ἐπιούσιος G1967
daily, for the day; sufficient for the coming or current day; necessary for subsistence
This rare adjective appears only in the Lord's Prayer, modifying 'bread' in the petition 'Give us this day our daily bread.' Its precise meaning has puzzled scholars for centuries—does it mean 'daily,' 'for tomorrow,' 'necessary for existence,' or 'heavenly/supernatural'? The etymology is uncertain. Spanish 'de cada día/diario' (of each day, daily) and French 'quotidien' (daily) reflect the traditional interpretation: bread needed for each day. The petition asks God to provide what's necessary for today (or tomorrow), trusting him for ongoing provision rather than hoarding.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The multilingual evidence uniformly supports 'daily': Spanish 'de cada día/diario', French 'quotidien', German repeating the Greek. But this adjective (ἐπιούσιος) is so rare that ancient interpreters struggled with it. Some derived it from ἐπιοῦσα (coming, i.e., tomorrow), others from ἐπὶ τὴν οὖσαν (for today). In Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3, Jesus teaches disciples to pray for their 'daily bread'—the provision needed for today or tomorrow. The petition embodies dependence on God for physical sustenance, seeking neither luxury nor excess, but what's sufficient for life. The request parallels the manna in Exodus: each day's provision, no hoarding. 2×
AR["كَفافَنا"]·ben["দৈনিক", "প্রয়োজনীয়"]·DE["ἐπιούσιον"]·EN["daily"]·FR["quotidien"]·heb["מַחֲרָת-יוֹם", "שֶׁלְּיוֹם"]·HI["प्रतिदिन-की"]·ID["sehari-hari", "yang-secukupnya"]·IT["epiousion"]·jav["saben-dinten", "sadinten-dinten"]·KO["날마다의", "일용할"]·PT["de-cada-dia"]·RU["насущный"]·ES["de-cada-día", "diario"]·SW["wa-kila-siku"]·TR["günlük"]·urd["روزانہ", "روزانہ-کی"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐπιούσιος, ον, either, sufficient for the coming (and so current) day, (ἐπιοῦσα (i.e. ἡμέρα)), or, for the day (ἐπὶ τὴν οὖσαν (i.e. ἡμέραν)), ἄρτος NT.Matthew.6.11 NT; τὰ ἐ. uncertain meaning Refs