Greek word · G2806

κλάω

klaō

to break

To break, used in the New Testament only for breaking bread. 'Breaking bread' was the standard way to describe the host starting a meal.

Appears 14 times in 14 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κλάω

[in LXX: Jeremiah 16:7 (פַּרְנַךְ), al. ;]

to break, break in pieces: of bread, Matthew 14:19 15:36 26:26, Mark 8:6 14:22, Luke 22:19 24:30, Acts 2:46 20:7, 11 27:35, 1 Corinthians 10:16 11:24; before εἰς, with accusative of person(s), Mark 8:19 (cf. ἐκ-, κατα-κλάω).†

(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 Matthew 14:19

Range of meaning

To break, used in the New Testament only for breaking bread. 'Breaking bread' was the standard way to describe the host starting a meal.

Against the English

KJV 'brake' and modern 'broke' are both accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Matt 15:36; 26:26; Acts 2:42, 46 ('the breaking of bread'); 1 Cor 10:16; 11:24. In Jewish custom the one who said the blessing broke the bread and handed it round (b. Berakhot 46a, later but reflecting earlier custom).

From the study of Matthew 26:26

Range of meaning

To break, used in the New Testament only of breaking bread. In Jewish custom, breaking the bread and handing it round was how the head of the table started the meal.

Against the English

KJV “brake,” modern versions “broke.” NLT “broke it in pieces” spells out the result. None of the major versions misleads here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used for the feedings (Matt 14:19; 15:36), at Emmaus (Luke 24:30, 35) and for early Christian gatherings (Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11; 1 Cor 10:16; 11:24). Jewish sources treat the person who breaks the bread as the one who leads the table (cf. the discussion of the blessing over bread in m. Berakhot 6).

From the study of 1 Corinthians 10:16

Range of meaning

To break. In the New Testament it is used only of breaking bread: at meals, at the feeding miracles, at the Last Supper, at Emmaus (Luke 24:30), and in the early church's gatherings (Acts 2:46; 20:7, 11).

Against the English

'Break bread' can sound to modern ears like just 'eating together', or it can be heard as a dramatic picture of Christ's body being broken. Its first sense is the ordinary opening of a Jewish meal: a blessing, then the loaf torn and shared.

How it drifted

Some later manuscripts of 11:24 add 'broken' ('my body which is broken for you'), and the KJV follows them. This encouraged reading the breaking itself as a picture of Christ's death. In this verse, Paul's stress is on one loaf being shared among many.

Used elsewhere in the period
  • Hebrew Bible: Hebrew paras lechem, 'to break or share bread', appears in Isaiah 58:7, Jeremiah 16:7 and Lamentations 4:4.
  • Jewish custom: the household head gave the blessing and broke the loaf (compare Mishnah Berakhot 6).
  • Early church: 'the breaking of bread' is the meal of the earliest believers (Acts 2:42).

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

  1. Matthew 14:19 κλάσας having broken

    And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

    Here: 'Having broken'. After the blessing the host broke the bread to start the meal. In the New Testament this verb is used only for breaking bread.

  2. Matthew 15:36 ἔκλασεν He broke [them]

    Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

    Here: 'He broke [them]': he tears the round breads apart by hand. Breaking the bread was how a host started a meal, and this verb is used only of breaking bread.

  3. Matthew 26:26 ἔκλασεν, broke [it],

    While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”

    Here: “He broke [it]”: tore the flat bread into pieces so it could be shared. This was the ordinary start of a Jewish meal, and it became the early Christians’ name for their shared meal (“the breaking of bread,” Acts 2:42).

Mark · 3

  1. Mark 8:6 ἔκλασεν He broke [them]

    And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd.

    Here: 'He broke [them].' A single, completed act. Breaking the bread after the blessing was how the host opened the meal and began sharing it out.

  2. Mark 8:19 ἔκλασα I broke

    When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Twelve,” they answered.

  3. Mark 14:22 ἔκλασεν He broke

    While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.”

    Here: He broke the loaf into pieces. This was the normal act of the person leading the meal, which opened eating and made it possible to share the bread out.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 22:19 ἔκλασεν He broke [it]

    And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

    Here: He broke the loaf so it could be shared out. That was the host's job, and in the New Testament this verb is used only for breaking bread. Luke-Acts makes “the breaking of the bread” a name for the believers' shared meal (Luke 24:35; Acts 2:42).

  2. Luke 24:30 κλάσας having broken [it]

    While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them.

    Here: "Having broken [it]": tearing the loaf apart to share it. The phrase "the breaking of the bread" (v. 35) comes from this verb.

Acts · 4

  1. Acts 2:46 κλῶντές breaking

    With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,

    Here: In the Bible this verb is used only for breaking bread. In a Jewish meal the host said the blessing and broke the loaf to start the meal, so 'breaking bread' points to the meal and its opening act.

  2. Acts 20:7 κλάσαι breaking

    On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight.

    Here: "To break" states the purpose of the gathering. In the Bible "to break" is only ever used of bread, and "breaking bread" names the start of a shared meal and, in Luke's usage, the community's meal remembering Jesus.

  3. Acts 20:11 κλάσας having broken

    Then Paul went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate. And after speaking until daybreak, he departed.

    Here: "Having broken": tearing the loaf, the gesture that opened a Jewish meal. It takes up the stated purpose of the gathering in v. 7, "we were gathered to break bread."

  4. Acts 27:35 κλάσας having broken [it]

    After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.

1 Corinthians · 2

  1. 1 Corinthians 10:16 κλῶμεν, we break,

    Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

    Here: Breaking bread was how a Jewish meal began: the host said a blessing and tore the loaf to share it. In the New Testament this verb is used only of breaking bread at meals, and 'the breaking of bread' became a name for the Christian meal (Acts 2:42).

  2. 1 Corinthians 11:24 ἔκλασεν He broke [it]

    and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

    Here: “He broke [it].” This was the ordinary act of a Jewish host tearing a flat loaf so it could be shared. In the New Testament the verb is used only for breaking bread.

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