Note 5 at Jn. 6:31: The word "manna" means literally "what is it?" The children of Israel said, "It is manna: for they wist (or knew) not what it was" (Ex. 16:15).

Manna was a nutritious food which appeared on the ground every morning shortly after the children of Israel left Egypt and began their 40-year wandering in the wilderness. Moses called it "bread which the Lord hath given you to eat" (Ex. 16:15). The Lord, in speaking to Moses, called it "bread from heaven" (Ex. 16:4-7).

It was small and round, like coriander seed, and was white in color (Ex. 16:14 with 31) or yellowish, like bdellium (Num. 11:7). The people, after gathering it, ground it in mills or beat it in a mortar and baked it in pans and made cakes of it (Num. 11:8-9). It tasted like wafers made with honey (Ex. 16:31) or fresh oil (Num. 11:8). It was gathered every morning and had to be used up that day (Ex. 16:19-20) or it stank and bred worms. An exception was on the sixth day, it could be gathered for the Sabbath and didn't spoil (Ex. 16:22-26).

Moses was commanded by God to keep an omer (or half gallon) of it as a memorial of God's provision in the wilderness (Ex. 16:32-35). In spite of this obvious heavenly provision from God, the children of Israel grew tired of a steady diet of manna and began murmuring and complaining (Num. 11:4-6), which angered the Lord and Moses (Num. 11:10).

The manna did not cease until the day after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the promised land (Josh. 5:10-12). Manna is referred to in Psalm 78:24-25 as "the corn of heaven" and "angel's food" and again in Psalm 105:40 as "bread of heaven." In His letter to the church of Pergamos, Jesus refers to "the hidden manna" which He will give to overcomers to eat (Rev. 2:17).