Charles Ellicott Commentary John 6:31

"Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat." — John 6:31 (ASV)

Our fathers did eat manna.—He claims to be the Messiah; but the Messiah was to be greater than Moses, and the sign He has shown is less. The Messiah was to cause manna again to fall from heaven, as their Rabbis taught.

They had eaten food which, if miraculously multiplied, was still the food of earth—the common bread and common relish—and this on the grassy ground not far removed from human dwellings.

Their fathers had eaten the manna which came direct from God, and was gathered from the granite rocks of the desert; and the Psalmist had told, and Hebrew children loved to chant, that bread from heaven was that which He gave them to eat.