When the people of Israel saw it is literally “And the sons of Israel saw.” They said to one another is literally “and they said, a man to his brother.” What is it? is man huʾ in the Hebrew, but the word man is not a Hebrew word. In Arabic and Aramaic it means “who,” but the context suggests What. It is also possible to translate “What is this?” or “What is this stuff?” This is reported as the reason for the name “manna” in verse 31. For they did not know what it was uses the usual word for what. Contemporary English Version moves the final clause to the beginning of the verse and translates “The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, ‘What is it?’ ” This is a helpful alternative model.

And Moses said to them may be rendered as “So Moses told them” or “Then Moses explained to them.” It is the bread is literally “That [is] the bread.” The word for bread sometimes means “food” in general, but here it is better to think of it as different from the “meat” of the quails and to follow Revised Standard Version as a model. (See the comment at verse 4.) Translators are discouraged from using a word like “rice,” even when it is the generic word for food in a receptor language. Which the LORD has given you to eat says three things: 1) it is a gift, 2) it is given by Yahweh, and 3) it is edible.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .