To pasture; by extension to, fodder; reflexively, to graze
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Bosko means to feed or tend, and the New Testament uses it in both ordinary animal-care scenes and Jesus' restoration command to Peter. The word should not be made automatically pastoral in every occurrence.
Reader summary
Full entry for βόσκω (G1006) · Open the biblical lexicon
Bosko means to feed or tend, and the New Testament uses it in both ordinary animal-care scenes and Jesus' restoration command to Peter. The word should not be made automatically pastoral in every occurrence.
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include feeding (3), Feed (2), tending [the pigs] (2), tending (1), to feed (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 8:30. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (3), John (2), Mark (2), Matthew (2).
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
Bosko means to feed or tend, and the New Testament uses it in both ordinary animal-care scenes and Jesus' restoration command to Peter. The word should not be made automatically pastoral in every occurrence. In the Synoptic narratives, herds of pigs are feeding or being tended, and the prodigal son is sent to feed pigs in his humiliation. In John 21, however, the same feeding language becomes a charge from the risen Jesus: Feed My lambs, Feed My sheep.
The pastoral weight comes from the speaker, object, and scene. Jesus entrusts care for His flock to Peter after searching his love, so feeding becomes an act of shepherding under Christ's ownership.
Bosko appears in literal animal-feeding contexts and in John 21 as Jesus' command to Peter to feed His lambs and sheep. The context decides whether the word is ordinary care or pastoral charge.
In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding.
The herd of pigs is feeding in the distance, showing the word's ordinary animal-care range.
Those tending the pigs ran off into the town and reported all this, including the account of the demon-possessed men.
Those tending the pigs report what happened, keeping the word in a literal herding context.
So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.
The prodigal son's work feeding pigs marks humiliation and distance from home.
When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”
The risen Jesus commands Peter to feed My lambs after asking about his love.
Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all things,” he replied. “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Jesus repeats the command to feed My sheep, tying pastoral care to love for Him and His ownership of the flock.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. Feeding livestock; metaphorically, pastoral care of believers—a narrower sense than "shepherd" which includes oversight.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseI feed
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
How this verb appears across 9 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 9 lexical occurrence verses.
βόσκω is built from these roots:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
The core insight of bosko is that feeding language becomes pastoral only when the passage makes the flock and the Lord's command central. The same verb can describe pigs feeding, people tending pigs, or a son hired out in shame. Those scenes matter because they keep the word grounded and prevent sentimental overreading. John 21 then gives the word its highest pastoral force: the risen Jesus restores and charges Peter in relation to sheep that are not Peter's possession but Christ's.
Feeding the flock is therefore not platform, control, or self-repair. It is love for Jesus expressed through faithful care for those He calls My lambs and My sheep.
John.21.15
Bosko is a verb of feeding or tending. The object matters: animals, pigs, lambs, or sheep determine whether the usage is literal, humiliating, or pastorally charged.
The Old Testament repeatedly uses shepherding and feeding imagery for God's care and leaders' responsibility. John 21 places Peter's care under the risen Shepherd's ownership.