Exodus 16 and Numbers 11 both tell the story of manna and quails. Although these two chapters cover the same story, they offer different details and varying facts. The two stories differ above all in the characterization of the Jewish people, of God and of the relationships between them. Exodus focuses on the Israelites' relationship with God as a chosen people, while Numbers represents Israel's earthly concerns and estrangement from God. The juxtaposition of these two seemingly contrasting stories in the Bible 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 "chosen people" particularly close to God, while on the other they are a "chosen people" "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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Exodus and Numbers accounts of the story of manna and quail 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 Jews compared to other peoples. Likewise, in both stories Moses acts as the representative of the Jewish people before God; the attitudes of all the Israelites are often embodied in Moses, and his interactions with God become representative of God's relationship with the entire nation of people. These similarities provide a framework for the stories against which the different details and facts of each tale 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 "went up and covered the camp" (16:13). The Exodus narrative focuses much more on God's gift of manna. Manna is described as “bread from heaven,” indicating that God created it expressly for the Jews (Exodus 16:4). Similarly, Moses describes the manna as "the bread that the Lord gave to eat [to the Jews]", once again suggesting a gift and an intimate bond between God and the people (Exodus 16:15). In Numbers, however, the story focuses more on quails, dedicating only three verses to the description of the manna. God did not create the quails in Numbers specifically for the Jews; 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 down "from heaven" (16.4). The different focuses of the two stories further establish the different representations of the relationship between God and the Israelites. even the Israelites if read metaphorically. The numbers noticeably omit many details about the windfall; these are mainly earthly food, quails, as opposed to the “bread from heaven” described in Exodus (16.14). The numbers' focus on the earthly desire of the Israelites can be interpreted as representing the earthly desires of the Jews, while the Exodus' focus on the heavenly can be said to represent the divine interests of the Israelites. Furthermore, the manna in Exodus takes on a higher religious meaning as God transforms it into a test to verify whether the people observe the Sabbath or not (16.4). In this way, the manna literally serves to strengthen the Israelites' role as God's chosen people through a strengthening of the law. The way the Israelites themselves are characterized in each book also clarifies their dual relationship with God. In both accounts the people “complain” against God and Moses (Ex. 16.2, Num. 11.1) ; in Exodus, however, the complaint seems more justified. In Exodus, thecomplaint derives from a complete lack of food, expressed in the verse: "you have brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly" (16.3). In Numbers, however, the complaint arises from the lack of valuable foods, such as "fish", "cucumbers", "melons", "leeks" and "garlic" (11.5). The numbers make it clear that the Israelites had manna to eat, but were dissatisfied with it: "there is nothing else to look at except this manna" (11.6). On a symbolic level, the Jews' rejection of "heavenly" food for earthly quail may represent their fickleness and their frequent rejection of God's laws for earthly pleasures. Furthermore, the complaints in Numbers paint the Israelites as greedy and ungrateful, suggesting that this account represents the Israelites' times of estrangement from God. Numbers further expands on the Jews' greed through a detail that differs from Exodus. Numbers notes that in gathering quail, “the least anyone gathered was ten homers” of meat (11:32). Numbers also records that they “distributed them for themselves,” a further suggestion of greed (11:32). This is in stark contrast to the Exodus account, in which each person collected only an omer of manna. Furthermore, Exodus states that one omer is sufficient to feed one person: "Gather as much as each of you needs, one omer per person" (16.16). Although the text does not make clear whether the Jews in Numbers and Exodus gathered and stored food to last for different periods of time, the language in Numbers, particularly the use of the phrase “for themselves,” implies their greed. Along with the Israelite people, the characterization of Moses specifically clarifies the dual nature of the Jews' relationship with God. In both chapters, Moses' attitudes are representative of the people's attitudes. In Numbers, Moses speaks out against God, asking, “Why have you treated your servant so badly?” and, “Are there enough flocks and herds to slaughter for [the people]?” (Num. 11.11, 11.22). Furthermore, in Numbers, Moses is the one who initiates conversations with God, indicating 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 admission of the Israelites “not knowing what [the manna] was” when they first saw it reflects the humility with which Moses interacts with God (16:15). This humble attitude contrasts markedly with the Israelites' attitude toward the 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. In addition to Moses, God himself is another character whose attributes determine the nature and tone of his relationship with Israel. God is characterized in Numbers similarly to the Israelites; he is angry towards them, as evidenced by God's desire to sicken the people with flesh and the "plague" at the end of the chapter (11.33). However, his anger against the Israelites seems to be justified as their “desire” is portrayed as negative and greedy (11.4). Indeed, as evidenced in Numbers' description of Moses as “discontented,” 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 angered God by gathering manna on the Sabbath, God is not angry with them and there is no resulting punishment as in Numbers (16:28). The Exodus's lack of punishment for the Jews who ignored the Sabbath suggests a more positive relationship between the Jews and God than that depicted in the account of Numbers. God is further characterized by a comparison of his.