Lexical Summary phago: To eat, consume Original Word: φάγω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance eat A primary verb (used as an alternate of esthio in certain tenses); to eat (literally or figuratively) -- eat, meat. see GREEK esthio Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5315: φάγωφάγω, see ἐσθίω. Topical Lexicon Scope of UsageThe verb occurs ninety-three times, spanning Gospel narrative, apostolic history, epistolary instruction, and prophetic vision. It denotes ordinary ingestion yet carries theological weight wherever food, fellowship, purity, or judgment come into view. Physical Provision and Miraculous Feedings In the fourfold feeding narratives (Matthew 14:20; Matthew 15:37; Mark 6:42; Mark 8:8; Luke 9:17; John 6:23) the crowds “all ate and were satisfied” (Luke 9:17). The verb underscores Christ’s authority over creation and His compassion for bodily need, echoing Exodus manna yet surpassing it in abundance (John 6:31). The same term appears when Jairus’s daughter is raised—“give her something to eat” (Mark 5:43)—affirming the restoration of real life, not mere apparition. Sacred Meals and Covenant Fellowship At the final Passover Jesus longed “to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). While “they were eating” He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26), transforming Israel’s memorial meal into the new-covenant proclamation of His death (1 Corinthians 11:20-33). The verb therefore anchors both historical Passover and ongoing Eucharistic observance, linking redemption accomplished to redemption remembered. Instruction on Trust and Contentment “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat” (Matthew 6:25; Luke 12:22, 29). The term frames Christ’s call to radical dependence on the Father’s care, a theme reinforced when the disciples are invited to rest and eat after ministry fatigue (Mark 6:31) and again after the resurrection when Jesus Himself eats broiled fish to reassure their faith (Luke 24:43). Spiritual Participation in Christ In John 6 the verb is pressed beyond physical chewing: “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:51); “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man…you have no life in you” (John 6:53). Eating becomes a metaphor for personal appropriation of Christ by faith, anticipatory of the Supper yet broader, promising eternal life to all who take Him in. Purity Laws and the Mission to the Nations Peter’s rooftop vision commands, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). His refusal—“I have never eaten anything impure or unclean” (Acts 10:14)—highlights long-standing ceremonial boundaries. The divine insistence dissolves those barriers, preparing the gospel’s advance to Cornelius and, by extension, to Gentiles everywhere (Acts 11:7). Eating thus becomes a sign of fellowship unrestricted by Mosaic dietary codes (compare Romans 14:2-23). Warnings against Idolatrous Tables Paul alerts Corinth that “those who eat the sacrifices are partners in the altar” (1 Corinthians 10:18). The freedom to eat market meat (1 Corinthians 8:8-13) ends where participation in idol feasts begins (10:20-21). Revelation echoes the danger: some in Pergamum and Thyatira “eat food sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:14, 20), a practice Christ sternly rebukes. Judgment Motifs The verb marks divine retribution when birds “eat the flesh of kings” at Armageddon (Revelation 19:18) and when the devouring of riches figuratively “will eat your flesh like fire” (James 5:3). The cursed fig tree “may no one ever eat fruit from you again” (Mark 11:14), a living parable of barren religion. Eschatological Hope Conversely, overcomers are promised to “eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). A future table in the kingdom is anticipated: “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15) and the Twelve are appointed to “eat and drink at My table in My kingdom” (Luke 22:30). Ministerial Integrity and Labor Paul recalls that in Thessalonica “we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it” (2 Thessalonians 3:8), modeling self-support, yet he also defends the right of gospel workers “to eat and drink” from their service (1 Corinthians 9:4). The balance is stewardship without presumption. Pastoral Applications • Hospitality: Shared meals remain a primary context for discipleship and reconciliation (Luke 7:36; Acts 10:23). Historical and Cultural Background In first-century Judea and the wider Greco-Roman world, table fellowship signified acceptance, covenant, and status. To eat with tax collectors (Matthew 9:10) or Gentiles (Galatians 2:12, though using a different verb) risked social ostracism. Jesus’ inclusive practice and the apostolic teaching re-pattern societal norms around the gospel. Synthesis Through mundane chewing, miraculous provision, covenant renewal, missionary breakthrough, ethical exhortation, and eschatological promise, this single verb gathers the Bible’s theology of eating into one tapestry: God provides, Christ becomes our true food, idolatry counterfeits satisfaction, and the redeemed are invited to an everlasting banquet. Forms and Transliterations εφαγεν ἔφαγεν εφαγετε ἐφάγετε Εφαγομεν Ἐφάγομεν εφαγον ἔφαγον φαγε φάγε φαγειν φαγεῖν φαγεσαι φάγεσαι φαγεται φάγεται φαγετε φάγετε φαγη φάγῃ φαγης φάγῃς φαγητε φάγητε φαγοι φάγοι φαγονται φάγονται φαγοντες φαγόντες φαγω φάγω φαγωμεν φάγωμεν φαγωσιν φάγωσιν ephagen éphagen ephagete ephágete Ephagomen Ephágomen ephagon éphagon phage phagē pháge phágei phágēi phagein phageîn phágeis phágēis phages phagēs phagesai phágesai phagetai phágetai phagete phagēte phágete phágēte phago phagō phágo phágō phagoi phágoi phagomen phagōmen phágomen phágōmen phagontai phágontai phagontes phagóntes phagosin phagōsin phágosin phágōsinLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 6:25 V-ASA-2PGRK: ὑμῶν τί φάγητε ἢ τί KJV: life, what ye shall eat, or what INT: of you what you should eat nor what Matthew 6:31 V-ASA-1P Matthew 12:4 V-AIA-3P Matthew 12:4 V-ANA Matthew 14:16 V-ANA Matthew 14:20 V-AIA-3P Matthew 15:20 V-ANA Matthew 15:32 V-ASA-3P Matthew 15:37 V-AIA-3P Matthew 25:35 V-ANA Matthew 25:42 V-ANA Matthew 26:17 V-ANA Matthew 26:26 V-AMA-2P Mark 2:26 V-AIA-3S Mark 2:26 V-ANA Mark 3:20 V-ANA Mark 5:43 V-ANA Mark 6:31 V-ANA Mark 6:36 V-ASA-3P Mark 6:37 V-ANA Mark 6:37 V-ANA Mark 6:42 V-AIA-3P Mark 6:44 V-APA-NMP Mark 8:1 V-ASA-3P Mark 8:2 V-ASA-3P Strong's Greek 5315 |
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