John 6:31
New International Version
Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

New Living Translation
After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

English Standard Version
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Berean Standard Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Berean Literal Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

King James Bible
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

New King James Version
Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”

NASB 1995
“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”

NASB 1977
“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”

Legacy Standard Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD FROM HEAVEN TO EAT.’”

Amplified Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written [in Scripture], ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”

Christian Standard Bible
Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

American Standard Version
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.

Contemporary English Version
For example, when our ancestors were in the desert, they were given manna to eat. It happened just as the Scriptures say, 'God gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

English Revised Version
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Our ancestors ate the manna in the desert. Scripture says, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Good News Translation
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the scripture says, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

International Standard Version
Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Majority Standard Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ?He gave them bread from heaven to eat.??

NET Bible
Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

New Heart English Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Weymouth New Testament
Our forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat'."

World English Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, according as it is having been written: He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat.”

Berean Literal Bible
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Young's Literal Translation
our fathers the manna did eat in the wilderness, according as it is having been written, Bread out of the heaven He gave them to eat.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Our fathers ate manna in the desert, just as it has been written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

New American Bible
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

New Revised Standard Version
Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Our forefathers ate manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Our forefathers ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written 'He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.' “
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Godbey New Testament
Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness; as has been written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Haweis New Testament
Our fathers did eat manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ?He gave them bread from heaven to eat.?

Mace New Testament
our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, "he gave them bread from heaven to eat."

Weymouth New Testament
Our forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat'."

Worrell New Testament
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it has been written, 'He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat.'"

Worsley New Testament
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus the Bread of Life
30So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? 31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from 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.

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.

Psalm 78:24-25
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven. / Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.

Psalm 105:40
They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

Numbers 11:7-9
Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. / The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. / When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

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.

1 Corinthians 10:3
They all ate the same spiritual food

John 6:49-50
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. / This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.

John 6:58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 6:32-33
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. / For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

John 6:35
Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

John 6:48
I am the bread of life.

John 6:41
At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

John 6:51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

John 6:53-54
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. / Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.


Treasury of Scripture

Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

fathers.

John 6:49
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

Exodus 16:4-15,35
Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no…

Numbers 11:6-9
But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes…

He gave.

Nehemiah 9:15
And 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.

Psalm 78:24,25
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven…

1 Corinthians 10:3
And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

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Ate Bread Desert Eat Fathers Forefathers Heaven Manna Waste Wilderness Writings Written
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Ate Bread Desert Eat Fathers Forefathers Heaven Manna Waste Wilderness Writings Written
John 6
1. Jesus feeds five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes.
15. Thereupon the people would have made him king;
16. but withdrawing himself, he walks on the sea to his disciples;
26. reproves the people flocking after him, and all the fleshly hearers of his word;
32. declares himself to be the bread of life to believers.
66. Many disciples depart from him.
68. Peter confesses him.
70. Judas is a devil.














Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness
This phrase recalls the miraculous provision of manna to the Israelites during their 40-year journey in the wilderness, as recorded in Exodus 16. The Greek word for "fathers" (πατέρες, pateres) emphasizes the ancestral lineage and the shared history of the Jewish people. The term "manna" (μάννα, manna) is derived from the Hebrew word "man," which means "What is it?" This reflects the Israelites' initial reaction to the mysterious substance. The wilderness (ἔρημος, erēmos) symbolizes a place of testing and reliance on God's provision, highlighting the Israelites' dependence on divine sustenance.

as it is written
This phrase underscores the authority and reliability of Scripture. The Greek "γέγραπται" (gegraptai) is a perfect passive indicative, indicating that what is written remains authoritative and relevant. This phrase often introduces Old Testament quotations, affirming the continuity and fulfillment of God's promises through Jesus Christ. It serves as a reminder that the events of the past were recorded for instruction and encouragement, pointing to the faithfulness of God throughout history.

He gave them bread from heaven to eat
The "He" in this context refers to God, who provided for the Israelites. The Greek word for "gave" (ἔδωκεν, edōken) implies a generous and purposeful act of provision. "Bread from heaven" (ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, arton ek tou ouranou) signifies not only physical sustenance but also spiritual nourishment. This phrase foreshadows Jesus as the true "bread of life," who offers eternal sustenance. The act of eating (φαγεῖν, phagein) symbolizes acceptance and participation in God's provision, inviting believers to partake in the life-giving sustenance offered through Christ.

(31) Our fathers did eat manna.--He claims to be the Messiah; but the Messiah was to be greater than Moses, and the sign He has shown is less. The Messiah was to cause manna again to fall from heaven, as their Rabbis taught. They had eaten food which, if miraculously multiplied, was still the food of earth--the common bread and common relish--and this on the grassy sward not far removed from the habitations of men. Their fathers had eaten the manna which came direct from God, and was gathered from the granite rocks of the desert; and the Psalmist had told, and Hebrew children loved to chant, that "bread from heaven was that which He gave them to eat."

Verse 31. - Our fathers, they continued, ate the manna in the wilderness; even as it has been written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. If Moses did this, the Christ should do more, seeing he makes this exhaustive claim upon our faith. The manna (see Exodus 16; Numbers 11.) appeared like the hoar frost out of heaven. It was gifted with numerous qualities - perishable if not immediately used, respecting in mysterious way the sabbath sanctity, attending the Israelites through their forty years" wandering, terminating when no longer wanted, utterly unlike, in quantity and quality, to what is the Oriental manna of commerce (Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bible,' art. "Manna"). The psalmists spoke of it (Psalm 78:24; Psalm 105:40) as virtually coming down out of heaven, as "corn of heaven," as "angels' food." The Targum of Jonathan, Deuteronomy 34:6, says, "God caused bread to descend from heaven upon the sons of Israel," and a rabbinical commentary on Ecclesiastes, quoted by Lightfoot and Wettestein: "Redemptor prior descendere fecit pro iis manna; sic et Redemptor posterior descendere faciet manna." Consequently, they make the challenge, not as though Jesus had done no sign, but as though he had not done enough to put himself on an equality with Moses.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Our
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

forefathers
πατέρες (pateres)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

ate
ἔφαγον (ephagon)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 5315: A primary verb; to eat.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

manna
μάννα (manna)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3131: Of Hebrew origin; manna, an edible gum.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

the
τῇ (tē)
Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

wilderness,
ἐρήμῳ (erēmō)
Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2048: Lonesome, i.e. waste.

as
καθώς (kathōs)
Adverb
Strong's 2531: According to the manner in which, in the degree that, just as, as. From kata and hos; just as, that.

it is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

written:
γεγραμμένον (gegrammenon)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1125: A primary verb; to 'grave', especially to write; figuratively, to describe.

‘He gave
ἔδωκεν (edōken)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1325: To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give.

them
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

bread
Ἄρτον (Arton)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 740: Bread, a loaf, food. From airo; bread or a loaf.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

heaven
οὐρανοῦ (ouranou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

to eat.’”
φαγεῖν (phagein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 5315: A primary verb; to eat.


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