Numbers 11:7
in Numbers 11Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.
KJV
And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.
⋯
This verse in Numbers 11
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd the manna was as coriander seed,.... Not in colour, for that is black or darkish, whereas the manna was white, as is generally observed; of which See Gill on Exo 16:31; however it might be like the coriander, because of its form and figure, being round, and because of its quantity, being small, Exo 16:14; Some think the mustard seed is meant, as Aben Ezra observes, which is the least of all seeds; it seems that the manna fell in small round grains, like to such seed.
This site's exposition
And the manna was as coriander seed
on Numbers 11:7-9
The narrative stops for three verses to describe the manna, and the description answers the complaint of verse 6 without one word of argument. It is like coriander seed and like bdellium, ground in mills or beaten in a mortar, baked in pans, and tasting of fresh oil, where Exodus 16:31 had given the taste as wafers made with honey. Gill takes the likeness to coriander seed as size and figure rather than colour, since coriander is dark and the manna white. Verse 9 adds that it fell with the dew in the night, so it was on the ground before anybody in the camp was awake.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
A commentator
Philoxenus of Mabbug13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence · Written before 523.
proposed
And moreover when they ate it formerly, its taste was changed into that of all kinds of meats in their mouth, and it is well known that it also took the place of flesh unto them, for it is written, "It was like honey comb, …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
As coriander-seed - Not for colour, for that is black, but for shape and figure. Bdellium - Is either the gum of a tree, of a white and bright colour, or rather a gem or precious stone, as the Hebrew doctors take it; and particularly a pearl wherewith the Manna manifestly agrees both in its colour, which is white, Exod. xvi, 14, and in its figure which is round.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
It may be noticed that the resemblance of the manna to coriander seed was not in the color, but in the size and figure; and from its comparison to bdellium, which is either a drop of white gum or a white pearl, we are enabled to form a better idea of it.
The manna was as coriander seed - Probably this short description is added to show the iniquity of the people in murmuring, while they had so adequate a provision. But the baseness of their minds appears in every part of their conduct. About the bdellium of the ancients the learned are not agreed; and I shall not trouble the reader with conjectures. See the note on Gen 2:12. Concerning the manna, see the notes on Exodus 16 (note). Num 11:11-
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהַמָּ֕ן | vehaman | and the manna | H4478 → | 14 times |
| כִּזְרַע־ | kizra'- | [was] like seed of | H2233 → | 229 times |
| גַּ֖ד | gad | coriander | H1407 → | |
| ה֑וּא | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וְעֵינ֖וֹ | veeino | and appearance its | H5869 → | 887 times |
| כְּעֵ֥ין | keein | [was] like [the] appearance of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| הַבְּדֹֽלַח׃ | habedolach | <the> bdellium | H916 → |
וְהַמָּ֕ןand the manna
vehamanH4478 →14 times
כִּזְרַע־[was] like seed of
kizra'-H2233 →229 times
גַּ֖דcoriander
gadH1407 →
ה֑וּאit
hu'H1931 →1879 times
וְעֵינ֖וֹand appearance its
veeinoH5869 →887 times
כְּעֵ֥ין[was] like [the] appearance of
keeinH5869 →887 times
הַבְּדֹֽלַח׃<the> bdellium
habedolachH916 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 2:17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone…
it leads to
- Isaiah 62:2
Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
- Isaiah 65:15
You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.
- Revelation 19:12–13
He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.
- Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the…
- Revelation 3:12–13
The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the…
- Isaiah 62:2
Through
Genesis 2:12And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 28:13
You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in…
- Job 28:16
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
- Exodus 28:20
and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings.
- Ezekiel 28:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence.