King James Bible
"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."
God deliberately allowed Israel to experience hunger in the wilderness before providing manna—a supernatural food unknown to previous generations. This divine pattern of deprivation followed by provision was designed to cultivate dependence and teach that God alone sustains life. The manna's complete novelty emphasized God's ability to provide through means beyond human experience or tradition. This unprecedented miracle prevented Israel from relying on ancestral wisdom or natural resources, forcing recognition of divine sovereignty. The wilderness experience revealed that physical sustenance alone cannot maintain human life—a radical claim in the ancient world where bread symbolized survival itself. God used material hunger to expose a deeper spiritual reality about human existence. True life depends on God's spoken will and decree, whether commands, promises, or creative power. This principle, later quoted by Jesus during his temptation, establishes obedience to divine revelation as more fundamental to human flourishing than physical nourishment.