Bible Strands
Psalms 78:24
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses Israel, recounting God’s wilderness provision immediately after describing the command to open the heavens. The narrative moment captures the transition from divine command to physical sustenance for the wandering community.
The words — וַיּמטר (va/i.yam.Ter) literally means "and he rained down," while שָמַיִם (Sha.Ma.yim) translates directly to "heaven." These terms anchor the provision in direct celestial action rather than natural processes.
The thread — This imagery recurs in Exodus 16:4, Psalms 105:40, and Deuteronomy 8:3, where bread from heaven and manna are repeatedly tied to divine response to hunger.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that sustenance originates from direct divine action, not human effort. It requires the reader to treat historical testimony as factual evidence of ongoing dependence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
Cross-references
- Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.
- Psalms 105:40 They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
- Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
- John 6:31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
- Exodus 16:14 When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground.
- Nehemiah 9:15 In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them.
- Nehemiah 9:20 You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst.
- Psalms 68:9 You sent abundant rain, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance.
- 1 Corinthians 10:3 They all ate the same spiritual food