Lexical Summary artos: Bread Original Word: ἄρτος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bread, loaf. From airo; bread (as raised) or a loaf -- (shew-)bread, loaf. see GREEK airo HELPS Word-studies 740 ártos – properly, bread; (figuratively) divine provision; all the sustenance God supplies to yielded believers scene-by-scene to live in His preferred-will (2307 /thélēma). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain origin Definition bread, a loaf NASB Translation bread (71), loaf (2), loaves (23), meal (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 740: ἄρτοςἄρτος, ἄρτου, ὁ (from ἈΡΩ to fit, put together (cf. Etym. Magn. 150, 36 — but doubtful)), bread; Hebrew לֶחֶם; 1. food composed of flour mixed with water and baked; the Israelites made it in the form of an oblong or round cake, as thick as one's thumb, and as large as a plate or platter (cf. Winers RWB under the word Backen; (BB. DD.)); hence, it was not cut, but broken (see κλάσις and κλάω) Matthew 4:3; Matthew 7:9; Matthew 14:17, 19; Mark 6:36 (T Tr WH omit; L brackets), Mark 6:37; Luke 4:3; Luke 24:30; John 6:5ff; Acts 27:35, and often; ἄρτοι τῆς προθέσεως, loaves consecrated to Jehovah, see πρόθεσις; on the bread used at the love-feasts and the sacred supper (Winer's Grammar, 35), cf. Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; Acts 2:42, 46; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:26-28. 2. As in Greek writings, and like the Hebrew לֶחֶם, food of any kind: Matthew 6:11; Mark 6:8; Luke 11:3; 2 Corinthians 9:10; ὁ ἄρτος τῶν τέκνων the food served to the children, Mark 7:27; ἄρτον φαγεῖν or ἐσθίειν to take food, to eat (לֶחֶם אֲכֹל) (Winer's Grammar, 33 (32)): Mark 3:20; Luke 14:1, 15; Matthew 15:2; ἄρτον φαγεῖν παρά τίνος to take food supplied by one, 2 Thessalonians 3:8; τόν ἑαυτόν ἄρτον ἐσθίειν, to eat the food which one has procured for himself by his own labor, 2 Thessalonians 3:12; μήτε ἄρτον ἐσθίον, μήτε οἶνον πίνων, abstaining from the usual sustenance, or using it sparingly, Luke 7:33; τρώγειν τόν ἄρτον μετά τίνος to be one's table-companion, his familiar friend, John 13:18 (Psalm 40:10 Artos is the ordinary word for the staple food of the Near East. In the Gospels it appears in scenes of everyday life: a father gives his child bread rather than a stone (Matthew 7:9), disciples pack no bread for the road (Mark 6:8), and the prodigal son remembers “how many of my father’s hired servants have food enough and to spare” (Luke 15:17). Such texts ground the word in the ordinary rhythm of meals, labor and household economy. Dependence on God for Provision Artos becomes a measuring stick of trust in the Father’s care. In the wilderness temptation Satan urges Jesus to command stones to become bread; the Lord answers, “ ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ ” (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). The Lord’s Prayer teaches believers to look heavenward each day: “Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). Scripture therefore joins physical bread and spiritual dependence, refusing to separate body and soul. Miraculous Multiplication All four Gospels record the feeding of the five thousand, where five loaves become a banquet for multitudes (e.g., Matthew 14:17-20; John 6:9-13). A second miracle feeds four thousand (Matthew 15:34-37; Mark 8:5-8). In each account Jesus blesses, breaks and distributes the bread, revealing His messianic compassion and prefiguring the breaking of bread at the Last Supper. The disciples’ failure to grasp the meaning of the multiplied “loaves” (Mark 6:52; 8:14-21) contrasts with the Lord’s abundant sufficiency. Bread in Tabernacle and Temple Worship Hebrews 9:2 recalls the “consecrated bread of the presence” (artoi) that stood continually before God as a memorial of Israel’s covenant relationship. Artos thereby links New-Covenant worship to Old-Covenant symbolism, preparing readers for the greater realities revealed in Christ. The Bread of Life Discourse John 6 moves from literal loaves to the climactic self-revelation of Jesus: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). He is “the bread that comes down from heaven” (6:50) and “the living bread that came down from heaven” (6:51). Those who eat this bread—an image of believing participation—receive eternal life. The passage unites the manna of Exodus, the multiplied loaves, and the impending sacrifice of Calvary, centering them all in the Person of Christ. The Lord’s Supper At the Passover table Jesus “took bread, said the blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is My body’ ” (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19). Paul transmits the same tradition: “The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread” (1 Corinthians 11:23). The broken artos signifies the crucified body of the Savior. Participation in this bread proclaims His death (1 Corinthians 11:26) and unifies the church: “Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:17). Breaking Bread in Fellowship Pentecost inaugurated a pattern of shared meals: “They devoted themselves … to the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42) and “[broke] bread from house to house” (Acts 2:46). On the first day of the week in Troas “we were gathered together to break bread” (Acts 20:7, 11). Artos thus marks both table fellowship and covenant remembrance in the newborn church. Bread and the Christian Work Ethic Paul appeals to artos when confronting idleness: “Nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but we worked night and day” (2 Thessalonians 3:8). He commands the disorderly, “settle down and earn the bread they eat” (3:12). Bread becomes shorthand for honest provision and responsible labor in the body of Christ. Typological and Prophetic Significance Old Testament shadows—manna in the wilderness, the showbread in the Holy Place, Elijah’s miraculous cakes (1 Kings 17)—all converge on Christ, the true Artos from heaven. By feeding bodies and souls, by being broken yet multiplying life, He fulfills every prior pattern and secures every future meal in the consummated kingdom, where “Blessed is the one who will feast in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15). Pastoral and Missional Insights 1. Preaching: Artos invites proclamation of Christ as the all-sufficient sustainer; sermons may trace the motif from Genesis grain to Revelation wedding-feast. In every occurrence artos anchors the narrative to the Creator’s provision, directs faith to the Redeemer’s sacrifice, and summons the church to embodied fellowship until the day we eat bread new in the Father’s kingdom. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 4:3 N-NMPGRK: λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται NAS: stones become bread. KJV: stones be made bread. INT: stones these loaves of bread might become Matthew 4:4 N-DMS Matthew 6:11 N-AMS Matthew 7:9 N-AMS Matthew 12:4 N-AMP Matthew 14:17 N-AMP Matthew 14:19 N-AMP Matthew 14:19 N-AMP Matthew 15:2 N-AMS Matthew 15:26 N-AMS Matthew 15:33 N-NMP Matthew 15:34 N-AMP Matthew 15:36 N-AMP Matthew 16:5 N-AMP Matthew 16:7 N-AMP Matthew 16:8 N-AMP Matthew 16:9 N-AMP Matthew 16:10 N-AMP Matthew 16:11 N-GMP Matthew 16:12 N-GMP Matthew 26:26 N-AMS Mark 2:26 N-AMP Mark 3:20 N-AMS Mark 6:8 N-AMS Mark 6:37 N-AMP Strong's Greek 740 |
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