---
title: מַאֲכָל — food · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מַאֲכָל (3978), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 30 times: food. BDB 1906: n.m. food. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מַאֲכָל

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«מַאֲכָל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **food** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 30 times · **Key:** 3978 · **BDB:** מַאֲכָל

### Glosses

food (21); of.food (6); the.food (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

food [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/3978/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. food [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/3978/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Ju 14:14 (f. Hb 1:16) food—מ׳ Gn 2:9 + 21 textual; cstr. מַאֲכַל Gn 40:7 + 3 textual; sf. מַאֲכָֽלְךָ Ez 4:10; מַאֲכָלוֹ Hb 1:16; מַאֲכָלָהּ Pr 6:8; מַאֲכַלְכֶם Dn 1:10—food, in genl. Gn 6:21 1 K 10:5 = 2 Ch 9:4 Hg 2:12; opp. drink Ezr 3:7 2 Ch 11:11 Dn 1:10; מַאֲכַל תַּאֲוָה Jb 33:20; fig. of peoples as fishes, food for Chaldeans Hb 1:16; appl. to fruit Gn 2:9; 3:6 (of tree טוֹב לְמ׳) cf. עֵץ־מ׳ Lv 19:23 Dt 20:20 Ne 9:25 Ez 47:12(×2); appl. to דָּגָן Is 62:8 appl.; to honey Ju 14:14; to flour 1 Ch 12:40(41), appos. קֶמַח; to food of ants Pr 6:8 (‖ לָחֶם); to baker’s work Gn 40:17 cf. Ez 4:10; appl. to carcasses, as food for beasts \& birds of prey Dt 28:26 ψ 79:2 cf. 44:12 (צֹאן מ׳, sim. of suffering people) Je 7:33; 16:4; 19:7; 34:20 ψ 74:14.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 29 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מַאֲכָל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/3978/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 33:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.33.20/)

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וְזִֽהֲמַ֣תּוּ חַיָּת֣וֹ לָ֑חֶם וְ֝נַפְשׁ֗וֹ מַאֲכַ֥ל תַּאֲוָֽה׃

*Word for word:* and it loathes.it life his bread and self his food of.desire

*JPS 1917:* So that his life maketh him to abhor bread, and his soul dainty food.

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[Psalms 44:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.44.12/)

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תִּ֭תְּנֵנוּ כְּצֹ֣אן מַאֲכָ֑ל וּ֝בַגּוֹיִ֗ם זֵרִיתָֽנוּ׃

*Word for word:* you have.made.us like sheep of.food and among the nations you have.scattered.us

*JPS 1917:* Thou hast given us like sheep to be eaten; and hast scattered us among the nations.

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