Commentaria in Exodum
I should believe, however, that the angel condensed and compressed the manna into a gomor in the more voracious; but in old men, infants and the weak he rarefied and extended it: so that the gomor of these should have less of manna, and that of the others more, and thus the angel adapted and tempered this measure of a gomor to the stomach and strength of each.
For this is more natural: and God is sparing of miracles, and uses nature when it suffices, and this seems to be what Moses adds here.
18. THEY GATHERED, EVERY ONE ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO EAT,—as if to say: Each according to his appetite reckoned his gomor greater or less, and therefore gathered more or less: but when afterwards they measured what they had gathered, each found one gomor, which sufficed for each; yet so that the angel condensed the manna in some, and rarefied it in others; nay, in those who had gathered too much he secretly took away, to others who had gathered too little he added a part of manna. For rarefaction alone could indeed fill the gomor, but not the belly, if it took and desired more food. That the quantity of manna, therefore, might be proportioned to the stomach of each, it was needful from time to time for the angel to take something from it, if anyone had gathered too much, or to add something, if anyone had gathered too little.
“pollution of the body, and ruin of the soul: for both alike fill the belly.” More on this verse I said on 2 Cor. chap. 8, verse 15. Allegorically the reason was that the same gomor might signify the same Christ, whom all we eat whole, as great as he is, in the Eucharist. Anagogically, the same gomor signifies the same Deity, with which we shall be fed and which we shall enjoy entire, each in heaven, but some will draw more, others less of savour, sweetness, grace and glory from it, as from the same manna then, and from the same food now, some are nourished and refreshed more, for example boys and youths; others less, as the old and the weak.
19. LET NO MAN LEAVE THEREOF TILL THE MORNING.—This is the second precept, to restrain the incredulous avarice of those who against the will and command of God wished to provide for themselves for the morrow; whence also they were afterwards punished; for the manna kept for the next day began to swarm with worms. And in this vengeance was likewise the second miracle; for who would say that it was the nature of manna to putrefy on the next day, since on the sabbath what had been gathered the day before was kept unharmed: surely there is no grain or flour which putrefies so quickly. So Theodoret.
21. AND THEY GATHERED IT EVERY ONE IN THE MORNING.—Here is signified the third precept, that each should gather the manna in the morning, before the sun grew hot, because when the sun was hot it melted: and this that the Hebrews might learn not to snore, but to rise in the morning to pray to God and to provide themselves food: for this is what the Wise Man says, speaking of manna melting at the sun, Wisdom 16:28: “That it might be known to all that we must prevent the sun to bless thee (to bless and praise thee), and adore thee at the dawning of the light.”
AND AFTER THE SUN GREW HOT, IT MELTED.—This is likewise the third miracle, namely that what of the manna remained in the field, says the Chaldee, melted when the sun grew hot, that is, made itself more hot (for by a Hebraism cal is put for Aphil, namely a neuter verb, or a passive for an active), whereas the same manna, once gathered, was so hard at home that it was pounded with pestle and mill, and did not melt in fire, but was formed into cake, as appears Num. 11:8. Cajetan gives a similar case in an egg: “For as an egg,” he says, “so long as it is in the hen has a tender shell, which as soon as the egg is laid dries and becomes hard: so those grains of manna in the place in which they were formed were liable to melting; but when separated they hardened so that they were no longer of a melting nature: so that as they afterwards endured fire, they would have endured the sun also, if they had been again exposed to the sun.”
God willed the manna to melt in the field, lest that heavenly food remaining on the earth should putrefy or be trodden, and so be dishonoured and despised. Again the Wise Man gives another reason, chap. 16, verse 27: “For that which could not be destroyed by fire, being presently warmed with a little sunbeam, melted away: that it might be known to all men, that we ought to prevent the sun to bless thee, and to adore thee at the dawning of the light.”
Like this manna of the Hebrews is the Polish manna, which in Poland (all the Poles testifying) falls by night in the months of June and July, a prodigy, and lies upon the herbs like dew. This they gather before the rays of the sun with a sieve, shake out, pound, mix with water, and make into porridge, as porridge is made of the flour of millet or wheat. For if the sun grows hot, it dissolves the husk, and so the grain is lost; which is indeed new and memorable. I have seen the grains, and they are like millet, but longer and reddish; and I have tasted the porridge made of them: the taste is such as that of porridge from millet. But in this the Polish manna differs from the manna of the Hebrews, that this does not wholly melt at the sun, but is only loosened, so that the grain or seed enclosed in it, which is hard like millet, falls out; but the manna of the Hebrews wholly melted and vanished at the sun. Add that the Polish manna is enclosed in a husk; but that of the Hebrews was without a husk, as if beaten with a pestle, as is said
22. AND ON THE SIXTH DAY THEY GATHERED TWICE AS MUCH.—This is the fourth precept, given in verse 5, that on the sixth day they should gather a double portion of manna, namely one gomor for the sixth day and another for the sabbath, and that to commend the rest and religion of the sabbath.
This likewise was the fourth miracle, that on the sixth day a double portion of manna rained down, as a double provision, and that each, returning home from the gathering of manna, found equally two gomors with him.
AND THEY TOLD MOSES,—that on the sixth day they had gathered a double portion of manna, and that to the end that they might hear and understand to what purpose this had been commanded them: for God had not as yet declared that he had prescribed it on account of the religion of the sabbath.
23. TOMORROW IS THE REST OF THE SABBATH SANCTIFIED TO THE LORD,—as if to say: Tomorrow is the holy sabbath, and dedicated to the worship of the Lord: therefore then one must rest from all work, and give oneself to God, and therefore on the sixth day you were commanded to gather and prepare manna for the sabbath.
Here the knowledge and religion of the sabbath seems first to have been renewed and restored: whence Philo also asserts that the Hebrews, the birthday of the world, on which this universe was completed, having been forgotten by their forefathers, learned it by this miracle, whereby on the day before the sabbath a double portion of manna rained, and lasted for two days, contrary to what happened on other days.
Renewed, I say: for that the sabbath was instituted and observed from the beginning of the world I showed on Genesis chap. 2, verse 3. From the origin of the world therefore the feast and worship of the sabbath were instituted; but this, in the Egyptian bondage and idolatry of the Hebrews, was plainly obliterated; whence here it is recalled and restored by God.
AND WHATSOEVER SHALL REMAIN, LAY IT UP UNTIL THE MORNING.—Namely keep one gomor until the morning of the sabbath, that is, keep the bread of one gomor, which on the sixth day you made from the manna pounded and cooked; for on the sabbath it was not lawful to pound or cook manna; they could however keep the manna whole and uncooked and eat it on the sabbath, if they wished, as grains of sugar are eaten: our Lorinus teaches this against Eugubinus on chap. 16 of Wisdom.
31. AND THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL CALLED THE NAME THEREOF MANNA: AND IT WAS LIKE CORIANDER SEED WHITE, AND THE TASTE THEREOF LIKE TO FLOUR WITH HONEY.—Coriander seed is not white, but black; therefore “white” is not to be referred to coriander, but must be taken separately by itself. For three things are here said of manna: first, that in size and figure it was like coriander, because it was a small and round grain like coriander: so Josephus; secondly, that in colour it was bright and white; thirdly, that in taste it was honeyed, and tasted like fine flour with honey or oil.