3500 Year Old Question Answered

[Hobbit]

When Moses led the Israelites across the desert, God provided them with food in the form of sweet, yellowish wafers that seemed to magically appear on the ground before dawn each day. No more than one day's worth could be gathered except the day before the Sabbath, when they would gather double so they didn't have to work on the Sabbath. Any excess gathered would be spoiled and riddled with vermin a single day after being gathered. When the Israelites first witnessed the phenomenon, they called it by the name we all (should) know today, manna. The literal meaning of manna being, "What is it?"

Well, their question has been answered. While I cannot find a full article on it (only brief mention in a few dictionaries and other references), it has been brought to my attention, by my pastor, that this miracle food still exists today. In certain regions of desert, the yellowish wafers still appear on the ground every morning and still will not keep for more than a single day, and they still taste like honey wafers. Bedouine nomads still eat this food to this very day, as it is rich in carbohydrates and provides a steady source of energy. This miracle food, however, now has a perfectly good explanation.

You see, insects in the desert often live off of sucking sap from the trees. This sap is quite low in nutrients, but high in sugar, so the insects consume a LOT of extra sugar to get the appropriate nutrients. Well, they don't burn this sugar, so instead, they excrete it. These excretions eventually dry into yellowish wafers. Since the insects are nocturnal, these wafers often seem to just appear out of thin air at dawn.

This still fails to address why the manna somehow lasted through the Sabbath when it never lasted more than a day otherwise, but I still find it amazing how science continues to prove the Bible.

 

[Dr Grump]

but I still find it amazing how science continues to prove the Bible.

LOL.....

 

[CharlestonChad]

When Moses led the Israelites across the desert, God provided them with food in the form of sweet, yellowish wafers that seemed to magically appear on the ground before dawn each day. No more than one day's worth could be gathered except the day before the Sabbath, when they would gather double so they didn't have to work on the Sabbath. Any excess gathered would be spoiled and riddled with vermin a single day after being gathered. When the Israelites first witnessed the phenomenon, they called it by the name we all (should) know today, manna. The literal meaning of manna being, "What is it?"

Well, their question has been answered. While I cannot find a full article on it (only brief mention in a few dictionaries and other references), it has been brought to my attention, by my pastor, that this miracle food still exists today. In certain regions of desert, the yellowish wafers still appear on the ground every morning and still will not keep for more than a single day, and they still taste like honey wafers. Bedouine nomads still eat this food to this very day, as it is rich in carbohydrates and provides a steady source of energy. This miracle food, however, now has a perfectly good explanation.

You see, insects in the desert often live off of sucking sap from the trees. This sap is quite low in nutrients, but high in sugar, so the insects consume a LOT of extra sugar to get the appropriate nutrients. Well, they don't burn this sugar, so instead, they excrete it. These excretions eventually dry into yellowish wafers. Since the insects are nocturnal, these wafers often seem to just appear out of thin air at dawn.

This still fails to address why the manna somehow lasted through the Sabbath when it never lasted more than a day otherwise, but I still find it amazing how science continues to prove the Bible.

Come on, just b/c your pastor says it doesn't mean it's true. This phenomena must be highly documented if it does prove the OT to be true.

 

[-Cp]

Your pastor is referring to the explanation from Mike Fillon - a would-be Bible apologist - from his article ‘Science solves more mysteries of the Bible’ in the December 2001 issue of Popular Mechanics.
This explanation is irreconcilable with the many distinctive aspects of manna recorded in the Bible:

It appeared on a particular God-ordained day (Exodus 16:12–15) and it ceased on a particular day (Joshua 5:12), forty years later (Exodus 16:35).
It didn’t appear on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:25–27).
Twice as much was available on the day before the Sabbath (Ex 16:22,29).
It rotted if kept overnight (Exodus 16:20), except on the night before the Sabbath (Exodus 16:24).
It came down from heaven (Exodus 16:4, John 6:32), not from bushes.
Its appearance was associated with dew (Exodus 16:13b–14, Numbers 11:9), not with bushes.

The description of manna given in the Bible does not match any known natural phenomenon, and its failure to appear on the Sabbath testifies to its miraculous quality. Manna is described as tasting like honey and wafers (Exodus 16:31) or deep-fried pastry (Numbers 11:8b). In some way it was like coriander seed (Exodus 16:31) and in some other way like bdellium, a fragrant resin (Numbers 11:7). Fillon seems to suggest that manna was actual coriander seed, or some other seed, but coriander seed has a strong spicy taste, like mild licorice to some, and not like honey. Also, the Israelites were quite intelligent enough to recognise if the manna was a seed coming from bushes.

 

[dmp]

Your pastor is referring to the explanation from Mike Fillon - a would-be Bible apologist - from his article ‘Science solves more mysteries of the Bible’ in the December 2001 issue of Popular Mechanics.
This explanation is irreconcilable with the many distinctive aspects of manna recorded in the Bible:

It appeared on a particular God-ordained day (Exodus 16:12–15) and it ceased on a particular day (Joshua 5:12), forty years later (Exodus 16:35).
It didn’t appear on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:25–27).
Twice as much was available on the day before the Sabbath (Ex 16:22,29).
It rotted if kept overnight (Exodus 16:20), except on the night before the Sabbath (Exodus 16:24).
It came down from heaven (Exodus 16:4, John 6:32), not from bushes.
Its appearance was associated with dew (Exodus 16:13b–14, Numbers 11:9), not with bushes.

The description of manna given in the Bible does not match any known natural phenomenon, and its failure to appear on the Sabbath testifies to its miraculous quality. Manna is described as tasting like honey and wafers (Exodus 16:31) or deep-fried pastry (Numbers 11:8b). In some way it was like coriander seed (Exodus 16:31) and in some other way like bdellium, a fragrant resin (Numbers 11:7). Fillon seems to suggest that manna was actual coriander seed, or some other seed, but coriander seed has a strong spicy taste, like mild licorice to some, and not like honey. Also, the Israelites were quite intelligent enough to recognise if the manna was a seed coming from bushes.

 

[Hobbit]

Come on, just b/c your pastor says it doesn't mean it's true. This phenomena must be highly documented if it does prove the OT to be true.

I looked it up. It is a well-documented phenomenon, I just couldn't find a full article. Under many dictionary definitions of manna, one of the alternate definitions was these secretions that still exist today.

-Cp, I did mention that this still doesn't explain the fact that the stuff didn't spoil on the Sabbath, but thus is the power of God. As for the thing about it being like dew and not bushes, this stuff often does look like dew.

LOL.....

Wow, what a witty retort. Does somebody write your material or did you have to sit up all night yourself thinking about it, because that really is one of the most well thought out retorts I've ever heard. Yep, got me there. You really addressed every point I made, didn't you. I am truly humbled in the presence of such superior debate skills.

 

[CharlestonChad]

I looked it up. It is a well-documented phenomenon, I just couldn't find a full article. Under many dictionary definitions of manna, one of the alternate definitions was these secretions that still exist today.

Maybe they ate twice as much before the sabbath.

 

[Hobbit]

Maybe they ate twice as much before the sabbath.

No, the Bible clearly states that the stuff didn't spoil on the Sabbath. That and the fact that you can't just eat twice as much the day before a fast and be fine.

This whole thing is kinda wierd. It's like the scientific explanations of the plagues that have been discovered. Much like the manna story still has a miraculous component of not spoiling on the Sabbath, there's still no scientific explanation for the tenth plague.

 

[Nuc]

It seems like you are really making an argument against the Bible. That things which previously needed to be explained in supernatural terms can be simple natural phenomena. If manna is insect whatever then there was no supernatural intervention on behalf of Moses and gang.

Judeo/Christianity aside, most myths have a scientific explanation. Religion is more interesting in the field of ethics/morality/philosophy than as an explainer of physical reality.

 

[jillian]

Religion is more interesting in the field of ethics/morality/philosophy than as an explainer of physical reality.

IMO, religion isn't supposed to be anything more than a guidepost for ethics, morality and philosophy. Whatever personal sense of salvation anyone feels as a result of their particular faith is wonderful, but it's between themselves and their creator.

 

[CharlestonChad]

It seems like you are really making an argument against the Bible. That things which previously needed to be explained in supernatural terms can be simple natural phenomena. If manna is insect whatever then there was no supernatural intervention on behalf of Moses and gang.

Judeo/Christianity aside, most myths have a scientific explanation. Religion is more interesting in the field of ethics/morality/philosophy than as an explainer of physical reality.

 

[Dr Grump]

Wow, what a witty retort. Does somebody write your material or did you have to sit up all night yourself thinking about it, because that really is one of the most well thought out retorts I've ever heard. Yep, got me there. You really addressed every point I made, didn't you. I am truly humbled in the presence of such superior debate skills.

It was more an ironic laugh, not a retort. To say science is proving the bible is about as stretching it as you can get. I'd suggest manna was around long before people even thought of the concept of a god, let alone there alleging being one in existance at all. If anything it proves that god had nothing to do with it, it was nature providing the source of food, therefore no miracle at all...