Numbers 11:7-9
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The description of manna here, as coriander seed in shape and resembling bdellium in color, might seem purely descriptive. However, it subtly highlights the Israelites' astonishing ingratitude: even with a food that was visually appealing and easily prepared, they still yearned for the more varied, yet often burdensome, diet of Egypt. This contrast underscores their spiritual blindness to God's miraculous provision.
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 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. When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The people are grumbling and complaining about the manna, longing for the food they had in Egypt, even though God has been providing for them. This discontent escalates into a major crisis, prompting Moses to question God's leadership and leading to divine judgment. The description of the manna's appearance is offered amidst these complaints, highlighting the Israelites' ungratefulness for God's provisions.
The Israelites complained about the manna, calling it meager and unsatisfying. But what did it really look like?
The description of manna as being like 'coriander seed' and its color like 'bdellium' might sound unappetizing to us, but it offers a crucial insight.
Small and Precious
The coriander seed is small, often compared to peppercorns or mustard seeds. This emphasizes the small, granular nature of the manna. It wasn't a large, impressive loaf, but something tiny and gathered.
An Unfamiliar Shine
'Bdellium' is a substance whose exact nature is debated by scholars – it could be a resin, a pearl, or a precious stone. What's key is that it was likely a substance with a luminous, perhaps opalescent quality. This suggests the manna, despite its small size, had a subtle beauty and sheen, hinting at its divine origin.
This description stands in stark contrast to the Israelites' complaints, highlighting their failure to appreciate the subtle, yet miraculous, provision God had made.
The people weren't just hungry; they were dissatisfied. What was really at the root of their grumbling?
The complaint about the manna wasn't just about the food itself. It was a symptom of a deeper spiritual issue:
Craving Egypt's Pleasures
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The Israelites longed for the 'fish,' 'cucumbers,' 'melons,' 'leeks,' 'onions,' and 'garlic' they ate in Egypt. These represent the familiar comforts and tastes of their former bondage. Their dissatisfaction with manna shows a preference for the known and worldly over the unknown and divine.
Rejecting God's Provision
By despising the manna, they were indirectly despising God who provided it. They forgot the miracles of their deliverance and focused on what they lacked rather than what they had—a direct, daily provision from heaven. This highlights how ingratitude can blind us to God's goodness.
Their complaint wasn't just a stomach grumble; it was a spiritual rebellion against the God who had rescued them.
Understand the original words
bedolach · Hebrew Noun
A precious, fragrant resin or gum, likely translucent or gold in color, used in scripture to describe things of great value or beauty.
The description of the manna here, though brief, serves to highlight the Israelites' profound ingratitude. Despite receiving this daily, miraculous sustenance, they complained and craved the familiar foods of Egypt, showing a deep spiritual discontent.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites escape slavery in Egypt after a series of plagues, led by Moses. This event marks the beginning of their 40-year wilderness journey.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Giving of Manna
God miraculously provides 'manna' as food for the Israelites in the Sinai desert, a daily provision sustained throughout their journey.
c. 1445 BC
Complaints and Punishment at Taberah
The Israelites grumble against God and Moses, leading to divine judgment by fire, which is then quenched through Moses' intercession.
c. 1445 BC
Craving for Flesh and Quail Incident
The people, including the 'mixed multitude,' express discontent and long for the foods of Egypt, leading to a plague of quail and further divine judgment.
This passage provides the initial description of the manna's appearance, establishing the context for this later, more detailed description in Numbers.
Psalm 78:24The Psalmist refers to manna as 'grain of heaven' and 'bread of angels,' highlighting its divine origin and spiritual significance, which contrasts with the Israelites' dissatisfaction.
1 Corinthians 10:6Paul uses the Israelites' experience with manna and their subsequent complaints as a warning to believers against craving worldly desires, directly linking this event to broader spiritual lessons.
Revelation 2:17This verse speaks of a 'white stone' with a new name given to those who overcome, which has been connected by some traditions to the appearance of manna, suggesting a divine, pure sustenance.
ellicottNumbers 11:7: "And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium."
(7) And the manna was . . . — The design of the description of the manna in this place (comp. Exodus 16:14 ; Exodus 16:31 , and Notes in loc.; also Article M anna, in “Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible”) was probably to exhibit in its just light the sinfulness of the Israelites in repining at the merciful provision which God had made for the supply of their wants. The dissatisfaction of the Isra…
pulpitNumbers 11:7: "And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium."
Verse 7. - The manna was as coriander seed. On the name and the nature of the manna see Exodus 16:31. It is commonly supposed that the brief description here inserted was intended to show the unreasonableness of the popular complaints. There is no trace whatever of any such purpose. So far as the description conveys fresh information, it was simply suggested by the occurrence of the word "mann…
The description of manna here, as coriander seed in shape and resembling bdellium in color, might seem purely descriptive. However, it subtly highlights the Israelites' astonishing ingratitude: even with a food that was visually appealing and easily prepared, they still yearned for the more varied, yet often burdensome, diet of Egypt. This contrast underscores their spiritual blindness to God's miraculous provision.
The people are grumbling and complaining about the manna, longing for the food they had in Egypt, even though God has been providing for them. This discontent escalates into a major crisis, prompting Moses to question God's leadership and leading to divine judgment. The description of the manna's appearance is offered amidst these complaints, highlighting the Israelites' ungratefulness for God's provisions.
The people are grumbling and complaining about the manna, longing for the food they had in Egypt, even though God has been providing for them. This discontent escalates into a major crisis, prompting Moses to question God's leadership and leading to divine judgment. The description of the manna's appearance is offered amidst these complaints, highlighting the Israelites' ungratefulness for God's provisions.
"Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 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 lik…" — The description of manna here, as coriander seed in shape and resembling bdellium in color, might seem purely descriptive. However, it subtly highlights the Israelites' astonishing ingratitude: even…
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Last reviewed October 2026
