DIANNA (man'na) or MAN, (Heb. mawn, signifying what f).
(1) Substance. The name given to the mirac ulous food upon which the Israelites were fed for forty years, during their wanderings in the desert. The same name has in later ages been applied to some natural productions, chiefly found in warm, dry countries, but which have little or no resemblance to the original manna. This is first mentioned in Exod. xvi. 1 t is there de scribed as being first produced after the eighth encampment in the desert of Sin,as white like hoar frost (or of the color of bdcWrint, Num. xi:7), round, and of the bigness of coriander seed (gad). It fell with the dew every morning, and when the dew was exhaled by the heat of the sun, the manna appeared alone, lying upon the ground or the rocks round the encampment of the Israelites. 'When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is iti for they knew not what it was' (Exod. xvi:z5). In the authorized, and some other versions, this passage is inaccurately translated—which indeed is ap parent from the two parts of the sentence con tradicting each other. In the Septuagint the sub stance is almost always called manna instead of man. Josephus (Antiq. .1, sec. io), as quoted by Dr. Harris, says: 'The Hebrews call this food manna, for the particle man in our language is the asking of a question', What is this? (man-hu). Moses answered this question by telling them, 'This is the bread which the Lord bath given you to eat.' We are further informed that the manna fell every day, except on the Sabbath. Every sixth day, that is on Friday, there fell a double quan tity of it.
(2) How Gathered. Every man was directed to gather an omer (about three quarts) for each member of his family; and the whole seems afterwards to have been measured out at the rate of an omer to each person: 'He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack.' That which remained ungathered dissolved in the heat of the sun, and was lost. The quantity collected was intended for the food of the current day only; for if any were kept till next morning, it corrupted and bred worms. Yet it was directed that a double quantity should be gathered on the sixth day for consumption on the Sabbath. And it was found that the manna kept for the Sabbath remained sweet and wholesome, notwithstanding that it corrupted at other times, if kept for more than one day. In the same manner as they would have treated grain, they reduced it to meal, kneaded it into dough, and baked it into cakes, and the taste of it was like that of wafers made with honey, or of fresh oil. In Num. xi:6-9, where the description of the manna is repeated, an omer of it is directed to be preserved as a memorial to future generations, 'that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness;' and in Joshua v:.12 we learn that
after the Israelites had encamped at Gilgal, and 'did eat of the old corn of the land, the manna ceased on the morrow after, neither had the chil dren of Israel manna any more.' (3) Supposed Existence Now. This miracle is referred to in Deut. viii:3; Neh. ix :2o; Ps. lxxviii :24 ; John vi :3z, 49, 58; Heb. ix :4. Though the manna of Scripture was so evidently miracu lous, both in the mode and in the quantities in which it was produced, and though its properties were so different from anything with which we are acquainted, yet, because its taste is in Exo dus said to be like that of wafers made with honey, many writers have thought that they rec ognized the manna of Scripture in a sweetish ex udation which is found on several plants in Arabia and Persia. The name man, or manna, is applied to this substance by the Arab writers, and was probably so applied even before their time. But the term is now almost entirely ap propriated to the sweetish exudation of the ash trees of Sicily and Italy(OrnusEuroficea and Frax inus ratundif alio). These, however, have no re lation to the supposed manna of Scripture. Of this, one kind is known to the Arabs by the name of guzunfbccn, being the produce of a plant called guz, and which is ascertained to be a spe cies of tamarisk. The same species seems also to be called toarfa, and is common along different parts of the coast of Arabia. It is also found in the neighborhood of Mount Sinai. In the month of. June it drops from the thorns of the tam arisk upon the fallen twigs, leaves and thorns, N.vhich always cover the ground beneath the tree in the natural state. The Arabs use it as they do honey, fo pour over their unleavened bread, or to dip their bread into; its taste is agreeable, some what aromatic, and as sweet as honey. If eaten in any quantity it is said to be highly purgative. When Lieut. Wellsted visited this place in the month of September, he found the extremities of the twigs and branches retaining the peculiar sweetness and flavor which characterize the manna. The Bedouins collect it early in the morning, .and, after straining if through a cloth, place .it either in skins or gourds; a considerable quantity is consumed by themselves; a portion is sent to Cairo; and some is also disposed of to the monks at Mount Sinai. The latter retail it to the Russian pilgrims. 'The Bedouins assured me that the whole quantity collected throughout the Peninsula, in the most fruitful season, did not exceed .15o wogas (about 7oo pounds) ; and that it was usually disposed of at the rate of 6o dollars the woga' (Trawls in Arabia, vol. i, p. 51 ).