Exodus 16 and Numbers 11 both tell the story of manna and quails. Although these two chapters concern the same story, they offer different details and varying facts. The two stories differ particularly in their characterization of the Hebrew people, God, and the relationships between them. Exodus focuses on the Israelites' relationship with God as his chosen people, while Numbers represents Israel's earthly concerns and distance from God. The juxtaposition of these two seemingly contradictory biblical stories represents the duality of the Israelites' relationship with God: on the one hand, they are a "chosen people" particularly close to God, while on the other, they are a "people stiff neck.” " people characterized by fickleness and lack of faith (Ex. 32.9). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The stories from Exodus and Numbers' story of manna and quails share many similarities. In both versions, God responds to the Israelites' complaints and provides them with food. This indicates that God has a special relationship with the Hebrews. In relation to other peoples, likewise, in both stories, Moses acts as the representative of the Hebrew people to God; the attitudes of all the Israelites are often embodied by Moses, and his interactions with God become representative of God's relationship. God with the entire nation These similarities provide a framework for the stories upon which the different details and facts of each narrative can stand out. Although both chapters tell the same story, each does so with a different focus. In Exodus, the author makes only a brief reference to quails, saying that they “came up and covered the camp” (16:13). The Exodus story focuses much more on the gift of God's manna. Manna is described as “bread from heaven,” indicating that God created it expressly for the Hebrews (Ex. 16:4). Likewise, Moses describes manna as “the bread which the Lord gave [to the Hebrews] to eat,” again suggesting a gift and intimate connection between God and the people (Ex. 16:15). In Numbers, however, the narrative focuses more on the quails, devoting only three verses to the description of manna. God did not create the quails in Numbers specifically for the Hebrews; he simply brings them “from the sea” (11.31). This implies a less intimate connection between God and the Israelites than in the Exodus, when God creates something new and sends it “from heaven” (16:4). The different axes of the two stories further establish the different representations of the relationship between God and the Israelites. the Israelites when read metaphorically as well. The numbers obviously omit many details about the windfall; it is above all about earthly food, quails, as opposed to the “bread from heaven” described in Exodus (16, 14). The Numbers' emphasis on the Israelites' desire for the earthly can be read as representative of the Hebrews' earthly desires, while Exodus's emphasis on the heavenly can be seen as representing the Israelites' divine interests. Additionally, the manna in Exodus takes on a higher religious significance in that God makes it a test of whether or not the people keep the Sabbath (16:4). In this way, the manna literally serves to reinforce the Israelites' role as God's chosen people through the strengthening of the law. The manner in which the Israelites themselves are characterized in each book also elucidates their dual relationship with God. Inboth stories, the people “complain” about God and Moses (Ex. 16.2, Numbers 11.1); in Exodus, however, the complaint seems more justified. In Exodus, the complaint comes from a total lack of food, expressed in the verse: “you have brought us into this desert to starve all this assembly” (16.3). In Numbers, however, the complaint arises from the lack of luxury foods, such as "fish", "cucumbers", "melons", "leeks" and "garlic" (11.5). The numbers clearly show that the Israelites had manna to eat, but were not satisfied with it: “there is nothing to look upon but this manna” (11:6). On a symbolic level, the Hebrews' rejection of "heavenly" food for earthly quails may represent their inconstancy and frequent rejection of God's laws for earthly pleasures. Additionally, the complaints in Numbers portray the Israelites as greedy and ungrateful, suggesting that this account represents the Israelites' times of estrangement from God. Numbers further develops the greed of the Hebrews through a detail that differs from that of Exodus. Numbers notes that when gathering quail, “the minimum one gathered was ten homers” of meat (11.32). Numbers also relates that they “flaunt them for themselves,” another suggestion of greed (11.32). This contrasts sharply with the Exodus story, in which each person only harvested an omer of manna. Additionally, Exodus states that one omer is enough to feed one person: “Gather as much as each of you needs, one omer for one person” (16:16). Although the text does not specify whether the Hebrews in Numbers and Exodus were gathering and storing food for different periods of time, the language in Numbers, particularly the use of the phrase "for themselves", implies their greed. .With the Israelite people, the characterization of Moses specifically elucidates the bilateral nature of the Hebrews' relationship with God. In both chapters, Moses' attitudes are representative of those of the people. In Numbers, Moses speaks out against God by asking, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? » and: “Are there enough sheep and oxen to slaughter for [the people]? (Num. 11.11, 11.22). Additionally, in Numbers, Moses is the one who initiates conversations with God, testifying to his boldness. Like the rest of the Israelites, he complains and questions God's abilities and motives. In Exodus, God is always the first to initiate a conversation with Moses, suggesting Moses' submission to God. Furthermore, the Israelites' admission that they "did not know what [manna] was" when they first saw it reflects the humility with which Moses interacts with God (16:15). This humble attitude contrasts greatly with the Israelites' attitude toward manna in Numbers, in which they derisively call it "this manna" (11:6). Moses shares many of the attitudes of the rest of his people, and these attitudes reveal the nature of their relationship with God. Besides Moses, God himself is another character whose attributes determine the nature and tone of his connection with Israel. God is characterized in Numbers in the same way as the Israelites; he is angry with them, as evidenced by God's desire to make the people sick with meat and "pestilence" at the end of the chapter (11.33). However, his anger against the Israelites seems justified in that their “greed” is described as negative and greedy (11:4). Indeed, as evidenced by the description in Numbers of Moses as “displeased,” of God as “angry,” and of the people as “weeping,” the relationship between God and the people in Numbers is marked by dissatisfaction (11:10). ). In Exodus, although some Israelites had.