The biblical saying "manna from heaven" has become an aphorism and is used in several meanings. According to the Bible, this is the bread that the Lord fed the people of Israel during their wanderings through the desert. The clergy treat this concept as spiritual writing, and biologists assume that edible grains isolated special plants.
What is the "manna of heaven"?
The expression "manna of heaven" in Holy Scripture is treated like bread sent by God, wandering in the wilderness of the Jews, when they ran out of food. She looked like small grains. Known to all semolina croup received its name by analogy with this product, although the taste is significantly different. There are three meanings of the concept of "manna":
- From the Aramaic "man-hoo" - "what is this?", So the Jews asked when the first time they saw these grains.
- From the Arabic "mennu" - "food".
- From the Hebrew word "gift".
Biologists have put forward their own versions about the origin of the miracle, which fell on the Jews from heaven. Given the species of plants, there are two versions, the manna of heaven is:
- Aerophytes - lichen manna, its edible thallus the wind carries for hundreds of kilometers. Outwardly resemble grains.
- Thick juice or tamarix resin is a plant that has been processed by aphids. It looks like a light wax with a honey smell. The ancient nomads baked them with such pitch cakes, mixing it with flour
What does it mean to "eat manna from heaven"?
The unusual food that the Jews received from the Lord during the wanderings was sent from above. Therefore, the phraseology "manna from heaven" implies divine blessings. In time, the aphorism acquired such meanings as:
- The blessings received simply so, as if fallen from the sky.
- Spiritual food of a believer.
- Extraordinary luck or unexpected help.
From this phraseology were created and other, derived from it:
- "Eat manna from heaven" - intermittent episodic income;
- "Waiting, like the manna of heaven" - to hope that the problem will be resolved by itself, or to hope for unexpected help from the outside.
The Legend of Manna from Heaven
Legend has it that when the Jews ran out of food on the days of crossing the desert, the Lord sent them food that looked like white grains covering the ground every morning except Saturday. It was collected until noon, otherwise they could melt in the sun. All people felt a different taste:
- youth - bread;
- old people - honey;
- Kiddies - oil.
In Judaism, manna is called an analogue of the mother's milk, which the Lord gave to the young. According to the Talmud, this food arose only near the shelter of those who firmly believed in God, those who doubted were forced to search for grains throughout the camp. In some religious texts it is noted that the manna covered the earth unevenly, others argue that - on the contrary, it received a lot, and every day. A new portion was waited impatiently, so the expression "wait like manna from heaven" appeared.
What is the "manna of heaven" from the Bible?
Christianity manna is personified with God's grace, some vegetarians find confirmation in it, supposedly the Lord commanded not to eat meat, but only bread. But this theory is contradicted by other utterances in the Holy Scriptures. The expression "manna from heaven" became very common in the Bible, this unusual food is described in detail in different sources. There are two such descriptions:
- In the Bible - a small hoarfrost, like a rump, resembling a cake with honey. Dropped out in the morning and gradually melted under the sun.
- In the book Numbers - hail, similar to the seeds of coriander, and to taste - on flat cakes with oil. Appear on the ground at night, along with dew.
Manna in the Koran
This miracle is mentioned in the Qur'an, which is especially revered in Islamic traditions. What does "manna of heaven" mean for Muslims? The story is similar to what happened to the Jews. Believers in Allah found themselves in the wilderness, the Most High shielded them with clouds and sent manna and quails. Manna is treated by mullahs as food that can be easily found: ginger, mushrooms or bread. But people were ungrateful and even more swayed in their sins, then their evil deeds returned to them themselves.