4203. mazon
Lexical Summary
mazon: Food, provision, sustenance

Original Word: מָזוֹן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mazown
Pronunciation: mah-ZONE
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-zone')
NASB: food
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H4202 (מָזוֹן - food)]

1. meat

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
meat

(Aramaic) corresponding to mazown -- meat.

see HEBREW mazown

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to mazon
Definition
food
NASB Translation
food (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מָזוֺן (K§ 15 a) noun [masculine] food (ᵑ7 Syriac); — absolute ׳מ Daniel 4:9; Daniel 4:18.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The Hebrew noun מָזוֹן appears twice in the Old Testament, both in Daniel 4, where it speaks of life-sustaining nourishment provided by God through the vast tree of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Though rare, the word embodies a rich biblical theme: the Lord’s faithful provision of food for both humanity and the animal kingdom.

Placement in the Book of Daniel

Daniel 4:12: “Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; all creatures were fed from it.”
Daniel 4:21 echoes the same description.

In the dream the king himself is the great tree, raised up by God to bless the nations with safety and sustenance. When the tree is later cut down, Nebuchadnezzar learns that provision can be withdrawn as surely as it is granted. The narrative teaches both pagans and exiles that every meal, every economic blessing, flows from the Most High.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Provision. Scripture consistently portrays food as a gracious gift. “The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season” (Psalm 145:15). מָזוֹן in Daniel aligns with this theme: even imperial abundance depends upon heaven.
2. Universal Care. God feeds both “all flesh” (Psalm 136:25) and the “young lions” (Job 38:41). The Babylonian empire’s resources are shown to be part of that same universal economy.
3. Humbling of the Proud. Nebuchadnezzar’s later deprivation (Daniel 4:32-33) demonstrates that earthly power provides only as long as God allows. Human rulers are stewards, not owners, of the food supply.
4. Covenant Echoes. Israel’s history—Joseph storing grain, manna in the wilderness, provisions in the land—anticipates Daniel 4’s emphasis on God-centered sustenance, reminding exiles that covenant faithfulness, not geography, guarantees daily bread.

Historical Background

Babylon was famed for fertile floodplains and elaborate gardens, yet its bounty is re-interpreted by Daniel as the handiwork of Israel’s God. In a culture that credited gods like Marduk for agricultural success, Daniel 4 boldly assigns that glory to the “King of heaven” (Daniel 4:37).

Intertextual Connections

Genesis 1:29-30: original provision to humanity and animals.
Genesis 41: universal blessing through Joseph, a type of foreign ruler sustaining many.
Deuteronomy 8:3: manna teaching dependence.
Proverbs 27:27: everyday family provision.
Luke 12:24: Jesus cites God feeding birds, echoing Daniel’s imagery.

Together these passages shape a canonical theology in which God’s table is wide enough for all nations and all creatures.

Christological Fulfillment

While מָזוֹן points to physical food, Jesus reveals the ultimate provision: “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Earthly nourishment in Daniel 4 foreshadows the spiritual and eternal sustenance found in Christ, the true source who cannot be “cut down.”

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Trust: Believers facing economic uncertainty can rest in the God who once fed exiles under a pagan regime.
2. Humility: Leaders—political, corporate, ecclesial—must remember they distribute what heaven supplies.
3. Generosity: As recipients of divine provision, Christians are called to mirror that generosity, especially toward the poor and the stranger (James 2:15-16).
4. Worship: Every meal is occasion for gratitude, reinforcing the table as a place of fellowship with God and neighbor.

Key Homiletical Themes

• “From tree to table”: tracing God’s provision from Eden’s garden, through Nebuchadnezzar’s tree, to Calvary’s cross and the marriage supper of the Lamb.
• “Cut down but not consumed”: warning against pride while assuring the faithful that their ultimate supply cannot be severed.

Conclusion

Though occurring only twice, מָזוֹן serves as a vivid witness to the Lord’s sovereign, overflowing care for creation. It summons every age to acknowledge the Giver, receive His gifts with thanksgiving, and share them freely in anticipation of the feast to come.

Forms and Transliterations
וּמָז֨וֹן ומזון umaZon
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 4:12
HEB: וְאִנְבֵּ֣הּ שַׂגִּ֔יא וּמָז֨וֹן לְכֹ֖לָּא־ בֵ֑הּ
NAS: abundant, And in it [was] food for all.
KJV: thereof much, and in it [was] meat for all:
INT: fruit abundant it food for all under

Daniel 4:21
HEB: וְאִנְבֵּ֣הּ שַׂגִּ֔יא וּמָז֨וֹן לְכֹ֖לָּא־ בֵ֑הּ
NAS: abundant, and in which [was] food for all,
KJV: thereof much, and in it [was] meat for all;
INT: fruit abundant which food for all under

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4203
2 Occurrences


ū·mā·zō·wn — 2 Occ.

4202
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