“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it” (Revelation 2:17)
After the people of Old Testament Israel departed from the nation of Egypt, God miraculously fed them with something called “manna.” The word manna literally means, “what is it?” and we can find a description of it in Exodus chapter sixteen. God used this edible provision to feed the Israelites during their forty-year journey to the land of God’s promise.
This reference to the “hidden manna” here in Revelation 2:17 may relate to something Jesus once said as recorded in the Gospel of John…
“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51).
Since Jesus is the bread of life who provides eternal life for those who accept Him, He may be speaking of Himself in referencing this “hidden manna” that is reserved for those who overcome.
Jesus’ letter to the church at Pergamum then closes with the following promise: “And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it” (NLT). Some commentators view this stone in the context of an ancient legal defendant. At the end of a judicial proceeding, a person on trial reportedly received a white stone to indicate acquittal or a black stone to signify guilt. Other sources link this stone with a kind of athletic trophy or a symbol of acceptance.
Finally, this reference to “…a name that is known only to the person who receives it” (GW) is reminiscent of those nicknames that develop among athletes, co-workers, friends, family members, military personnel, or others who possess a mutual background of shared experience. These nicknames often highlight the friendship and camaraderie that exists among the members of these groups. It also evokes the image of an exclusive term of endearment that a loving couple might use with one another to reflect the intimacy of their relationship. But whatever the exact meaning of this reference, it clearly speaks of something good.