Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, baking was a common method of preparing food, particularly bread, which was a staple in the diet of the ancient Near Eastern peoples. The process of baking is mentioned several times throughout the Bible, reflecting its importance in daily life and religious practices.
Biblical References:1.
Genesis 19:3 · In the account of Lot, we see an early reference to baking: "But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate." This passage highlights the use of unleavened bread, which was baked quickly without yeast, a practice that would later become significant in the Passover tradition.
2.
Exodus 12:39 · During the Exodus, the Israelites baked unleavened bread as they fled Egypt: "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was without yeast; because they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay, they had not prepared any provisions for themselves." This event marks the institution of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commemorating their hasty departure and reliance on God's provision.
3.
Leviticus 2:4 · The law concerning grain offerings includes instructions for baked goods: "Now if you bring a grain offering of baked goods from the oven, it must consist of fine flour—unleavened cakes mixed with oil or unleavened wafers anointed with oil." This indicates the use of baking in sacrificial offerings, emphasizing purity and dedication to God.
4.
1 Samuel 28:24 · The narrative of Saul and the medium at Endor includes a reference to baking: "Now the woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread." This passage illustrates the preparation of a meal in a time of distress, using baking as a means to provide sustenance.
5.
Ezekiel 4:12 · The prophet Ezekiel is instructed to bake bread as a symbolic act: "You are to eat it as you would a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight." This command was a sign of the severe conditions that would befall Jerusalem, using baking as a metaphor for the defilement and hardship to come.
Cultural and Religious Significance:Baking in biblical times was primarily a domestic activity, often carried out by women. The process involved grinding grain into flour, mixing it with water, and sometimes oil, and then baking it on a hearth or in an oven. The bread produced was typically flat and round, similar to modern-day pita or flatbread.
The act of baking, particularly unleavened bread, holds significant religious symbolism in the Bible. Unleavened bread represents purity and separation from sin, as leaven (yeast) is often used as a metaphor for sin and corruption (
1 Corinthians 5:6-8). The Feast of Unleavened Bread, instituted in Exodus, serves as a reminder of God's deliverance and the need for holiness.
In the New Testament, Jesus refers to Himself as the "bread of life" (
John 6:35), drawing on the rich symbolism of bread as sustenance and life-giving. The Last Supper, where Jesus breaks bread with His disciples, further underscores the spiritual significance of bread and, by extension, the act of baking as a means of providing both physical and spiritual nourishment.
Overall, baking in the Bible is more than a culinary practice; it is imbued with deep spiritual meaning, reflecting themes of provision, purity, and divine sustenance.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
imp. & p. p.) of Bake.
Greek
3749. ostrakinos -- earthen... earthen. 3749 (the root of the English term, "ostraca," ie
baked-clay shaped
into pottery, etc.) -- properly, made of clay (earth).
...Strong's Hebrew
8601. tuphinim -- perhapsbaked pieces... 8600b, 8601. tuphinim. 8602 . perhaps
baked pieces. Transliteration: tuphinim
Phonetic Spelling: (too-feen') Short Definition:
baked.
...3989. maapheh -- somethingbaked
... 3988b, 3989. maapheh. 3990 . somethingbaked. Transliteration: maapheh
Phonetic Spelling: (mah-af-eh') Short Definition:baked....
644. aphah -- to bake
... 643, 644. aphah. 645 . to bake. Transliteration: aphah Phonetic Spelling:
(aw-faw') Short Definition:baked. Word Origin a prim....
3955. lashad -- juice, juicy or dainty bit, a dainty
... 3954, 3955. lashad. 3956 . juice, juicy or dainty bit, a dainty. Transliteration:
lashad Phonetic Spelling: (lesh-ad') Short Definition:baked....
5746. ug -- to bake
... 5745, 5746. ug. 5747 . to bake. Transliteration: ug Phonetic Spelling:
(oog) Short Definition:baked. Word Origin denominative verb...
2281. chabittim -- flat cakes, bread wafers
... Definition: pans. Word Origin from an unused word Definition flat cakes,
bread wafers NASB Word Usagebaked in pans (1). pan. From...
1310. bashal -- to boil, seethe, grow ripe
... root Definition to boil, seethe, grow ripe NASB Word Usagebaked (1), boil (12),
boiled (7), boiled at all (1), boiling (2), cook (1), produced ripe (1), ripe...
Library
John and Daniel have Predicted the Dissolution and Desolation of...
... partly indeed of clay, and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided, and there
shall be in it a root of iron, as thou sawest iron mixed withbaked clay....
Concerning the Festivals; and How Each Day of Such Festival is to...
... 7. However, out of the common charges,baked bread [was set on the table of
shew-bread], without leaven, of twenty-four tenth deals of flour, for so much is...
Jesus Defends Disciples who Pluck Grain on the Sabbath.
... It consisted of twelve loaves, which werebaked upon the sabbath, and were placed,
hot, in two rows upon the showbread table every sabbath day....
How a Great Many of the People Earnestly Endeavored to Desert to...
... their houses, and ate the corn they had gotten; some did it without grinding it,
by reason of the extremity of the want they were in, and othersbaked bread of...
There is one Thing at Least of which There is Never So Much as A.....
... this the poor are simply the priests of the universal civilization; and in their
stuffy feasts and solemn chattering there is the smell of thebaked meats of...
St. Augustine (Ad 354-430)
... to these; for it is said that when one of the elect ate a piece of bread, he made
this speech to it:""It was not I who reaped or ground orbaked thee; may...
Discovery of the Relics of Forty Holy Martyrs.
... But open to view, an edifice was erected above the foundation, inclosed with
baked bricks, and a secret descent from it to the martyrs....
What Happened to the Hebrews During Thirty-Eight Years in the...
... but for the first-born of a man, five shekels: that they should also have the
first-fruits out of the shearing of the sheep; and that when anybaked bread corn...
Elijah and the Widow's Son.
... The woman wondered at his strange words, but she believed the man, and went away
to her poor home; there she soon kindled a fire, andbaked a little cake, and...
Special Efforts
... fowls. A sower sowed the seed; there was standing corn. This was reaped,
and the grain thrashed, ground, andbaked on the spot. All...
Thesaurus
Baked (26 Occurrences)... (imp. & pp) of Bake. Multi-Version Concordance
Baked (26 Occurrences).
... He made them
a feast, and
baked unleavened bread, and they ate. (WEB DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV).
...Bake (13 Occurrences)
... 5. (vi) To bebaked; to become dry and hard in heat; as, the bread bakes; the ground
bakes in the hot sun. 6. (n.) The process, or result, of baking....
Pan (26 Occurrences)
... Passing over the use of the word in connections like 1 Chronicles 9:31, "things
baked in pans," where the Hebrew word chabhittim refers, not to the pan itself...
Bakemeats (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible DictionaryBaked provisions (Genesis 40:17), literally "works of
the baker," such as biscuits and cakes. Int.... Any kind of meatbaked or cooked....
Bread (433 Occurrences)
... 34; Jeremiah 7:18). The dough was mixed with leaven and made into thin
cakes, round or oval, and thenbaked. The bread eaten at...
Yeast (48 Occurrences)
... house. He made them a feast, andbaked unleavened bread, and they ate.
(See NIV).... Leviticus 6:17 It shall not bebaked with yeast. I...
Oblation (208 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 2:4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offeringbaked in the oven,
it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened...
Oven (22 Occurrences)
... or grass (Matthew 6:30), and when the fire had burned out, small pieces of dough
were placed inside or spread in thin layers on the outside, and were thusbaked...
Griddle (5 Occurrences)
... When it is soaked, you shall bring it in. You shall offer the meal offering inbaked
pieces for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. (WEB JPS NAS RSV NIV)....
Dough (15 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) Paste of bread; a soft mass of moistened flour
or meal, kneaded or unkneaded, but not yetbaked; as, to knead dough....
Resources
What does IHS mean? | GotQuestions.orgAre the pyramids mentioned in the Bible? Did the enslaved Israelites build the pyramids? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that we have treasures in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7)? | GotQuestions.orgBaked: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
