H0737 H0737
A portion or allowance of food, especially a regular ration; also a meal or dinner in a general sense.
Denotes a measured portion of food, most often an official ration granted regularly. Its most poignant usage describes the daily food allowance that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon gave to captive King Jehoiachin — a 'continual allowance' (אֲרֻחָה תָּמִיד, 2 Kgs 25:30; Jer 52:34) — a tiny glimmer of grace at the close of the exile narrative. In Jer 40:5, Gedaliah receives a similar provision. Proverbs 15:17 uses the word differently for a humble domestic meal: 'a dinner of herbs where love is' is better than a fattened ox with hatred. Spanish helpfully contrasts 'ración/provisiones' for the official sense and 'comida' for the household meal.
Senses
1. regular food allowance — A regular food allowance or official ration, typically granted by royal decree. In 2 Kgs 25:30 and the parallel Jer 52:34, the exiled King Jehoiachin receives a 'continual allowance' (אֲרֻחָה תָּמִיד) from the Babylonian king — a recurring daily provision that closes the book of Kings on a note of cautious hope. Jeremiah 40:5 likewise records provisions given to Gedaliah. Spanish 'ración' and 'provisiones' capture the institutional, measured character of this sense. 5×
AR["طَعَامًا","وَظِيفَةً","وَظِيفَةٌ","وَوَظِيفَتُهُ"]·ben["এবং-তার-ভাতা","এবং-ভাতা-তাঁর","খাদ্য","ভাতা"]·DE["[ארחה]","[ארחת]","[וארחתו]","allowance","und-sein-allowance"]·EN["a-provision","allowance","an-allowance","and-his-allowance"]·FR["[ארחה]","[ארחת]","[וארחתו]","allowance","et-son-allowance"]·heb["ארוחה","ארוחת","ו-ארוחתו"]·HI["और-उसका-भोजन","और-भोजन-उसका","भोजन"]·ID["Dan-jatahnya","bekal-makanan","dan-jatahnya","jatah"]·IT["[ארחה]","[ארחת]","[וארחתו]","allowance","e-suo-allowance"]·jav["Lan-sangu-dhaharan-ipun","gaji","lan-gaji","sangu","sangu-dhaharan"]·KO["그리고-그-의-수당은","그리고-수당이-그의","수당으로","수당이","양식과"]·PT["E-alimento-dele","E-sua-provisão","alimento-de","provisão"]·RU["И-содержание-его","и-содержание-его","пищу","содержание"]·ES["Y-su-ración","porción","provisiones","ración","y-su-porción"]·SW["Na-posho-yake","na-posho-yake","posho","posho-ya-"]·TR["odenegi","payı","ve-odenegi","ve-payı","yiyecek"]·urd["اور-اُس-کا-وظیفہ","اور-وظیفہ-اُس-کا","خوراک","وظیفہ"]
2. meal, portion of food — A meal or serving of food in a general, domestic context. In Prov 15:17, 'a dinner of herbs where love is' (אֲרֻחַת יָרָק) presents the modest meal as a wisdom proverb, contrasting simplicity with abundance. Unlike the official ration sense, this usage carries no institutional overtones — it is simply a meal set before guests or family. English 'dinner' and Spanish 'comida' both reflect this everyday meaning. 1×
AR["وَجْبَةُ"]·ben["খাবার"]·DE["[ארחת]"]·EN["a-dinner-of"]·FR["ארחת"]·heb["ארוחת"]·HI["भोजन"]·ID["hidangan"]·IT["un-dinner-di"]·jav["dhaharan-saking"]·KO["한-접시"]·PT["porção-de"]·RU["угощение"]·ES["comida-de"]·SW["chakula-cha"]·TR["öğü-"]·urd["کھانا"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אֲרֻחָה n.f. meal, allowance (of food) abs. Je 40:5; cstr. אֲרֻחַת יָרָק Pr 15:17 a portion of herbs, i.e. a slender meal; elsewhere of allowance given to captive king Jehoiachin, א׳ תָּמִיד a continual allowance 2 K 25:30 = Je 52:34; אֲרֻחָתוֹ ib. = id.