manna from heaven

Cultural  

1. Food that God gave miraculously to the Israelites in the Exodus, after the food they had brought with them out of Egypt (see also Egypt) had run out. In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites found it one morning after the dew had evaporated: “Upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.”

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manna from heaven Idioms  

1. An unexpected aid, advantage, or assistance, as in After all the criticism in the media, that favorable evaluation was like manna from heaven. This expression alludes to the food (manna) that miraculously appears to feed the Israelites on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Exodus 16:15).

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Example Sentences

The 1980s reforms were like manna from heaven for him.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2025

But as a person who enjoys marveling at the incredible weirdos who get elected in this country, I have to admit that the George Santos saga was like manna from heaven.

From Slate • Nov. 16, 2023

The sight of Lopez-Padilla’s silver Jeep pulling up to the Lost City encampment on Thursday felt, to some residents, like a miracle — like manna from heaven.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2023

Dressed in a devil-red outfit, RiRi began her set descending from on high like manna from heaven, blessing the fans with what we’d all been craving for so long: a bit of her old self.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2023

The way he went on for two hours about sitting down to the Lord’s great banquet and eating manna from heaven, we had our hopes set a little on the high side.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool