Joshua 5:11 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.

They did eat of the old corn, х mee`abuwr (H5669), grain; not "old corn," as in the English version]. This was conformably to the law (Leviticus 23:5-14).

Parched grain - new grain (see the note at Leviticus 23:10), probably lying in the fields. Roasted-a simple and primitive preparation, much liked in the East. The grains of wheat, in the harvest season, while they are not yet thoroughly dry and hard, are roasted in a pan, or on an iron plate, and constitute a very palatable article of food: this is eaten along with bread, or instead of it, (cf. Ruth 2:14) (Robinson's 'Biblical Researches,' 2:, p.

394). This abundance of food led to the discontinuance of the manna; and the fact of its then ceasing, viewed in connection with its seasonable appearance in the barren wilderness, is a striking proof of its miraculous origin. It has been previously shown (Exodus 15:27; Exodus 32:6; Deuteronomy 11:6; Deuteronomy 11:28; Joshua 1:11) that the manna was not the sole food of the Israelites from the time of its first fall until this period. The supply of manna was given to relieve their necessities, when no other food was procurable, and it was given only to the extent and during the period their need required.

Joshua 5:11

11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.