ψωμίον

From the study of John 13:30

Range of meaning

A diminutive of ψωμός ('bite, morsel'): a small piece or bite of food, usually bread, often one that is dipped. In everyday Greek, papyri use it for a bit of bread. It does not mean a loaf, and it is not a ritual or sacred term.

Against the English

KJV says 'sop', which in 1611 meant a piece of bread soaked or dipped in liquid. That was accurate then, but it has since drifted (see drift). 'Morsel' (BSB, WEB, YLT, ESV) is exact. 'The bread' (NIV) and 'piece of bread' (NASB) are fine, but 'the bread' can make modern readers think of communion bread.

How it drifted

'Sop' now mainly survives in the idiom 'a sop to someone', meaning a small concession given to placate them. A KJV reader can hear something different from a dipped piece of bread.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament the word appears only in John 13:26 (twice), 27 and 30. The Greek Old Testament uses the root word ψωμός for a bite of bread. In Ruth 2:14 Boaz invites Ruth to 'dip your morsel in the vinegar', a gesture of hospitality and inclusion at a meal. In Job 31:17, Job says he has not eaten 'my morsel' alone. Both passages tie the morsel to sharing a table.

From the study of John 13:26

Range of meaning

A small form of ψωμός (“bit, mouthful”), meaning a morsel or small piece, usually of bread. In everyday Greek it was the piece of bread torn from a loaf and used as a spoon to scoop or dip food from a shared dish. It is not a technical word for worship or ritual.

Against the English

BSB, YLT and ESV have “morsel.” WEB and NIV have “piece of bread.” KJV has “sop,” which in 1611 meant a piece of bread soaked in liquid. That was accurate then but has since drifted (see the drift list). Some modern versions add “in the dish” or “in the bowl.” That is a fair guess, but it is not in the Greek.

How it drifted

Only the KJV’s “sop” has drifted. Today it mostly means a small concession made to keep someone quiet (“a sop to the critics”).

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament (LXX), ψωμός is the word in Ruth 2:14, where Boaz welcomes Ruth: “dip your morsel in the vinegar” (βάψεις τὸν ψωμόν σου), with the same verb βάπτω as here. It also appears in Prov 17:1 (“better a dry morsel with quiet”) and 1 Sam 28:22 (“a morsel of bread”). In the New Testament ψωμίον occurs only in John 13:26–30.

From the study of John 13:27

Range of meaning

A diminutive (a 'little' form) of ψωμός, 'bit, morsel'. It means a small piece of bread or food, especially one torn off and dipped in a shared dish. In later Greek it came to mean simply 'bread', which is why modern Greek psomí means bread.

Against the English

KJV 'sop' is an accurate older word for a piece of bread soaked in liquid, but modern ears hear either something soggy or 'a sop' (a small concession to placate someone). 'Morsel' (BSB, ESV, NASB) or 'piece of bread' (WEB, NIV) is clearer. 'Bread' alone (NIV) loses the dipping and sharing.

How it drifted

'Sop' has shifted in English. Its main modern use is figurative ('a sop to the critics'), which brings in an idea of appeasement that is not in the Greek.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT it appears only in John 13:26–30 (four times). Ruth 2:14 LXX has the related ψωμός when Boaz tells Ruth to dip her morsel in the vinegar, which is a host's kindness to a guest. Papyri use ψωμίον for a bit of bread. John 13:18 has just quoted Psalm 41:9, 'the one who eats my bread has lifted his heel against me', which links the morsel to the betrayal by a table companion.