Lexical Summary oklah: Food, consumption Original Word: אָכְלָה 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 okel Definition food, eating NASB Translation eat (1), food (13), fuel (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs אָכְלָה17 noun feminine food, eating (with some verbal force, compare DrJPh xi. 217) only P, & Ezekiel; always לְאָכְלָה, 1 especially in phrase like ׳לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָ Genesis 1:29; Genesis 6:21; Genesis 9:3; Leviticus 11:39; so Leviticus 25:6 וְהָיְתָה שַׁבַּת הָאָרֶץ לָכֶם לְאָבְלָה compare ׳נָתַן לְא Genesis 1:30; Exodus 16:15. 2 devouring, by wild beasts, only figurative of ravaged people Ezekiel 29:5; Ezekiel 34:5,8,10; Ezekiel 39:4, compare Ezekiel 35:12. 3 consumimg, in fire Ezekiel 15:4,6, of fire-sacrifice of children Ezekiel 23:37; figurative of judgment of ׳י Ezekiel 21:37; (compare also infinitive of אָכַל). Topical Lexicon Biblical Usage Overview The 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, while Leviticus 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 In Ezekiel 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 foreshadows Revelation 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 by Ezekiel 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 leochLahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 1:29 HEB: לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָֽה׃ NAS: seed; it shall be food for you; KJV: seed; to you it shall be for meat. INT: seed shall be shall be food Genesis 1:30 Genesis 6:21 Genesis 9:3 Exodus 16:15 Leviticus 11:39 Leviticus 25:6 Jeremiah 12:9 Ezekiel 15:4 Ezekiel 15:6 Ezekiel 21:32 Ezekiel 23:37 Ezekiel 29:5 Ezekiel 34:5 Ezekiel 34:8 Ezekiel 34:10 Ezekiel 35:12 Ezekiel 39:4 18 Occurrences |
    |