The Meaning of Numbers 11:7 Explained

Numbers 11:7

KJV: And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

YLT: And the manna is as coriander seed, and its aspect as the aspect of bdolach;

Darby: And the manna was as coriander seed, and its appearance as the appearance of bdellium.

ASV: And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the manna  [was] as coriander  seed,  and the colour  thereof as the colour  of bdellium. 

What does Numbers 11:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Numbers 11:1-15 - The Murmuring Flesh-Lovers
We cannot wonder at the people's murmuring. They were unaccustomed to the fatigues of the desert, and had not realized the length of the journey. Let us beware of querulous complaints. See 1 Corinthians 10:10. Let us also guard against familiarity with those who have never known God's regenerating grace. "The mixed multitude" was largely composed of Egyptians, whose evil example spread to the chosen people, Exodus 12:38. When our religious life is low, we tire of angels' food, and our hearts turn back to the world we have left.
Moses' outcry is hardly to be wondered at. He was thoroughly overstrained by the immense demands of his life. But he ought not to have spoken as though the entire weight of the pilgrimage rested on him. His Almighty Friend was bearing and carrying them during "all the days of old." See Isaiah 63:9. We must never look at our responsibilities apart from Him who makes all grace abound, 2 Corinthians 9:8. [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 11

1  The burning at Taberah quenched by Moses' prayer
4  The people crave meat, and loathe manna
10  Moses complains of his charge
16  God promises to divide his burden unto seventy elders,
18  and to give the people meat for a month
21  Moses' faith is staggered
31  Quails are given in wrath at Kibroth Hattaavah

What do the individual words in Numbers 11:7 mean?

Now the manna like seed coriander was and its color like the color of bdellium
וְהַמָּ֕ן כִּזְרַע־ גַּ֖ד ה֑וּא וְעֵינ֖וֹ כְּעֵ֥ין הַבְּדֹֽלַח

וְהַמָּ֕ן  Now  the  manna 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָן 
Sense: manna.
כִּזְרַע־  like  seed 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
גַּ֖ד  coriander 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גַּד  
Sense: coriander—a plant the seed of which resembles manna.
וְעֵינ֖וֹ  and  its  color 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
כְּעֵ֥ין  like  the  color 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, common singular construct
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
הַבְּדֹֽלַח  of  bdellium 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בְּדֹלַח  
Sense: bdellium (ie gum resin).