Lexical Summary
oklah: Food, consumption
Original Word:אָכְלָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:oklah
Pronunciation:ohk-LAH
Phonetic Spelling:(ok-law')
KJV: consume, devour, eat, food, meat
NASB:food, fuel, eat
Word Origin:[feminine ofH401 (אוּכָל אוּכָּל - Ucal)]
1. food
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
consume, devour, eat, food, meat
Feminine of'Ukal; food -- consume, devour, eat, food, meat.
see HEBREW'Ukal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. of
okelDefinitionfood, eating
NASB Translationeat (1), food (13), fuel (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
17 (with some verbal force, compare Dr
JPh xi. 217) only P, & Ezekiel; always ,
especially in phrase likeGenesis 1:29;Genesis 6:21;Genesis 9:3;Leviticus 11:39; soLeviticus 25:6 compareGenesis 1:30;Exodus 16:15.
devouring, by wild beasts, only figurative of ravaged peopleEzekiel 29:5;Ezekiel 34:5,8,10;Ezekiel 39:4, compareEzekiel 35:12.
consumimg, in fireEzekiel 15:4,6, of fire-sacrifice of childrenEzekiel 23:37; figurative of judgment ofEzekiel 21:37; (compare also infinitive of ).
Topical Lexicon
Biblical Usage OverviewThe noun appears eighteen times and consistently signifies something that is to be “consumed.” In narrative passages it refers to literal food given for human or animal sustenance; in prophetic literature it is expanded metaphorically to describe people, carcasses, timber, or nations that become “food” (or “fuel”) for predators or for fire in scenes of judgment. The two spheres—provision and destruction—frame the Old Testament’s theology of consumption: the God who graciously supplies can also consign the unrepentant to consumption.
Provision in Creation
Genesis 1:29–30 records the word’s first two occurrences, anchoring it in the Creator’s blessing on an unfallen world. Both mankind and animals receive a plant-based diet:
“Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.” (Genesis 1:29)
The universality of the provision underscores divine benevolence and sets the tone for later passages in which God continues to supply necessary nourishment.
Preservation through Catastrophe
Before the Flood, Noah is told, “You are also to take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals” (Genesis 6:21). After the deluge the dietary boundary widens: “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things” (Genesis 9:3). The change signals a fresh world order in which God still provides but under altered conditions that anticipate clean- and unclean-animal distinctions in the Mosaic Law.
Covenant and Wilderness Provision
Exodus 16:15 uses the noun to describe manna, heaven-sent sustenance during Israel’s desert sojourn.Leviticus 11:39 references permitted animals that die naturally, whileLeviticus 25:6 promises that Sabbatical produce “shall be food for you” even when fields lie fallow. In each case the Lord’s covenant loyalty guarantees provision while simultaneously testing obedience (e.g., daily gathering limits on manna, Sabbath and Jubilee restrictions on cultivation).
Metaphor of Fuel and Fire
InEzekiel 15 the Jerusalem vine—worthless except as firewood—becomes “fuel for the fire” (Ezekiel 15:4, 15:6).Ezekiel 21:32 returns to the image, declaring to Ammon, “You will be fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the land.” The shift from edible food to combustible fuel highlights a grim irony: what should nourish life is instead consumed in judgment. God’s consuming fire devours the fruitless.
Prey for Beasts and Birds
Jeremiah 12:9 envisions Judah as a speckled bird attacked by other birds, while Ezekiel repeatedly depicts scattered sheep or fallen armies as “food” for wild beasts and carrion birds (Ezekiel 34:5, 34:8, 34:10;Ezekiel 29:5;Ezekiel 39:4). The imagery exposes failed leadership (“no shepherd”) and divine retribution against oppressors.Ezekiel 35:12 records Edom’s boast, “They are laid desolate; they are given us for food,” revealing human arrogance that the Lord later overturns.
Ritual Defilement and Idolatry
Ezekiel 23:37 condemns Judah’s syncretism: “They have even sacrificed their sons, whom they bore to Me, as food for their idols.” Here the noun accents the horror of child sacrifice—life intended for God is consumed by false gods. The vocabulary of food, normally associated with blessing, is inverted to depict abomination.
Theological Themes
1. Divine Provision
The word first frames God as generous Provider. All legitimate nourishment flows from Him, whether in Eden, on the ark, in the wilderness, or during Sabbatical rest.
2. Stewardship and Obedience
Human responsibility accompanies gift. Gathering manna, respecting Sabbatical produce, and distinguishing clean from unclean test faithfulness. Mismanagement or presumption invites loss of provision (Ezekiel 34).
3. Judgment through Consumption
Prophetic passages portray people, nations, and natural resources as “food” or “fuel” when covenant is violated. What God supplies to sustain can be withdrawn or redirected to destroy.
4. Eschatological Overtones
Ezekiel 39:4, where Gog is given “as food to every kind of bird and beast,” anticipates final triumph over God’s enemies and foreshadowsRevelation 19:17–18, creating a canonical arc from Genesis provision to end-time consummation.
Ministry Significance
• Assurance of God’s Care
Believers may trust the Creator who fed Eden and Israel to supply daily bread (Matthew 6:11), knowing “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).
• Call to Faithful Shepherding
Leaders are warned byEzekiel 34; neglecting God’s flock leaves them prey. Pastoral ministry must reflect the Chief Shepherd who feeds rather than devours (John 21:17).
• Sobriety about Judgment
The shift from “food” as blessing to “food” as sentence reminds the church that persistent sin results in consuming fire (Hebrews 10:26–27).
• Christological Fulfillment
While the noun itself is Hebrew, its trajectory prepares for Jesus’ declaration, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). God’s ultimate provision is not manna but the incarnate Son, offered so that whoever feeds on Him will live forever.
Summary
Across its occurrences the term traces a movement from Edenic abundance through wilderness sustenance to prophetic warnings of consumption in judgment. It thus reinforces both the kindness and severity of God: He feeds the faithful and consumes the faithless, all within His righteous governance of creation and covenant.
Forms and Transliterations
לְאָכְלָ֑ה לְאָכְלָ֔ה לְאָכְלָ֛ה לְאָכְלָ֜ה לְאָכְלָֽה׃ לאכלה לאכלה׃ lə’āḵlāh lə·’āḵ·lāh leochLah
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Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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