Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the loaf of bread was a staple food item, symbolizing sustenance and provision. Bread, often in the form of a loaf, is frequently mentioned throughout the Bible, serving both practical and symbolic purposes.
Old Testament ContextIn the Old Testament, bread was a central part of the diet in ancient Israel. The process of making bread involved grinding grain into flour, mixing it with water, and baking it, often in the form of a loaf. The Israelites were instructed to use unleavened bread during the Passover, as seen in
Exodus 12:8, which states, "They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs."
The offering of loaves was also a significant aspect of worship.
Leviticus 24:5-9 describes the "showbread" or "bread of the Presence," which consisted of twelve loaves placed on the table in the Tabernacle as a perpetual offering before the Lord. This bread symbolized God's covenant with the twelve tribes of Israel and His continual provision for His people.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the loaf of bread takes on additional symbolic meaning, particularly in the teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ. One of the most notable miracles involving loaves is the feeding of the five thousand, where Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a large crowd.
Matthew 14:19 recounts, "And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people."
The loaf of bread is also central to the Last Supper, where Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper or Communion. During this meal, Jesus broke a loaf of bread and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is My body" (
Matthew 26:26). This act established the loaf as a symbol of Christ's body, broken for the salvation of humanity.
Symbolism and Spiritual SignificanceThroughout Scripture, the loaf of bread symbolizes God's provision and the sustenance He provides both physically and spiritually. In
John 6:35, Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst." Here, the loaf represents Jesus Himself, the spiritual nourishment and eternal life He offers to believers.
The breaking of the loaf during Communion serves as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice and the unity of believers in His body. As Paul writes in
1 Corinthians 10:16-17, "Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf."
In summary, the loaf of bread in the Bible is a multifaceted symbol of God's provision, Christ's sacrifice, and the unity of believers. It serves as a reminder of the physical and spiritual sustenance provided by God and the eternal life offered through Jesus Christ.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) Any thick lump, mass, or cake; especially, a large regularly shaped or molded mass, as of bread, sugar, or cake.
2. (v. i.) To spend time in idleness; to lounge or loiter about.
3. (v. t.) To spend in idleness; -- with away; as, to loaf time away.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
LOAFlof.
SeeBREAD.
Greek
740. artos -- bread, aloaf... bread, a
loaf. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: artos Phonetic Spelling:
(ar'-tos) Short Definition: bread, a
loaf, food Definition: bread, a
...Strong's Hebrew
3603. kikkar -- a round, a round district, a roundloaf, a round...... kikkar. 3604 . a round, a round district, a round
loaf, a round weight, a talent
(a measure of weight or money).
...loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent.
...6742. tselul -- a cake, roundloaf
... 6741, 6742. tselul or tselil. 6743 . a cake, roundloaf. Transliteration: tselul
or tselil Phonetic Spelling: (tsel-ool') Short Definition:loaf....
3899. lechem -- bread, food
... something (1). showbread, eat, food, fruit,loaf, meat, victuals. From lacham;
food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain...
4682. matstsah -- unleavened bread or cake
... for sweetness; properly, sweetness; concretely, sweet (ie Not soured or bittered
with yeast); specifically, an unfermented cake orloaf, or (elliptically) the...
Library
But oneLoaf Mk 8:14
... MARK Hymn 94 But oneloaf Mk 8:14. John Newton 8,6,8,6. But oneloaf [11] Mk 8:14.
When the disciples crossed the lake. With but oneloaf on board;...
How St Clare, by Order of the Pope, Blessed the Bread which was on...
... OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHAPTER XXXIII HOW ST CLARE, BY ORDER OF THE POPE, BLESSED
THE BREAD WHICH WAS ON THE TABLE, AND HOW ON EACHLOAF APPEARED THE SIGN...
A Battle Without a Sword
... A roundloaf of barley (the commonest kind of bread) was dreamed of as rolling down
from a height and upsetting 'the tent.' The use of the definite article...
On the Words of the Gospel, Luke xi. 5, "Which of You Shall have a...
... For "there abide these three, faith, hope, charity; but the greatest of these is
charity." [3347] In those loaves it is not said that any oneloaf was greater...
But this New Cloudy Political Cowardice Has Rendered Useless the...
... Compromise used to mean that half aloaf was better than no bread. Among modern
statesmen it really seems to mean that half aloaf is better than a wholeloaf....
The Holy Things are not to be Sent into Other Dioceses at the...
... It is known that the Greeks only consecrate a square piece of the littleloaf intended
for communion, which is first cut out with the so-called holy spear....
Waiting the Father's Word.
... But Jesus was keener than the tempter was cunning. "Get aloaf out of this stone.
Don't go hungry.... Jesus could have made aloaf out of the stone....
The "Sayings" of Pythagoras.
... For it lies within your reach both to nourish the body, and make the soul better.
[667] "Don't take a bite out of an uncutloaf;" (meaning,) diminish not thy...
Acts XX
... (7) "And on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break
theloaf, Paul discoursed to them, about to depart on the next day, and...
Meditation viii. Institution of the Holy Eucharist.
... An oval plate stood there, with three fine white azymous loaves, placed on a piece
of linen, by the side of the halfloaf which Jesus had set aside during the...
Thesaurus
Loaf (14 Occurrences)... 2. (vi) To spend time in idleness; to lounge or loiter about. 3. (vt) To spend in
idleness; -- with away; as, to
loaf time away. Int.
...LOAF. lof. See BREAD.
...Cake (25 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) A small mass of dough baked; especially, a thin
loaf from unleavened dough; as, an oatmeal cake; johnnycake....
Loaves (54 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Plural ofLoaf. 2. (n.) pl. ofLoaf.
Multi-Version Concordance Loaves (54 Occurrences). Matthew...
Partake (19 Occurrences)
... (Root in KJV DBY WBS YLT). 1 Corinthians 10:17 Because there is oneloaf of bread,
we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the oneloaf of bread....
Scorpion (6 Occurrences)
... scorpions," and again in Luke 11:12 He says, "Or if he shall ask an egg, will he
give him a scorpion?" Note that we have here three doublets, theloaf and the...
Pentecost (3 Occurrences)
... Exodus 34:22 Numbers 28:26 Deuteronomy 16:10). The size of eachloaf was
fixed by law. It must contain the tenth of an ephah, about...
Share (138 Occurrences)
... (WEY RSV NIV). 1 Corinthians 10:17 Since there is oneloaf, we who are many
are one body; we, all of us, share in that oneloaf. (WEY)....
Present (577 Occurrences)
... gift. (See NAS). Matthew 7:9 Or what man is of you, of whom, if his son may
ask aloaf -- a stone will he present to him? (YLT). Matthew...
Loads (12 Occurrences)
Bread (433 Occurrences)
... (3) Often the thin, glutinousloaf, puffed out with air... 5. Forms of Baked Bread:
(1) The large pone or thick, lightloaf of the West is unknown in the East....
Resources
What was the bread of the Presence (Exodus 25:30)? | GotQuestions.orgHow do I survive trying to raise a teenager? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the leaven of the Pharisees? | GotQuestions.orgLoaf: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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