Questions From Readers

Did the Israelites have anything to eat in the wilderness besides manna and quail?

Manna was the Israelites’ main food during their 40 years in the wilderness. (Ex. 16:35) Jehovah also provided quail on two occasions. (Ex. 16:12, 13; Num. 11:31) However, the Israelites did have a limited amount of other foods to eat.

For example, Jehovah sometimes led his people to “a resting-place” that provided some natural supplies to help fill their needs. (Num. 10:33) One of those places was the oasis at Elim, “where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees”​—no doubt date palms. (Ex. 15:27) The book Plants of the Bible states that the date palm, which “has a very extensive geographic range, . . . is the chief food plant of the desert, furnishing food, oil, and shelter to millions of people.”

The Israelites may also have stopped at the major oasis known today as Feiran, which is part of the Wadi Feiran.a This wadi, or river valley, “is 81 miles [130 km] long and is one of the longest, most beautiful, and most famous wadis in Sinai,” says the book Discovering the World of the Bible. It continues, stating: “In the wadi, about 28 miles [45 km] from its mouth, is the 3-mile-long [4.8 km], beautiful, palm-laden Feiran Oasis, about 2,000 feet [610 m] above sea level. It is the Eden of Sinai. Thousands of date palms have attracted settlers to this site since ancient times.”

When leaving Egypt, the Israelites brought along flour dough, kneading troughs, and possibly some grain and oil. Of course, these things would not have lasted long. The people also brought “flocks and herds, a great number of livestock.” (Ex. 12:34-39) Because of the harsh conditions in the wilderness, however, the number of animals would likely have dwindled. Some of them may have served as food for the Israelites. Other animals may have been offered in sacrifice, even to false gods.b (Acts 7:39-43) Still, the Israelites did breed some animals, as noted in Jehovah’s words to the people in response to their gross lack of faith: “Your sons will become shepherds in the wilderness 40 years.” (Num. 14:33) It is possible, therefore, that their flocks provided milk and on occasion meat but certainly not enough to sustain an estimated three million people for 40 years.c

Where did the animals find food and water?d Back then there may have been a greater amount of rainfall and thus more vegetation in the wilderness. Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, states that 3,500 years ago, “the water supply in Arabia was to some extent superior to what it is at the present time. The existence of many deep dry wadis, or valleys, which were once riverbeds, gives evidence that at some time in the past there was sufficient rainfall to produce streams of water.” Even so, the wilderness was a barren and fearsome place. (Deut. 8:14-16) Without the water that Jehovah miraculously provided, both the Israelites and their animals would surely have perished.​—Ex. 15:22-25; 17:1-6; Num. 20:2, 11.

Moses told the Israelites that Jehovah had fed them with the manna “in order to make [them] know that man does not live by bread alone but man lives by every expression from Jehovah’s mouth.”​—Deut. 8:3.