Now,
1.It must be confessed that the provocation was very great. These murmurings of theirs reflected great dishonour upon God, and Moses laid to heart the reproaches cast on himself; they knew that he did his utmost for their good, and that he neither did nor could do any thing without a divine appointment; and yet to be thus continually teased and clamoured against by an unreasonable ungrateful people would break in upon the temper even of Moses himself. God considered this, and therefore we do not find that he chided him for his uneasiness.
2.Yet Moses expressed himself otherwise than became him upon this provocation, and came short of his duty both to God and Israel in these expostulations.
(1.)He undervalues the honour God had put upon him, in making him the illustrious minister of his power and grace, in the deliverance and guidance of that peculiar people, which might have been sufficient to balance the burden.
(2.)He complains too much of a sensible grievance, and lays too near his heart a little noise and fatigue. If he could not bear the toil of government, which was but running with the footman, how would he bear the terrors of war, which was contending with horses? He might easily have furnished himself with considerations enough to enable him to slight their clamours, and make nothing of them.
(3.)He magnifies his own performances, that all the burden of the people lay upon him; whereas God himself did in effect ease him of all the burden. Moses needed not to be in care to provide quarters for them, or victuals; God did all. And, if any difficult case happened, he needed not to be in any perplexity, while he had the oracle to consult, and in it the divine wisdom to direct him, the divine authority to back him and bear him out, and almighty power itself to dispense rewards and punishments.
(4.)He is not so sensible as he ought to be of the obligation he lay under, by virtue of the divine commission and command, to do the utmost he could for his people, when he suggests that because they were not the children of his body therefore he was not concerned to take a fatherly care of them, though God himself, who might employ him as he pleased, had appointed him to be a father to them.
(5.)He takes too much to himself when he asks, Whence should I have flesh to give them (Num 11:13), as if he were the housekeeper, and not God. Moses gave them not the bread, Joh 6:32. Nor was it expected that he should give them the flesh, but as an instrument in God's hand; and if he meant, "Whence should God have it for them?" he too much limited the power of the Holy One of Israel.
(6.)He speaks distrustfully of the divine grace when he despairs of being able to bear all this people, Num 11:14. Had the work been much less, he could not have gone through it in his own strength; but had it been much greater, through God strengthening him, he might have done it.
(7.)It was worst of all passionately to wish for death, and desire to be killed out of hand, because just at this time his life was made a little uneasy to him, Num 11:15. Is this Moses? Is this the meekest of all the men on the earth? The best have their infirmities, and fail sometimes in the exercise of that grace for which they are most eminent. But God graciously overlooked Moses's passion at this time, and therefore we must not be severe in our animadversions upon it, but pray, Lord, lead us not into temptation.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
Bdellium: Bdellium, according to Pliny, 1. 21, c. 9. was of the colour of a man's nail, white and bright.
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Summary
Numbers 11:7 offers a precise sensory description of the manna, the miraculous sustenance divinely provided to the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. By comparing its appearance to the small, round coriander seed and its translucent, yellowish-white color to bdellium, the verse highlights the unique and supernatural nature of this heavenly provision. This vivid detail serves as a poignant reminder of God's faithful, meticulous, and consistent care for His people, even amidst their persistent complaints and ingratitude.
Context
Literary Context
Numbers 11:7 is situated within a pivotal narrative of Israelite discontent and rebellion, immediately following their bitter complaints about the manna and their longing for the diverse foods of Egypt, a desire expressed in Numbers 11:4-6. This detailed description of the manna serves as a stark and deliberate contrast to their ingratitude, reminding both the original audience and contemporary readers of the specific and miraculous nature of God's daily provision. The verse precedes God's exasperation with their murmuring and His subsequent, albeit wrathful, provision of quail, as recounted in Numbers 11:18-20. It underscores the Israelites' spiritual amnesia regarding God's consistent care since their exodus from Egypt.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Israelites were a vast multitude, likely numbering in the millions, traversing a desolate and arid wilderness for forty years. In such an environment, natural food sources were extremely scarce, making sustained survival impossible without divine intervention. The daily provision of manna was not merely a convenience but an absolute necessity, a supernatural act that defied the natural limitations of their environment. Culturally, the Israelites were transitioning from slavery in Egypt, where they had access to a varied diet, to a nomadic existence, which required a radical shift in their understanding of sustenance and dependence. This period was designed to teach them reliance on God alone, as highlighted in Deuteronomy 8:3.
Key Themes
This verse contributes to several overarching themes within Numbers and the Pentateuch. Primarily, it emphasizes Divine Provision, showcasing God's unwavering faithfulness and omnipotence in sustaining His chosen people in impossible circumstances. It highlights the theme of Miraculous Sustenance, distinguishing the manna from any ordinary food source and underscoring its supernatural origin as "bread from heaven" (Psalm 78:24). Furthermore, the precise description implicitly contrasts with the Israelites' Ingratitude and Discontent, revealing their spiritual blindness to God's specific and tailored care, despite its consistent and life-giving nature. The manna also served as a daily lesson in Dependence on God, teaching them to trust Him for their daily bread rather than relying on human ingenuity or past comforts, a lesson reinforced throughout the wilderness narrative, such as in Exodus 16.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
From מָה; literally a whatness (so to speak), i.e. manna (so called from the question about it). This term refers to the miraculous food provided by God, famously derived from the question "What is it?" (mān hū') posed by the Israelites upon its first appearance, indicating its unknown and supernatural origin (Exodus 16:15). It was a daily, consistent provision, appearing with the dew and melting in the sun, requiring daily gathering and teaching obedience and trust.
From גָּדַד (in the sense of cutting); coriander seed (from its furrows). This refers to the small, round, light-brown or yellowish seed of the coriander plant, known for its aromatic properties. This comparison provides a concrete visual for the manna's size and shape, suggesting it was small and easily gathered, contrasting with the large, substantial foods they desired from Egypt.
Probably a primitive word; an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape); also used to denote outward appearance or color. In this context, it specifically refers to the visual hue of the manna, emphasizing its appearance.
Probably from בָּדַל; something in pieces, i.e. bdellium, a (fragrant) gum (perhaps amber); others a pearl. This substance, also mentioned in Genesis 2:12 as a precious commodity found in the land of Havilah, is generally understood to be a translucent, yellowish-white gum resin, or possibly a pearl-like substance. This comparison describes the manna's color and perhaps its texture or translucency, suggesting a pure, clear, and possibly luminous appearance, further emphasizing its unique, non-earthly origin.
Verse Breakdown
"And the manna [was] as coriander seed"
This clause provides a specific, tangible comparison for the physical appearance of the manna. It indicates that the manna was small, likely round or spherical, and perhaps similar in texture or consistency to a seed. This detail emphasizes its humble yet miraculous nature, not a grand, imposing food, but a small, daily gift perfectly suited for gathering and consumption by a vast multitude.
"and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium"
This second clause describes the manna's visual hue and perhaps its luminosity. The comparison to bdellium suggests a light, clear, possibly translucent, and yellowish-white or pearl-like color. This description elevates the manna beyond ordinary food, hinting at its purity and divine origin, perhaps even a subtle glow that would distinguish it from anything found naturally in the desert, further underscoring its supernatural source.
Literary Devices
Numbers 11:7 primarily employs Simile to describe the manna, using the comparative "as" (כְּ, kə) to liken its appearance to familiar objects: "as coriander seed" and "as the colour of bdellium." These similes create vivid Sensory Imagery, allowing the reader to visualize the manna's size, shape, and color. The precise details serve to emphasize the concrete reality of this miraculous provision, countering any notion that it was vague or unremarkable. The use of these specific comparisons also highlights the uniqueness of the manna, as it was unlike any other known food, requiring analogies to convey its characteristics. This detailed description, placed amidst the Israelites' complaints, also functions as a subtle form of Irony, contrasting the divine perfection and preciousness of the provision with the human imperfection and ingratitude of those receiving it.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Numbers 11:7, in its precise description of the manna, serves as a profound theological statement about God's character and His relationship with His people. The manna, a daily, miraculous provision, underscores God's unwavering faithfulness, His ability to sustain life in the most barren conditions, and His meticulous attention to the needs of His covenant people. It was not merely food but a tangible sign of God's presence and care, a daily reminder of their absolute dependence on Him. The Israelites' rejection of this divine provision, despite its miraculous nature and life-sustaining power, foreshadows humanity's consistent tendency to reject God's perfect provision in favor of fleeting worldly desires. The manna, therefore, becomes a powerful type, pointing beyond itself to a greater spiritual reality and a more perfect provision.
Reflection and Application
Numbers 11:7 invites us to reflect on the nature of God's provision in our own lives and our response to it. The detailed description of the manna, a humble yet miraculous gift, challenges us to recognize and appreciate the specific ways God sustains us daily, even when His provisions may seem routine or less exciting than what we imagine we desire. Just as the Israelites grew weary of the manna, we too can become discontent with God's consistent grace, longing for what we perceive as more satisfying or glamorous. This verse calls us to cultivate a spirit of gratitude for "our daily bread," understanding that true sustenance, both physical and spiritual, comes from God's hand. It also reminds us that God's provisions, though sometimes appearing simple, are perfectly tailored to our needs and are always sufficient. Our spiritual health depends not on the abundance of our desires, but on our recognition and acceptance of God's perfect will and provision, finding contentment in His daily grace rather than seeking fleeting worldly satisfactions.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is the description of manna so detailed in Numbers 11:7?
The detailed description of manna in Numbers 11:7 serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it emphasizes the miraculous and unique nature of this divine provision. By comparing it to familiar objects like coriander seed and bdellium, the text helps the reader visualize something entirely new and supernatural, highlighting that it was unlike any ordinary food. Secondly, this vivid description stands in stark contrast to the Israelites' complaints in the preceding verses, such as Numbers 11:4-6, underscoring their ingratitude for such a specific and perfect gift from God. It reminds them, and us, that God's provision is not generic but meticulously tailored to their needs, even down to its appearance. Finally, the details reinforce the reality of the manna as a tangible, daily sustenance, a constant reminder of God's faithfulness in the wilderness.
What is "bdellium" and why is it used as a comparison?
"Bdellium" (Hebrew: bᵉdôlach) is a substance mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 2:12 as a valuable commodity found in the land of Havilah, alongside gold and onyx stone. While its precise identification is debated among scholars, it is generally understood to be a translucent, yellowish-white gum resin, or possibly a type of pearl or precious stone. Its use as a comparison for the manna's color suggests that the manna had a pure, clear, and perhaps somewhat luminous or pearl-like appearance. This choice of comparison elevates the manna beyond common food, implying a preciousness and purity that aligns with its divine origin, further distinguishing it as a supernatural gift from heaven.
Did the Israelites eat manna for the entire 40 years in the wilderness?
Yes, the Israelites ate manna for nearly the entire forty years of their wilderness wandering. Exodus 16:35 explicitly states, "And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan." The provision of manna ceased only after they had crossed the Jordan River and entered the promised land, specifically after they ate the produce of the land at Gilgal, as recorded in Joshua 5:10-12. This long duration underscores God's consistent and unfailing provision for His people throughout their journey.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Numbers 11:7, with its detailed description of the manna, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. The manna, miraculously sent from heaven to sustain physical life in the wilderness, serves as a powerful type of Christ, the "true bread from heaven" (John 6:32). Just as the manna was a daily, humble, yet essential provision, Jesus offers Himself as the indispensable spiritual nourishment for eternal life. The Israelites' discontent with the manna, desiring the fleeting pleasures of Egypt, mirrors humanity's propensity to reject God's perfect spiritual provision in Christ, preferring temporary worldly satisfactions. Jesus explicitly contrasts Himself with the manna, stating, "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died; this is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die" (John 6:49-50). While the manna sustained physical life for a time, Christ provides eternal life, satisfying the deepest hunger of the soul. He is the ultimate, pure, and precious provision, perfectly tailored by God to meet humanity's greatest need, offering sustenance that leads not to physical death but to everlasting communion with God, as He declares, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (John 6:51).