We have explained in our article Biblical Formatting located on the world wide web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf, that the Biblical Author indicated paragraph formatting using specific textual methods.

For example the Biblical Author indicated bullets by using repeating keywords. That is, if a modern author wanted to get a point across using bullets - a list of similar but contrastive items - then the Biblical Author would use repeating keywords.

Similarly a modern author who wished to indicate emphasis would use underline, bold or italics. The Biblical Author would use repetition. The important thing to emphasize is that the Biblical listener understood the repetition the same way the modern listener understands underline: as a request for unspecified emphasis.

Today we explore how the Biblical Author indicated footnotes.

First we cite the passage Nu11-04:11 in modern format: And the mixed multitude that was among them had a strong craving; and ... wept ... and said, Who shall give us meat? We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt ... But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, beside this manna....¹ Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, .... and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; ... And Moses said to the Lord, Why have you afflicted your servant? ....

Footnotes: 1: But the manna was as coriander seed, and its color as the color of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

The purpose of the footnote is to give contrastive background material. The people were complaining about the Manna but in fact the Manna was pretty, tasty, and flexible in variety of taste. This footnote shows that the complaint of the Jews was not legitimate. However if the footnote were in the main text it would intefer with the smooth flow of the main story and therefore a modern author places this background contrastive material in a footnote.

The Biblical author indicates the footnote by repeating a noun instead of using a pronoun. Such a repetition makes the footnote passage distant. Here is the actual Biblical text: And the mixed multitude that was among them had a strong craving; and ... wept ... and said, Who shall give us meat? We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt ... But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, beside this manna....¹ 1: But the manna was as coriander seed, and its color as the color of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it. Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, .... and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; ... And Moses said to the Lord, Why have you afflicted your servant? ...

Rashi comments on the footnote structure: [Do you see the repeated underlined word manna, even though a pronoun would be sufficient.] This shows that the two passages were said by different authors - one was said by the Jews and the other by God. God's statement contrasts the Jewish complaint and shows it unfounded.