Exodus 16:31
ESV
Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
NIV
The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.
NASB
And the house of Israel named the bread manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.
CSB
The house of Israel named the substance manna. It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey.
NLT
The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.
KJV
And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
NKJV
And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
What does Exodus 16:31 mean?
The rest of this chapter summarizes God's provision of manna for the people of Israel. The final verses, especially, seem to have been added later—probably by Joshua (Exodus 16:34–35). This is the most detailed description of manna in the Bible. Several words are rarely seen in Scripture and can't be firmly defined. What can be understood seems to describe a flat, thin, white, grain-like material tasting like pastry, honey, and oil.The name is from the Hebrew word mān', the same thing the Israelites said when they saw it for the first time (Exodus 16:15): "what?" Some have compared this to an English-speaking culture calling the substance "whatsit." Manna appeared every morning as tiny flakes (Exodus 16:14, 21). It was processed like grain (Numbers 11:8).
Manna is compared to coriander. The leaves of the same plant are called "cilantro" in Spanish and in American English. The seeds are roughly 4mm in diameter, or about 5/32 of an inch. This is comparable to the cone-shaped point on a typical wax crayon.
The color is described as "white," though in other verses (Numbers 11:7) manna is also compared to bdellium. "Bdellium" is a resin that can be whitish, orange, or even black depending on the variety. However, the word for bdellium only occurs twice the in the Old Testament (Genesis 2:12) and may refer to an unidentified gemstone. Manna was probably not a vivid white color, but a natural shade.
"Wafers" is translated from a word which only appears here. It seems to indicate flattened pastry-like food. This would make sense of the corresponding taste of honey.
Despite its versatility and miraculous nature, the people of Israel will become bored with the daily supply of manna and begin to complain about it (Numbers 11:4–6).
