אֹ֫כֶל40 H0400
Food, nourishment, provisions; the act of eating or a meal; rarely, prey caught by a predator.
The basic Hebrew noun for food, appearing overwhelmingly in the Joseph narrative where Egypt's stored grain becomes the pivot of the entire story. Across Genesis 41-44 the word recurs over a dozen times as 'food' or 'food-supply' — the substance that draws Jacob's family to Egypt and sets the stage for reconciliation. French distinguishes 'nourriture' (food as substance) from 'manger' (the act of eating), revealing the noun's dual character: it can name both what is consumed and the consuming itself. In one vivid image from Job 9:26, the same word describes an eagle swooping on 'prey' — food seen from the predator's perspective rather than the diner's table.
1. food, nourishment — Food as a substance — provisions, nourishment, or a food supply, whether stored grain, purchased rations, or God-given sustenance. This is the dominant sense across the Joseph narrative (Gen 41:35–36, 48; 42:7, 10, 33; 43:2, 4, 20, 22; 44:1–2, 25) and in cultic contexts where offerings become 'food' on the altar (Mal 1:12). German 'Speise' and Spanish 'comida' consistently render this concrete, substantive meaning. The Psalmist affirms that God gives 'food to all flesh' (Ps 136:25; 145:15), extending the word from pantry to providence. 36×
AR["الطَّعامَ","طَعاماً","طَعَامًا","طَعَامٍ","طَعَامٍ؟","طَعَامَ","طَعَامِ"]·ben["খাদ্য","খাবার","খাবারে"]·DE["Nahrung","Speise","als-Nahrung","ass","mit-Nahrung"]·EN["food","food-of"]·FR["manger","nourriture","nourriture-de"]·heb["אוכל","אכל","אכל ׀"]·HI["भोजन","भोजन-से"]·ID["Makanan","makanan"]·IT["cibo","cibo-di","food"]·jav["dhahar","dhaharan","dhèdhèharan","tedhan"]·KO["먹을-것","먹을-것-을","먹이를","양식을","음식-을","음식으로","음식을"]·PT["alimento","alimento-de","comida","comida?","¶ Comida"]·RU["Еду","пищей","пищи","пищу"]·ES["comida","comida-de","la-comida"]·SW["Chakula","chakula","kulingana","kununua","kwako","mtoka","na-wakaambiana","panda"]·TR["yemek","yiyecek","yiyeceği","yiyeceğini"]·urd["خوراک","روٹی","شکار","غلہ","کھانا","کھانے کے","کھانے-کو"]
Gen 14:11, Gen 41:35, Gen 41:35, Gen 41:36, Gen 41:48, Gen 41:48, Gen 41:48, Gen 42:7, Gen 42:10, Gen 43:2, Gen 43:4, Gen 43:20 (+24 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. eating, the act of eating — The act or process of eating — functioning as a verbal noun (related to the infinitive construct of אכל) that names the activity itself rather than the substance. Ruth arrives 'at mealtime' (literally 'at the time of the eating,' Ruth 2:14), each Israelite gathers manna 'according to his eating' (Exod 16:16, 18, 21), and the Passover lamb is apportioned 'according to his eating' (Exod 12:4). French 'le manger' and the phrase 'for your eating' in several translations preserve this verbal-noun quality. 7×
AR["أَكْلِهِ","الْأَكْلِ","لِ-أَكْلِهِ","وَلِأَكْلِكُمْ"]·ben["-তার-খাবারের-জন্য","আর-তোমাদের-খাদ্যের-জন্য","তার-খাওয়ার","সেই-খাবারের"]·DE["der-ass","sein-eating","und-zu-eurer-Speise","zu-sie-assen"]·EN["and-for-food-your","for-his-eating","his-eating","the-eating"]·FR["et-pour-nourriture-ton","le-mangeant","son-eating","à-nourriture-lui"]·heb["אכלו","ה-אוכל","ו-ל-אכלכם-כם","ל-אכלו"]·HI["उसके-खाने-के-लिए","और-खाने-के-लिए-तुम्हारे","खाने-अपने","खाने-के","खाने-के-अपने"]·ID["dan-untuk-makananmu","makan","makanannya","makannya","untuk-makanannya"]·IT["e-per-cibo-tuo","il-eating","per-per-suo-eating-suo","suo-eating"]·jav["kang-dhahar","kanggé-dipunnedha","lan-kangge-nedha-panjenengan","nedhanipun"]·KO["그-먹음의","그리고-에-너희의-먹을-것","그의-먹는-것","그의-먹을-것에","그의-먹을-것을"]·PT["a-refeição","comer-dele","e-para-alimento-vosso","para-sua-comida","seu-comer","seu-comer;"]·RU["для-пищи-его","еды","еды-своей","и-для-пищи-вашей","своей"]·ES["comer","para-su-comida;","su-comer","y-para-comer-de-ustedes"]·SW["akamruka-kwa-kula","cha-kula-kwake","chakula","kula-kwake","kwa-kula-kwake"]·TR["-yemeğin","ve-yemeniz-için","yemeğine","yiyeceğine"]·urd["اور-کھانے-تمہارے-کے-لیے","اپنی-خوراک","کھانے-اس-کے","کھانے-اُس-کے-لیے","کھانے-کے"]
3. prey, food of predator — Prey or food seized by a predator — a single vivid use in Job 9:26 comparing fleeting days to an eagle 'swooping on prey.' Spanish 'presa' and English 'prey' capture the hunted, violent character of the food. The metaphor shifts the word from the domestic table to the wild hunt, emphasizing speed and voracity rather than nourishment. 1×
AR["الفَريسَةِ"]·ben["খাবারের"]·DE["ass"]·EN["prey"]·FR["nourriture"]·heb["אוכל"]·HI["शिकार"]·ID["makanan"]·IT["prey"]·jav["mangsan"]·KO["먹이"]·PT["alimento"]·RU["добычу"]·ES["la-presa."]·SW["chakula"]·TR["avın"]·urd["شکار"]
Related Senses
H8081 1. oil (substance) (180×)H3196 1. wine (fermented grape juice) (141×)H1706 1. honey (54×)H4682 1. unleavened bread/cakes (53×)H2461 1. milk (42×)H8492 1. new wine / must (38×)G3631 1. wine (34×)H3978 1. food, nourishment (30×)H1314 1. spice / perfume / balsam (29×)H7416 1. pomegranate (fruit/ornament) (28×)H3323 1. fresh oil, olive oil (23×)H2964 1. prey, torn flesh (19×)H3899 2. food, sustenance (19×)G1033 1. food (17×)G5160 1. food (16×)H5561 1. spices, aromatic substances (16×)H0402 1. food, nourishment (14×)G2219 1. leaven (13×)H4478a 1. manna (13×)G1637 1. olive oil (11×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֹ֫כֶל40 n.m. Gn 41:36 food (Arabic أُكْلٌ, Aramaic אוּכְלָא, ܐܘܽܟܠܴܐ, As. akalu DlW, Eth. እክል )—א׳ abs. Gn 41:35 +; cstr. Gn 41:35, 48; sf. אָכְלֶ֑ךָ Lv 25:37; אָכְלוֹ Mal 1:12. etc.;—Hex mostly JED, not Ez.—food, food-supply, especially cereals of store in Egypt Gn 41:35(×2) + 12 textual Gn 41–44; 47:24 cf. 14:11 (JE); also Lv 11:34; 25:37 (P) Dt 2:6, 28 (D); נֶשֶׁךְ א׳ usury of food Dt 23:20…