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God provided food to the Jews as they wandered the desert, after leaving Egypt. Manna, which was this magical bread-like substance, fell from heaven. The transl
by CodeAndCuffs 5y ago
God provided food to the Jews as they wandered the desert, after leaving Egypt. Manna, which was this magical bread-like substance, fell from heaven. The translation of Manna is basically "What is it?".
A huge amount fell. God told them to eat their fill, but don't save it. The hungry wanderers ate to their contentment, and some of them stored the left over manna in jars. That leftover manna was rotten and spoiled the next day, but God sent them more.
God could've dropped magical non-expiring bread. Instead he dropped preservative-free no-shelf-life bread, and told them to trust that he would provide for them.
I've always interpreted the "daily bread" as being a reference to the manna. It seemed like it was acknowledging that they need to trust God day-to-day. It's not a one time "Here is the solution to all future concerns", its a daily trust.
So I think the debate is, if one wants to have it, is the prayer saying "give us our bare minimum to survive" or "give us our plenty that comes with an implicit trust that the plenty will continue"
But its a weird concern to have IMO. Especially since Jesus likely never spoke the word epiousios at all, he probably said something in Aramaic or Hebrew or something. I'm also in the "This wasn't a literal 'say these words' guide, it was an example." Both instructions seem in line with the rest of what Jesus was teaching; be thankful and trust God.
- Y_Y 5y agoHe also gave them billions of quails (Numbers 11:31), how does that square with giving just enough?
- __alexs 5y agoDidn't the quails cause a plague?
- GlenTheMachine 5y agoThe quails were punishment. They complained about not having meat to eat even when God was sending them magical bread from the skies. So he sent them a plague of quails, so to speak.
- elwell 5y agoContext needed
- Y_Y 5y ago> 31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. > 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp. > 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.
- derefr 5y agoInteresting; it almost sounds like it could be translated as “expires each day, refreshed each day” — i.e. it’s “ephemeral” bread. Kind of like “daily”, but “daily” in the sense of “daily news” — it has a one-day shelf-life.
- aidenn0 5y agoInterestingly enough, per TFA, the Gospel of the Hebrews (via Jerome; in modernity we lack any complete copies of this) used the word "ma[h]ar" implying the "for tomorrow" translation.