Greek word · G1035

βρῶσις

brōsis

eating

Both words name an action: eating and drinking. Both can also mean what is eaten or drunk, food and drink (John 4:32; 6:55). The pair "eating and drinking" is a common way of covering all consumption.

Appears 11 times in 10 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

βρῶσις, -εως, ἡ (cf. βιβρώσκω),

[in LXX chiefly for parts and derivatives of אכל ;]

1. eating: β. καὶ πόσις, Romans 14:17, Colossians 2:16 (see Lft., ICC, in l.); with genitive obj., 1 Corinthians 8:4; metaphorically, corrosion, rust: Matthew 6:19, 20.

2. As also in cl. (Hom., al.) = βρῶμα, food: John 6:27a, 2 Corinthians 9:10, Colossians 2:16 (EV, but see supr.). Hebrews 12:16; metaphorically, of spiritual nourishment, John 4:32 6:27b, 55.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Colossians 2:16

Range of meaning

Both words name an action: eating and drinking. Both can also mean what is eaten or drunk, food and drink (John 4:32; 6:55). The pair "eating and drinking" is a common way of covering all consumption.

Against the English

KJV's "meat" meant food of any kind in 1611. A modern reader hears animal flesh, which narrows the meaning. "By what you eat or drink" (BSB) and "food and drink" (ESV) are accurate.

How it drifted

The English word "meat" narrowed from "food" to "flesh" after the early modern period.

Used elsewhere in the period

Torah food laws (Lev 11; Deut 14) govern food, but rarely drink. Drink restrictions apply to Nazirites (Num 6:3) and priests on duty (Lev 10:9). Jews in the diaspora often avoided Gentile wine because it might have been poured out to idols (Dan 1:8; Add Esth 14:17 LXX; Judith 12:1–2). Fasting from food and wine as preparation for visions appears in Dan 10:2–3 and other Jewish ascetic texts.

From the study of John 6:27

Range of meaning

In classical Greek it is first the act of eating (Rom 14:17; 1 Cor 8:4) and also what is eaten, food or nourishment. It can also mean 'eating away', as rust or moth corroding treasure (Matt 6:19–20).

Against the English

BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV and NASB all have 'food'. The KJV's 'meat' was correct in 1611, when 'meat' meant any food, but it misleads today.

How it drifted

English 'meat' narrowed from 'food in general' to 'animal flesh' over the 17th to 19th centuries, so the KJV wording now sounds like a contrast with vegetables.

Used elsewhere in the period

In John, βρῶσις always means 'food' (4:32 'I have food to eat that you do not know about'; 6:55 'my flesh is true food'). The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) uses it for ordinary food (Gen 1:29–30).

From the study of John 6:55

Range of meaning

Both the act of eating and the thing eaten, food. It can also mean corrosion or 'eating away', as with rust in Matt 6:19–20.

Against the English

'Food' is accurate. The KJV's 'meat' meant 'food' in general in 1611, but today it suggests animal flesh.

How it drifted

In Early Modern English 'meat' was the general word for food. It narrowed to 'animal flesh' later.

Used elsewhere in the period

John 4:32 ('I have food to eat that you do not know about') and 6:27 ('Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life').

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 6:19 βρῶσις rust

    Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

    Here: Literally 'eating'. Here it means whatever gnaws stored goods away: insects, grubs, rodents, rot, and possibly corrosion of metal. 'Rust' is one traditional guess, not what the word itself says.

  2. Matthew 6:20 βρῶσις rust

    But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

    Here: Literally 'eating'. Here it means whatever eats away stored goods: vermin, insects, decay, or the corrosion of metal. 'Rust' is one possible sense, not the only one.

John · 4

  1. John 4:32 βρῶσιν food

    But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

    Here: Strictly "eating," but here "food," something to feed on. It is placed early for weight, before the verb. It answers the disciples' "eat" in v. 31 and sets up "my food" (a related word, βρῶμα) in v. 34.

  2. John 6:27 βρῶσιν βρῶσιν food

    Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

    Here: Food in general, which the crowd had just eaten in the form of barley loaves (6:9, 26). It is not meat as opposed to vegetables.

  3. John 6:55 βρῶσις, food,

    For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.

    Here: 'Food' or 'eating'. It is the same word as 'the food that endures to eternal life' in 6:27, which links back to the start of the discourse.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 14:17 βρῶσις eating

    For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

    Here: An action noun, 'eating', meaning the act and practice of eating, including what one will or won't eat. It points straight at the Roman dispute over meat and unclean food (14:2, 14, 20–21).

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 8:4 βρώσεως eating

    So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.

    Here: Here it means the act of eating, not the food itself. The question is whether believers may take part in eating such meat, not what the meat is like.

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 9:10 βρῶσιν food

    Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.

    Here: The act of eating, or food itself. 'Bread for eating' is word for word from Isaiah 55:10 in the Greek Old Testament.

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 2:16 βρώσει food

    Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.

    Here: Strictly the act of eating, though it can also mean food. The issue is what one eats or abstains from. It has nothing to do with "meat" in the modern sense.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:16 βρώσεως meal

    See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.

    Here: Strictly 'an eating', here meaning a meal: the bread and lentil stew of Genesis 25:34. It points to bodily appetite, and in Hebrews it may also glance at 13:9, which says hearts are not strengthened by 'foods'.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.