φαγεῖν

From the study of 1 Corinthians 10:7

Range of meaning

'To eat and to drink'. Ordinary verbs, but in a sacrificial setting they mean sharing the meal made from the offering. In ancient religion that was the main way worshippers took part in a sacrifice.

Against the English

English 'eat and drink' sounds like an ordinary dinner. The first hearers would have pictured a sacred banquet.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 32:6a: they offered burnt offerings and brought 'peace/fellowship offerings', the kind of sacrifice from which the worshippers ate, and then 'sat down to eat and drink'. Papyrus invitations from Roman Egypt invite guests 'to dine at the table of the lord Sarapis' in his temple (e.g. P.Oxy. 110; 1484). At Corinth, excavations of the Asklepios sanctuary and the Demeter and Kore sanctuary uncovered dining rooms for such meals.

From the study of John 4:31

Range of meaning

The aorist (simple, one-time) form that goes with ἐσθίω, 'to eat'. It is the plain, everyday word for taking food. The aorist imperative φάγε is a straightforward command or urging: 'Eat!'

Against the English

BSB and NIV add 'something', which is natural English for this aorist ('have a bite'). KJV, WEB, ESV and NASB keep the bare 'eat'. Both are accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Very common across the Septuagint and the New Testament. The same verb comes back immediately in Jesus' reply: 'I have food to eat (φαγεῖν) that you do not know' (4:32).

From the study of Matthew 6:31

Range of meaning

These are aorist subjunctives in the 'we' form, used in questions where the speaker is asking what to do: 'What are we to eat? What are we to drink?' Grammarians call this a deliberative question. The speaker isn't asking for a fact. They are at a loss about what to do.

Against the English

'What shall we eat?' (BSB, KJV) keeps the sense well. 'What will we eat?' (WEB) can sound like a simple question about the future, when the point is helplessness: 'What are we going to do for food?'

Used elsewhere in the period

When Israel reached the bitter water at Marah, the Greek Old Testament has the people grumble against Moses with almost the same words: Ti piometha?, 'What shall we drink?' (Exod 15:24 LXX). Deuteronomy 8:3–4 and 29:5 recall that in the wilderness God gave Israel food (manna), water, and clothing that did not wear out for forty years, the same three needs listed here.