Greek word · G5595

ψωμίζω

psōmizō

to feed/dole out

From psōmos, 'morsel, bite'. Its first sense is to feed by putting bits of food into the mouth, as a nurse feeds a child or a bird its young. More widely it means to feed or nourish someone. Normally the person fed is the object ('feed him').

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ψωμίζω

(ψωμός, a morsel), [in LXX chiefly for אָכַל hi. ;]

to feed with morsels (as children or the sick; Hippocr.), hence, generally, in late writers, to feed, nourish: with accusative of person(s), Romans 12:20 (LXX); with accusative of thing(s), to give out for food, 1 Corinthians 13:3 (cf. WM, § 32, 4an; for dupl. accusative, cf. Numbers 11:4, Sirach 15:3, al.).†

(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 Corinthians 13:3

Range of meaning

From psōmos, 'morsel, bite'. Its first sense is to feed by putting bits of food into the mouth, as a nurse feeds a child or a bird its young. More widely it means to feed or nourish someone. Normally the person fed is the object ('feed him'). Here the object is the goods ('feed out all my possessions'), meaning to spend them on feeding others.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'bestow… to feed [the poor]' and YLT 'give away to feed others' keep the feeding picture but have to add 'the poor' or 'others', because the Greek leaves them implied. BSB/NIV 'give all I possess to the poor' make the sense clear but lose the picture of food handed out bite by bite. 'Give away' alone (ESV) loses it completely.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the LXX (the Greek Old Testament) it is used of God feeding Israel with manna: 'he fed you (epsōmisen) manna' (Deut 8:3, 16). Paul uses it in Rom 12:20 (from Prov 25:21): 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him.' 1 Clement 55:2 (c. AD 96) uses the same verb for Roman Christians who sold themselves into slavery and 'with the price fed (epsōmisan) others'.

From the study of Romans 12:20

Range of meaning

From ψωμός, "a morsel or bite (of bread)". Its root sense is to feed someone by giving them bites, as a nurse feeds a child (LSJ). It widened to mean feeding or providing food in general. In 1 Cor 13:3 it means to give away possessions as food for the poor.

Against the English

"Feed" is accurate. The Greek may carry a slightly more personal, hand-to-mouth feel than "provide for". Do not press this too hard, because in ordinary use the word had become a general verb for feeding.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Old Testament: God "fed you with manna" (Deut 8:3, 16); "who will feed us meat?" (Num 11:4, 18); compare Ps 80:17 [81:16]. In the Greek Proverbs 25:21 the standard edition reads τρέφε ("nourish"). Paul's ψώμιζε is also found in some Greek manuscripts of Proverbs. It may be the form Paul knew, or those manuscripts may have been shaped by Romans.

Where it appears

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 12:20 ψώμιζε do feed

    On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

    Here: "Feed him", from the word for a bite or morsel of bread. It suggests hands-on care. The present-tense command implies ongoing action: keep feeding him.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:3 ψωμίσω I shall give away

    If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.

    Here: The word comes from psōmos, 'a bite or morsel'. It pictures handing out food to the hungry. With 'all my possessions' as its object it means turning everything I own into food for others. The form is a hypothetical one-time act: 'suppose I were to give it all away'.

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