Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
EXE 16:4-5 NIV
Basic Information
Not to be confused with mana, manna was the bread like substance provided by The Lord to the people of Israel during their wanderings in the desert following the exodus from Egypt. The provision started when the Israelites had been travelling for about six weeks and had exhausted the food they brought with them from Egypt and continued until the entry into the promised land, supplemented by a supply of quail for variety.
The manna appeared at morning and evening, six days a week and would rot before the next day unless that day was the Sabbath, in which case the manna gathered the day before would suffice for two days - miraculously, however much anyone gathered they always ended up with precisely the correct amount of food. The only other incidence of manna surviving in storage was that portion that was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant as a reminder of divine providence.
Physically manna was said to variously resemble icy flakes or resin and to have the consistency of coriander seed. It could be baked into cakes or boiled in a pot (presumably as a porridge) and tasted vaguely of olive oil. Unsurprisingly it was the source of considerable conjecture by the Israelites and the name derives from the Hebrew for "what is it?".
Sources
Game and Story Use
- Miracles of catering are relatively common in The Bible … God clearly respects Maslow's Hierarchy.
- It would not be entirely surprising for the portion of manna that was left in the Ark to be infinitely divisible - somewhere there may be a pot with an endless supply of slightly unearthly food in it.
- Perhaps a good model for divinely provided food generally - it will sustain you, but you may not be entirely sure what it is.
- Arguably a good model for anything divinely provided.
- A very religious character may be trying to call down more… or at least might commission a PC cook to make something that fits the description.