Exodus 15–16 and John 6 are deeply connected. The miraculous manna in the desert is not just physical bread, but a divine test of trust. Yeshua (Jesus) is the “true bread from heaven” Who gives not just sustenance, but eternal life. The Exodus deliverance typifies spiritual rescue from bondage, and the “living bread” language shows how the Messiah bridges God’s provision and our deepest spiritual need. Parallel passage Isaiah 45:20–25 shows God’s salvation as universal — the LORD calls the nations to turn, look to Him and be saved. That good news about the Kingdom of God is brought to life by Yeshua’s life, sacrifice, resurrection and continual intercession.
Starting after Sukkot 2024, Hallel Fellowship switched to a three-year cycle of Torah and parallel Bible readings (2024–2027), outlined by TorahResource. While there’s ancient evidence for a triennial cycle, a major benefit is to provide more time to mine more of Scripture for lessons.
Typology: manna = foreshadowing (טֵימוּן teymun) of Messiah’s provision. The pattern is daily dependence moved to final dependence on the Messiah.
Universal scope: Isaiah’s call affirms that God’s salvation through the Messiah is for Israel and the nations. (Bible Hub)
Exodus 15–16 (rescue) → Isaiah 45 (provision) → John 6 (rescuer appears). In Exodus, Elohim gives daily מָן mān (“manna”) and לֶחֶם lekhem (“bread”) as test and provision for covenant Israel. Isaiah insists God calls the ends of the earth to “turn and be saved” (universal salvation). John quotes the Exodus account and takes the lesson to its ultimate fulness: Yeshua declares himself the true “bread from heaven” who gives ζωὴ zōē (“life”) and secures eternal salvation. The manna is typological: physical daily food points forward to the Messiah’s once-for-all gift of life and relationship. (StudyLight.org)
Key Hebrew & Greek terms
מָן — μάννα
Hebrew: מָןmān = manna. Example: Exodus 16:15.
Most contemporary scholars follow BDB [Brown Driver Briggs lexicon] in identifying מָן as a late popular etymology of מָן “manna” based on the late Aramaic usage. מָן is not the common OT word for “what,” but this usage is not unknown in the second millenium B.C. UT [Ugaritic Text] 19: no. 1504 lists several occurrences of mn(m), both personal “who” and impersonal “what.” It appears that מָן “what” is a common Semitic word-not a “popular etymology.”
Carr, G. Lloyd. Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Accordance electronic edition, version 2.8. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980.
Septuagint (LXX): μάννα mánna. Exodus in LXX uses this word, and it’s cited in John 6:31, 49. (StudyLight.org)
לֶחֶם — ἄρτος
Hebrew: לֶחֶם léchem — general word for “bread/food.” (Exodus 16 uses the idea verbally: “bread from heaven”). (StudyLight.org)
NT: John 6 repeatedly uses ἄρτος — e.g., ἄρτος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (John 6:31) and ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς (“I am the bread of life”; John 6:35). (Greek Bible)
חַיִּים — ζωὴ
Hebrew: חַיִּים chayyim (“life”). The Hebrew Scriptures often contrast temporal life with the life God gives.
Greek NT: ζωὴ zōē. John 6:35, 6:51 — Yeshua offers ζωὴ αἰώνιον (“eternal life”). John’s language links the bread motif to the gift of true life. (Greek Bible)
ישׁע — σωζω / σωτήρ / σωτήρια
Hebrew: יָשַׁע yāšaʿ (“to save”) is the root from which the noun יֵשׁוּעָה yeshūʿah (“salvation”) comes. Isaiah 45:22 uses the niphal (imperfect, futurish) form: וְהִוָּשְׁע֖וּ ve-hiwwāšəʿu — “and be saved.” (Bible Hub)
LXX: renders this with σῴζεσθαι / σωθήσεσθε / σωτήριον family (e.g., Isaiah 45:22 LXX: ἐπιστράφητε πρός με καὶ σωθήσεσθε — “turn to me and be saved”). (StudyLight.org)
NT: John uses σῴζω sozo (“to save”) and σωτηρία soteria (“salvation”) language for salvation (e.g., belief in Yeshua as the means to be saved). Yeshua is the fulfiller of Isaiah’s universal call. (StudyLight.org)
LXX: ἐπιστράφητε πρός με — “turn to me.” John’s call to “believe” resonates with Isaiah’s imperative to turn (repent/face God) — a continuity exploited in Messianic readings. (StudyLight.org)
The Sabbath isn’t just a command but an invitation to rest, delight and trust in God’s provision. We looked at the Bible account of manna, the parable of the 10 virgins, and teachings on tithing. Preparation, mercy and justice matter to God. Consistent spiritual nourishment and honest relationship with God are more important than just following rules and turn those instructions into touchpoints for transformation. Ultimately, resting in Him is key — not just once a week, but as a way of living in trust every day.
Why did Israel grumble about Heaven’s mercy just days after the Red Sea miracle and deliverance from Egypt? Discover how the manna and quail of Exodus 16 expose the same heart-struggle we face today. When promises (especially, Israel’s presence in the Land and of the coming of the Messiah) seem delayed, “honest questions” can slide into “Did God really say…?” Bread, flesh and “hidden manna” from Exodus 15-16, John 6 and Revelation 2, revealing why the true Bread from Heaven is never an opiate from the world’s ills — but the only power that satisfies and fuels real justice.
The repeated Bible message “Do not fear” throughout ancient Israel’s harrowing passage from bondage in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land urges us to trust God during hardship, learning how challenges refine our faith and inspire courage even when we feel too afraid to move forward. The lessons remind us to stay prepared, rely on the support of Heaven and our those around us, and develop resilience. By building a healthy relationship with Heaven, we can view every trial as an opportunity to draw closer to Him and to encourage one another, growing stronger together through faith…
Ancient Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea while being pursued by the army of then-superpower Mitzraim (Egypt), recorded in Torah reading בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach (“when he sent” or “after he had let go,” Exodus 13:17–17:16), is a key example of God’s supremacy over worldly powers. This study explores a parallel between Heaven’s mastery over that sea and the mastery of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) over the tempestuous waters of the Sea of Galilee. We investigate how ancient Israel and Yeshua’s apostles were prepared for trusting in God when all seems hopeless, and how this spiritual discipline trains us for the…
It took more to save Yisra’el from the House of Bondage than faith in lamb’s blood on the doorpost, as the Destroyer of the firstborn roamed the streets of Mitzraim during the first Passover. Then came being cornered at the Red Sea by a huge army and going into the desert without sufficient water or food. Discover the path of training in righteousness all believers in the LORD and His Passover (Yeshua the Lamb of God) must travel. It’s explained in this week’s Torah reading (בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach, “when he sent” or “after he had let go,” Exodus 13:17-17:16).
When we look at the Torah reading בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach (“when he sent” or “after he had let go,” Ex. 13:17–17:16), we need to ask ourselves five big questions: Is God with us? Are we really free? Where are we going? How will we get our “daily bread”? Where will we find “living water”?
And via a number of parallel passages in the Prophets, Writings and Apostolic Scriptures, we learn that the answer to all those questions is Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ).
1Corinthians 10 was the apostle Paul’s midrash on Israel’s history, detailing how division arose among the children of Israel during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.
In the Torah reading בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach (“when he sent,” Ex. 13:17–17:16), we see that it didn’t take Israel very long to forget all of the miracles that God had rendered on their behalf for their freedom and struck out in anger against Moses and Aaron. These lessons can teach us how to trust our Deliverer, Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ) and follow Him to true rest for our restless souls.
Why do the same challenges or problems keep hitting us again and again? Among the lessons from the Torah reading בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach (“when he sent,” Exodus 13:17-17:16) is that ancient Israel kept getting and kept failing faith tests in the journey out of the house of bondage in Mitzraim (Egypt) and toward Sinai and the Promised Land.
While repeated testing suggests more maturity is needed as an heir of the Kingdom, it’s also part of the name (reputation) of the Holy One (Exodus 34:6-7)
God is being kind to you — showing favor and mercy — by allowing you to retake the…
Impudent speech causes more problems than it solves. Ancient Israel, as they were delivered from the “house of bondage” in Egypt and moved towards Sinai, grumbled about their living conditions and their food, causing Moses a lot of stress and bringing God’s judgment on them.
In the 21st century, social media has made it easier to say things to a wide audience that we should keep to ourselves. The Torah reading (בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach, “when he sent,” Ex. 13:17-17:16) provides us practical tips on what things are wise to share and what things should be kept to ourselves or only spoken of…
1st Corinthians 10 is Paul’s midrash (commentary) from Israel’s history on how divisions arose during the journey from Mitzraim (Egypt) to the Promised Land. And the crossing of the Red Sea — recorded in בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach, “when he sent,” Ex. 13:17-17:16 — also is a parallel for our trip from unsaved to Savior.
Am I really free from my old way of life? Am I going somewhere in life that leads to eternal contentment, or am I wandering through this existence, at the mercy of happenstance? These are some of the big questions tackled in the Torah reading בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach (“when he sent”), covering Ex. 13:17-17:16. We can’t imagine what our ancestors in faith experienced as they witnessed God’s work during the Exodus from Mitzraim (Egypt). As they were leaving the house of bondage, were they really free or did they leave their hearts in Mitzraim, despite the cruelties and indignities they experienced…
The questions ancient Yisra’el asked after the Exodus from Mitzraim are similar to what we often ask ourselves today: Is God with us or not? Are we really free? Where are we going? How will we get our “daily bread”? Where will we find “living water”? That’s the focus of the Torah reading Beshalach (“when he sent”), covering Exodus 13:17-17:16.
Some read about the “Sabbath-rest” in Hebrews 4 and conclude that the teaching is that the remembrance of the seventh-day rest, the Sabbath, has been transferred to the Messiah, Yeshua. Yet the context of the passage and the quotations in it relating to a pivotal event in the Torah point to the fuller meaning of personal peace and real “rest” that God provides.
How do we relate to Israel’s flight out of Egypt to the Red Sea, as recorded in Exodus? We weren’t there. We know that this was a long, arduous journey. It was a seven-day walk — day and night — without sleep or respite. A likely reason God wants us of the Commonwealth of Israel to remember the Israel’s deliverance from both the lure of Egypt and the might of Egypt on the first and seventh days of the Festival of Unleavened Bread they are picture of the full release God gives us through the Great Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah.
God commands His people to observe the seventh and last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread with a “holy convocation.” The day has connections to Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea after the Exodus and baptism in the name of Messiah Yeshua.
Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) is called the firstfruits of the resurrection (1st Cor. 15:20), and why are we called firstfruits of creation (James 1:18)? Pentecost originally was a celebration of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest and followed 50 days after the celebration of the firstfruits of the barley harvest. What is God teaching here about Yeshua and us?
