Greek word · G4213

πόσις

posis

drink

The act of drinking, or a drink.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πόσις, -εως, ἡ

(πίνω), [in LXX: Da, LXX TH Daniel 1:10 (מִשְׁתֶּה) * ;]

1. prop., drinking: Romans 14:17, Colossians 2:16 (see Lft.; ICC, in l).

2. = πόμα, drink: John 6:55 (cf. βρῶσις).†

(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 John 6:55

Range of meaning

The act of drinking, or a drink.

Against the English

'Drink' is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

It pairs with brōsis in Rom 14:17 and Col 2:16 as the standard expression 'food and drink'. Compare Wisdom's invitation in Prov 9:5 (LXX): 'Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed', and Sir 24:21, where Wisdom says 'those who eat me will hunger for more, and those who drink me will thirst for more'.

Where it appears

John · 1

  1. John 6:55 πόσις. drink.

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

    Here: 'Drink' or 'drinking'. Together with brōsis it makes the ordinary pair 'food and drink', meaning the whole of what keeps a person alive (compare Rom 14:17; Col 2:16).

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 14:17 πόσις drinking

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

    Here: 'Drinking.' It probably has wine in view, since some in Rome abstained from it (14:21). Together with 'eating' it covers the whole question of table rules and scruples.

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 2:16 πόσει drink

    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: The act of drinking. Moses' law says little about drink, so this hints at rules that go beyond the Torah, such as abstaining from wine, fasting, or avoiding drink thought impure (compare 2:21, "do not taste").

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