Chapter XXXV.
THE MIRACLES WROUGHT IN THE DESERT.
[Ex. 16 — 18.]
MOSES ordered them to depart from Elim and go on towards the wilderness. They marched three days through the wilderness, and found no water. Finding some at last they could not drink it, because it was bitter [1]. The people murmured against Moses, saying: “What shall we drink?” Moses prayed, and the Lord showed him a tree, the wood of which, when cast into the water, rendered it sweet[2].
And when they had gone far[3] into the wilderness, the people began to murmur still more, seeing that there was no food, and they wished that they had remained and died in Egypt, asking Moses why he had brought them out into the wilderness to die. Instead of punishing them for their want of confidence, God, full of mercy and goodness, promised to give them food in abundance.
He sent them, accordingly, every evening quails in vast numbers, sufficient for all the children of Israel to eat; and, in the morning, a delicious white food which fell from heaven. When the Israelites saw the bread, which looked like hoar-frost, they exclaimed “Manhu”, which signifies: “What is this?” Moses informed them that it was the bread which the Lord[4] gave them. He then told every one to gather of it, as much as he needed.
They did so, and found it pleasant to eat, tasting like flour mixed with honey. On the day before the Sabbath they gathered a double quantity, as none fell on the Sabbath. This Manna[5] was their food for forty years, until they reached the confines of Chanaan.
- ↑ Bitter . Whence the name Mara (see Map). The water was briny and not fit for drinking.
- ↑ Sweet. Drinkable water is known as fresh or sweet water, in opposition to sea water or salt water.
- ↑ Gone far. They had now' been four weeks in the wilderness, and had exhausted the provisions which they had brought with them from Egypt.
- ↑ The Lord. Without any intervention on the part of man.
- ↑ Manna. This is the same word as “Manhu”, and means the same thing. The fall of Manna went on, and was renewed, every day except Saturday, for forty years.
