Greek word · G1305
διατροφή
diatrophē
food
'Sustenance, maintenance, provisions, means of subsistence'. From dia- + trephō ('to feed, nourish, rear'). The plural here suggests 'supplies' or 'the things one lives on'.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
δια-τροφή, ῆς, ἡ
(διατρέφω, to support, sustain), [in LXX: 1Ma.6:49 * ;]
food, nourishment: 1 Timothy 6:8.†
(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 1 Timothy 6:8
- Range of meaning
'Sustenance, maintenance, provisions, means of subsistence'. From dia- + trephō ('to feed, nourish, rear'). The plural here suggests 'supplies' or 'the things one lives on'.
- Against the English
'Food' (most versions) is correct but slightly narrow. The word points to the means of staying alive day to day, rations or upkeep, rather than food as cuisine or enjoyment.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Greek Old Testament it is used of besieged soldiers who had 'no provisions' (1 Macc 6:49). Josephus and the documentary papyri use it for provisions and for the 'maintenance' one person owes another, for example support allowances (per Moulton–Milligan and BDAG).
Where it appears
1 Timothy · 1
-
1 Timothy 6:8 διατροφὰς sustenance
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
Here: Plural: 'means of support, provisions, what keeps a person fed and alive'. This is broader than a meal. It is the ordinary word for subsistence or maintenance, and it appears only here in the New Testament.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.