78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven. 1
78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 2
He sent them more than enough to eat. 3
78:26 He brought the east wind through the sky,
and by his strength led forth the south wind.
78:27 He rained down meat on them like dust,
birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores. 4
78:28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,
all around their homes.
78:29 They ate until they were stuffed; 5
he gave them what they desired.
1 sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.
2 sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).
3 tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
4 tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”
5 tn Heb “and they ate and were very satisfied.”