What does מַאֲכָל (maʾăkāl) mean in the Bible?
מַאֲכָל (maʾăkāl): Concrete sustenance category encompassing all consumable forms: grain, meat, fruit, provisions for physical survival.
Hebrew · H3978
מַאֲכָל
An eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit)
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מַאֲכָל H3978
Pronunciation maʾăkāl
What does מַאֲכָל (maʾăkāl) mean in the Bible?
מַאֲכָל (maʾăkāl): Concrete sustenance category encompassing all consumable forms: grain, meat, fruit, provisions for physical survival.
Full entry for מַאֲכָל (H3978) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3978?
The BSB source-word alignment has 30 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include food (5), for food (5), of food (3), as food (2), the food (2).
Where does מַאֲכָל (maʾăkāl) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 2:9. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (4), Jeremiah (4), Ezekiel (3), Psalms (3).
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 5× Deuteronomy 28:26, Job 33:20, Jeremiah 7:33, Jeremiah 16:4
for food 5× Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:6, Leviticus 19:23, Isaiah 62:8
of food 3× Genesis 6:21, 2 Chronicles 11:11, Ezekiel 4:10
as food 2× Psalms 79:2, Jeremiah 19:7
the food 2× 1 Kings 10:5, 2 Chronicles 9:4
. . . 1× Psalms 74:14
abundant supplies 1× 1 Chronicles 12:40
and food 1× Ezra 3:7
and fruit 1× Nehemiah 9:25
and his food 1× Habakkuk 1:16
fruit 1× Ezekiel 47:12
goods 1× Genesis 40:17
its food 1× Proverbs 6:8
other food 1× Haggai 2:12
produce fruit 1× Deuteronomy 20:20
something to eat 1× Judges 14:14
to be devoured 1× Psalms 44:11
your food 1× Daniel 1:10
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 2:9 לְמַאֲכָ֑ל to for food Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 3:6 לְמַאֲכָ֜ל to for food Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 6:21 מַֽאֲכָל֙ to of food Noun - masculine singular Genesis 40:17 מַאֲכַ֥ל to goods Noun - masculine singular construct Leviticus 19:23 מַאֲכָ֔ל to for food Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 20:20 מַאֲכָל֙ to produce fruit Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 28:26 לְמַאֲכָ֔ל to food Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Judges 14:14 מַאֲכָ֔ל to something to eat Noun - masculine singular 1 Kings 10:5 וּמַאֲכַ֣ל to the food Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct 1 Chronicles 12:40 מַאֲכָ֡ל to abundant supplies Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 2:9
Aligned rows 30
Books represented 18
Genesis 4 Leviticus 1 Deuteronomy 2 Judges 1 1 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 2 Ezra 1 Nehemiah 1 Job 1 Psalms 3 Proverbs 1 Isaiah 1 Jeremiah 4 Ezekiel 3 Daniel 1 Habakkuk 1 Haggai 1
Source forms
לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל 4x lə·ma·’ă·ḵāl Jeremiah 7:33, Jeremiah 19:7, Jeremiah 34:20, Ezekiel 47:12
מַאֲכָ֖ל 3x ma·’ă·ḵāl 2 Chronicles 11:11, Nehemiah 9:25, Haggai 2:12
וּמַאֲכַ֣ל 2x ū·ma·’ă·ḵal 1 Kings 10:5, 2 Chronicles 9:4
לְמַאֲכָ֔ל 2x lə·ma·’ă·ḵāl Deuteronomy 28:26, Jeremiah 16:4
מַאֲכַ֥ל 2x ma·’ă·ḵal Genesis 40:17, Job 33:20
מַאֲכָ֔ל 2x ma·’ă·ḵāl Leviticus 19:23, Judges 14:14
וּמַאֲכָ֨ל 1x ū·ma·’ă·ḵāl Ezra 3:7
וּמַאֲכָל֖וֹ 1x ū·ma·’ă·ḵā·lōw Habakkuk 1:16
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular 13x Genesis 6:21, Leviticus 19:23, Deuteronomy 20:20, Judges 14:14
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular 8x Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:6, Deuteronomy 28:26, Jeremiah 7:33
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct 2x 1 Kings 10:5, 2 Chronicles 9:4
Noun - masculine singular construct 2x Genesis 40:17, Job 33:20
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular 1x Ezra 3:7
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular 1x Ezekiel 4:10
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular 1x Habakkuk 1:16
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural 1x Daniel 1:10
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Concrete sustenance category encompassing all consumable forms: grain, meat, fruit, provisions for physical survival.
Source Gloss
an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Concrete sustenance category encompassing all consumable forms: grain, meat, fruit, provisions for physical survival.
an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit) BDB: food Usage: food, fruit, (bake-)meat(-s), victual.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
מַאֲכָל 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.
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