Lexical Summary
maakal: Food, nourishment, meal
Original Word:מַאֲכָל
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:ma'akal
Pronunciation:mah-ak-AWL
Phonetic Spelling:(mah-ak-awl')
KJV: food, fruit, ((bake-)) meat(-s), victual
NASB:food, fruit, eaten, provision, something to eat
Word Origin:[fromH398 (אָכַל - eat)]
1. an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
food, fruit, victual
From'akal; an eatable (includ. Provender, flesh and fruit) -- food, fruit, ((bake-)) meat(-s), victual.
see HEBREW'akal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
akalDefinitionfood
NASB Translationeaten (1), food (26), fruit (2), provision (1), something to eat (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
30Judges 14:14 (
Habakkuk 1:16) —
Genesis 2:9 21t.; construct
Genesis 40:7 3t.; suffix
Ezekiel 4:10;
Habakkuk 1:16;
Proverbs 6:8;
Daniel 1:10 —
food, in Genl.
Genesis 6:21;
1 Kings 10:5 2Chronicles 9:4;
Haggai 2:12; opposed to drink
Ezra 3:7; 2Chronicles 11:11;
Daniel 1:10;
Job 33:20; figurative of peoples as fishes, food for Chaldeans
Habakkuk 1:16; applied to fruit
Genesis 2:9;
Genesis 3:6 (of tree ) compare
Leviticus 19:23;
Deuteronomy 20:20;
Nehemiah 9:25;
Ezekiel 47:12 (twice in verse); applied to
Isaiah 62:8; applied to honey
Judges 14:14; to flour
1 Chronicles 12:41 where apposition ; to food of ants
Proverbs 6:8 ("" ); to baker's work
Genesis 40:17 compare
Ezekiel 4:10; applied to carcasses, as food for beasts & birds of prey
Deuteronomy 28:26;
Psalm 79:2; compare
Psalm 44:12 (, simile of suffering people)
Jeremiah 7:33;
Jeremiah 16:4;
Jeremiah 19:7;
Jeremiah 34:20;
Psalm 74:14.
Topical Lexicon
Overviewמַאֲכָל (maʾăkāl) centers on the concept of “what is eaten,” appearing about twenty-nine times throughout the Old Testament narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic books. While it ordinarily denotes ordinary food, the contexts in which it is used move far beyond the dinner table, touching creation theology, covenant blessing and curse, ethical stewardship, and even eschatological judgment.
Creation: Food as Original Gift
The first two uses (Genesis 2:9; 3:6) frame food as a gracious, abundant provision embedded in the very structure of Edenic life. “Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food” (Genesis 2:9). Adam and Eve’s disobedient taking of the same “food” (Genesis 3:6) reveals that the gift carries an ethical responsibility; misuse of God’s provision introduces death into the world.
Prepared Provision in Crisis
Before the Flood, Noah receives the mandate, “You are to take for yourself every kind of food that can be eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals” (Genesis 6:21). Maʾăkāl here underlines foresight and obedience: salvation from judgment includes God-directed preparation of adequate sustenance.
Wilderness and Conquest: Food, Faith, and Stewardship
While the manna narratives employ other food terms, maʾăkāl punctuates covenantal instruction. Deuteronomy repeatedly contrasts trees “for food” with those reserved for destruction (Deuteronomy 20:20), teaching Israel to honor divine boundaries even in warfare. Later,Nehemiah 9:25 recounts Israel’s settled prosperity: “They ate and were filled… and reveled in Your great goodness.” Food becomes a tangible metric of covenant fidelity.
Blessing and Curse
Psalm 111:5 extols the LORD who “provides food to those who fear Him,” weaving daily bread into the fabric of steadfast covenant love. Conversely, the covenant curses of Deuteronomy climax in horrifying imagery: in siege conditions a mother will “secretly eat” her own children “because she lacks anything else” (Deuteronomy 28:57). The same term swings from gift to judgment, illustrating that dependence on God cannot be evaded.
Wisdom and Experience
Job employs maʾăkāl to illustrate discernment: “Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food?” (Job 12:11). Just as palate distinguishes flavors, the wise heart discerns truth, suggesting that receiving instruction parallels receiving nourishment.
Prophetic and Eschatological Echoes
Several prophets harness maʾăkāl imagery to expose spiritual decay. In destruction or exile scenes the land’s “food” is consumed by invading forces, signaling covenant breach. Yet promises of restoration also appear, where renewed abundance of food accompanies messianic hope (for example,Ezekiel 34:29).
Theological Trajectory and Ministry Significance
1. Providence: Every appearance reaffirms that sustenance flows from God’s hand. Gratitude and stewardship are therefore moral imperatives.
2. Obedience: Whether gathering in the ark or sparing fruit trees, right response to divine instruction governs rightful use of food.
3. Community Care: The Law’s concern for edible resources and the Prophets’ denouncement of their exploitation press modern ministries toward equitable distribution and relief of hunger.
4. Spiritual Nourishment: Physical food consistently gestures toward deeper realities. Just as maʾăkāl sustains the body, so the Word of God and, ultimately, the Bread of Life sustain the soul (cf.John 6:35).
Pastoral Applications
• Encourage thankful reception of daily provision; mealtime prayer rehearsesPsalm 111:5.
• Teach stewardship that balances enjoyment with conservation, echoing Deuteronomy’s siege ethics.
• Use passages such asJob 12:11 to illustrate the importance of discernment in teaching and preaching.
• In benevolence ministries, view feeding the hungry as participation in God’s own covenant faithfulness.
Select References
Genesis 2:9; 3:6; 6:21
Deuteronomy 20:20; 28:57
Job 12:11
Psalm 111:5
Nehemiah 9:25
Forms and Transliterations
וּמַאֲכַ֣ל וּמַאֲכָ֨ל וּמַאֲכָֽלְךָ֙ וּמַאֲכָל֖וֹ ומאכל ומאכלו ומאכלך לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל לְמַאֲכָ֑ל לְמַאֲכָ֔ל לְמַאֲכָ֜ל למאכל מַ֝אֲכָ֗ל מַ֠אֲכָל מַ֭אֲכָל מַֽאֲכָל֙ מַאֲכַ֥ל מַאֲכַלְכֶ֖ם מַאֲכָ֑ל מַאֲכָ֔ל מַאֲכָ֖ל מַאֲכָל֙ מַאֲכָלָֽהּ׃ מאכל מאכלה׃ מאכלכם lə·ma·’ă·ḵāl ləma’ăḵāl lemaaChal ma’ăḵal ma’ăḵāl ma’ăḵālāh ma’ăḵalḵem ma·’ă·ḵā·lāh ma·’ă·ḵal ma·’ă·ḵāl ma·’ă·ḵal·ḵem maaChal maachaLah maachalChem Maachol ū·ma·’ă·ḵā·lə·ḵā ū·ma·’ă·ḵā·lōw ū·ma·’ă·ḵal ū·ma·’ă·ḵāl ūma’ăḵal ūma’ăḵāl ūma’ăḵāləḵā ūma’ăḵālōw umaaChal umaachaleCha umaachaLo
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