John 6:31
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Original Language Analysis
οἱ
G3588
οἱ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
1 of 19
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
πατέρες
fathers
G3962
πατέρες
fathers
Strong's:
G3962
Word #:
2 of 19
a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote)
τὸ
G3588
τὸ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
4 of 19
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
τῇ
G3588
τῇ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
8 of 19
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
ἐρήμῳ
the desert
G2048
ἐρήμῳ
the desert
Strong's:
G2048
Word #:
9 of 19
lonesome, i.e., (by implication) waste (usually as a noun, g5561 being implied)
γεγραμμένον
written
G1125
γεγραμμένον
written
Strong's:
G1125
Word #:
12 of 19
to "grave", especially to write; figuratively, to describe
ἐκ
from
G1537
ἐκ
from
Strong's:
G1537
Word #:
14 of 19
a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause literal or figurative; direct
τοῦ
G3588
τοῦ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
15 of 19
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
οὐρανοῦ
heaven
G3772
οὐρανοῦ
heaven
Strong's:
G3772
Word #:
16 of 19
the sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of god); by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the gospel (christianity)
ἔδωκεν
He gave
G1325
ἔδωκεν
He gave
Strong's:
G1325
Word #:
17 of 19
to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection)
Cross References
Psalms 105:40The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.Nehemiah 9:15And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.John 6:49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.Revelation 2:17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.Exodus 16:35And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.1 Corinthians 10:3And did all eat the same spiritual meat;Nehemiah 9:20Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.John 6:58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.Deuteronomy 8:3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.Joshua 5:12And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Historical Context
Manna (Exodus 16) sustained Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. The crowd's reference connects Jesus' feeding miracle to that historical provision, but they fail to see Jesus as the greater Moses providing superior bread.
Questions for Reflection
- How can we use Scripture to resist rather than receive Christ's revelation?
- What does this passage teach about the relationship between Old Testament types and their New Testament fulfillment?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The crowd cites 'our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat' (Psalm 78:24), implicitly challenging Jesus to match Moses' provision. Their appeal to Scripture and ancestry reveals how we can use biblical truth to resist present revelation. They cite manna but miss its fulfillment standing before them.