Charles Ellicott Commentary Exodus 16:31

"And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers [made] with honey." — Exodus 16:31 (ASV)

Manna. — Rather, man. (See Note on Exodus 16:15.) “Manna” is a Greek form, first used by the Septuagint translator of Numbers (Exodus 11:6–7; Exodus 11:9).

It was like coriander seed. — The appearance of the manna is compared above to hoarfrost (Exodus 16:14); here, and in Numbers 11:7, to coriander seed. The former account describes its look as it lay on the ground, the latter its appearance after it was collected and brought in. The coriander seed is “a small round grain, of a whitish or yellowish gray.” In Numbers it is further said that the color was that of bdellium, which is a whitish resin.

The taste of it was like wafers made with honey. — In Numbers the taste is compared to that of fresh oil (Numbers 11:8). The wafers or cakes used by the Egyptians, Greeks, and other ancient nations as offerings, were ordinarily composed of fine wheaten flour, oil, and honey. According to a Jewish tradition which finds a place in the Book of Wisdom (Exodus 16:20–21), the taste of the manna varied according to the wish of the eater, and tempered itself to every man’s liking.