What does βρῶμα (brōma) mean in the Bible?
Βρῶμα (brōma) means food, something eaten for bodily nourishment. The disciples assume a crowd in a deserted place must leave to buy food, but Jesus supplies what human calculation cannot.
Greek · G1033
βρῶμα
Food
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βρῶμα G1033
Pronunciation brōma
What does βρῶμα (brōma) mean in the Bible?
Βρῶμα (brōma) means food, something eaten for bodily nourishment. The disciples assume a crowd in a deserted place must leave to buy food, but Jesus supplies what human calculation cannot.
Reader summary
Full entry for βρῶμα (G1033) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1033?
The BSB source-word alignment has 17 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include food (8), [what I eat] (1), [what you eat] (1), [your eating] (1), by foods (1).
Where does βρῶμα (brōma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 14:15. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (6), Romans (3), Hebrews (2), Luke (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Βρῶμα (brōma) means food, something eaten for bodily nourishment. The disciples assume a crowd in a deserted place must leave to buy food, but Jesus supplies what human calculation cannot. In Mark, food enters the stomach rather than the heart, supporting Jesus' teaching that defilement arises from within and marking all foods clean. John the Baptist says repentance bears fruit when a person who has food shares with someone lacking it.
Jesus calls doing and finishing the Father's work His food, using nourishment metaphorically for obedient mission. Romans warns that food choice must not grieve or destroy a brother for whom Christ died. Food is a bodily good, a resource for mercy, an image of vocation, and a potential occasion for loveless liberty; context governs each use.
How the Bible Uses It
Βρῶμα names food and extends to a nourishment image. Jesus provides food for a crowd, declares foods clean within heart teaching, repentance shares food, mission becomes His food, and love restrains food liberty.
- Matt.14.15
When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
The disciples propose sending the crowds to buy food, but Jesus commands them to provide and reveals abundance through the loaves and fish.
- Mark.7.19
Because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)
Jesus distinguishes food entering the stomach from evil arising in the heart, and Mark draws the implication that all foods are clean.
- Luke.3.11
John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
John's repentance instruction makes food a shareable possession: those who have nourishment must respond to neighbors who have none.
- John.4.34
Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
Jesus' food is to do the Sender's will and complete His work, an image of sustaining purpose within His conversation about harvest and mission.
- Rom.14.15
If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died.
A believer who uses food freedom to distress a brother abandons love and forgets the immense value Christ's death gives that person.
Passage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It food 8× Luke 3:11, Luke 9:13, John 4:34, Romans 14:20
[what I eat] 1× 1 Corinthians 8:13
[what you eat] 1× Romans 14:15
[your eating] 1× Romans 14:15
by foods 1× Hebrews 13:9
foods 1× Mark 7:19
for food 1× 1 Corinthians 6:13
from certain foods 1× 1 Timothy 4:3
solid food 1× 1 Corinthians 3:2
some food 1× Matthew 14:15
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 14:15 βρώματα to some food Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Mark 7:19 βρώματα to foods Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Luke 3:11 βρώματα to food Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Luke 9:13 βρώματα to food Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural John 4:34 βρῶμά to food Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular Romans 14:15 βρῶμα to [what you eat] Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Romans 14:15 βρώματί to [your eating] Noun - Dative Neuter Singular Romans 14:20 βρώματος to food Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular 1 Corinthians 3:2 βρῶμα to solid food Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular 1 Corinthians 6:13 βρώματα to Food Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 14:15
Aligned rows 17
Books represented 8
Matthew 1 Mark 1 Luke 2 John 1 Romans 3 1 Corinthians 6 1 Timothy 1 Hebrews 2
Source forms
βρῶμα 5x brōma Romans 14:15, 1 Corinthians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 8:8, 1 Corinthians 8:13
βρώματα 5x brōmata Matthew 14:15, Mark 7:19, Luke 3:11, Luke 9:13
βρώμασιν 3x brōmasin 1 Corinthians 6:13, Hebrews 9:10, Hebrews 13:9
βρῶμά 1x brōma John 4:34
βρώματί 1x brōmati Romans 14:15
βρώματος 1x brōmatos Romans 14:20
βρωμάτων 1x brōmatōn 1 Timothy 4:3
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural 4x Matthew 14:15, Mark 7:19, Luke 3:11, Luke 9:13
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular 3x Romans 14:15, 1 Corinthians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 10:3
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural 3x 1 Corinthians 6:13, Hebrews 9:10, Hebrews 13:9
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular 3x John 4:34, 1 Corinthians 8:8, 1 Corinthians 8:13
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular 1x Romans 14:15
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural 1x 1 Timothy 4:3
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular 1x Romans 14:20
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural 1x 1 Corinthians 6:13
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use food freedom to shame believers with health, conscience, or cultural concerns; Romans commands patient love rather than destruction.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that sharing food replaces the gospel; John names it as fruit consistent with repentance.
- Do not claim that Mark's declaration of clean foods makes the heart morally neutral; Jesus locates defilement there.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Food as material sustenance, but also used tropically for spiritual nourishment in Johannine theology.
Strong's G1033
Lexical occurrences 17 verses Greek text appearances 17 times 16 shown below Word forms 8 forms 17 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 Corinthians 8:7-8 Source Gloss
food
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Food as material sustenance, but also used tropically for spiritual nourishment in Johannine theology.
food: Rom.14:15, 20 1Co.8:8, 13 10:3; pl., Mat.14:15, Mrk.7:19, Luk.3:11 9:13, 1Co.6:13, 1Ti.4:3, Heb.9:10 13:9; trop., of spiritual food, Jhn.4:34, 1Co.3:2 (cf. βρῶσις).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 17 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 14:15 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
βρώματα. brwmata
food of any kind
Read verse Mark 7:19 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
βρώματα. brwmata
food of any kind
Read verse Luke 3:11 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
βρώματα brwmata
food of any kind
Read verse Luke 9:13 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
βρώματα. brwmata
food of any kind
Read verse John 4:34 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
βρῶμά brwma
food of any kind
Read verse Romans 14:15 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
βρῶμα brwma
food of any kind
Read verse Romans 14:15 Noun Dative Singular Neuter
βρώματί brwmati
food of any kind
Read verse Romans 14:20 Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
βρώματος brwmatov
food of any kind
Read verse 1 Corinthians 3:2 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
βρῶμα· brwma
food of any kind
Read verse 1 Corinthians 6:13 Noun Nominative Plural Neuter
βρώματα brwmata
food of any kind
Read verse 1 Corinthians 6:13 Noun Dative Plural Neuter
βρώμασιν· brwmasin
food of any kind
Read verse 1 Corinthians 8:8 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
βρῶμα brwma
food of any kind
Read verse 1 Corinthians 8:13 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
βρῶμα brwma
food of any kind
Read verse 1 Corinthians 10:3 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
βρῶμα brwma
food of any kind
Read verse 1 Timothy 4:3 Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
βρωμάτων, brwmatwn
food of any kind
Read verse Hebrews 9:10 Noun Dative Plural Neuter
βρώμασι brwmasin
food of any kind
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.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 8 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 8 Aligned forms 17 Case pattern Accusative (7) Number pattern Plural (9)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Neuter John 4:34 · 1 Cor 8:8 · 1 Cor 8:13 3×
Nominative · Plural · Neuter 1 Cor 6:13 1×
Genitive · Singular · Neuter Rom 14:20 1×
Genitive · Plural · Neuter 1 Tim 4:3 1×
Dative · Plural · Neuter 1 Cor 6:13 · Heb 9:10 · Heb 13:9 3×
Dative · Singular · Neuter Rom 14:15 1×
Accusative · Plural · Neuter Matt 14:15 · Mark 7:19 · Luke 3:11 · Luke 9:13 4×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Rom 14:15 · 1 Cor 3:2 · 1 Cor 10:3 3×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Physical nourishment, literal eating in context of conscience and idols
Figurative spiritual nourishment, basic doctrine for immature believers
Physical sustenance needed by crowds in wilderness narrative
Metaphorical nourishment from doing God's will and work
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 17 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
βρῶμα is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Food exposes dependence and relationship. The disciples see a logistical shortage, while Jesus makes the crowd's need a setting for His abundant provision. Mark safeguards the body from being treated as the source of moral defilement; food follows its created path, while evil proceeds from the heart. John the Baptist makes repentance tangible through shared nourishment, refusing a spirituality that leaves a hungry neighbor unfed.
At the well, Jesus' metaphor reveals obedience to the Father as sustaining delight and urgent work. Romans prevents clean-food freedom from becoming a new selfishness, because a brother matters more than a menu. Churches should receive food gratefully, share it justly, reject purity systems Christ has fulfilled, and exercise freedom with patient love. Bodily and spiritual concerns meet without becoming interchangeable.
Anchor passage
Matt.14.15
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 14:13-21, food scarcity and Jesus' abundant provision
- Mark 7:14-23, food, the stomach, and heart defilement
- Luke 3:7-14, repentance sharing food with the needy
- John 4:31-38, doing the Father's will as Jesus' food
- Romans 14:13-23, food liberty restrained by love
- Deuteronomy 8:1-10, food received through dependence on God's word
Βρῶμα is a neuter noun for food or something eaten. It can refer collectively to nourishment and can support metaphor when a passage explicitly equates sustaining work or desire with food.
From Old to New Testament
God gives manna, commands care for the hungry, regulates Israel's foods, Jesus feeds crowds and declares foods clean, and apostolic freedom remains subject to love.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain