Lexical Summary uggah: Cake, round loaf Original Word: עֻגָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cake upon the hearth From uwg; an ash-cake (as round) -- cake (upon the hearth). see HEBREW uwg NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a disc or cake of bread NASB Translation bread cake (2), bread cakes (1), cake (2), cakes (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֻגָה noun feminine disc or cake of bread; — absolute ׳ע Hosea 7:8; 1 Kings 17:13, construct עֻגַת 1 Kings 19:6; Ezekiel 4:12; plural עֻגוֺת Genesis 18:6; Numbers 11:8; construct עֻגֹת Exodus 12:39; — bread-cake, made of קֶמַח סֹלֶת Genesis 18:6 (J), of קֶמַח 1 Kings 17:13, of manna Numbers 11:8 (J E; verb בִּשֵּׁל), of barley Ezekiel 41:2 (simile); unleavened, עֻגֹת מַצּוֺת Exodus 12:39 (E; verb אָפָת); רְצָפִים ׳ע 1 Kings 19:6 cake of hot-stones i.e. baked on them; metaphor כְּלִי הֲפוּכָה ׳ע Hosea 7:8 Ehpraimitic source is a cake not turned (i.e. burnt, ruined). — On ׳ע see BenzArchaeology 85 f. NowArchaeology i. 111 KennedyEncy. Bib. BREAD and synonyms, Ib.CAKE. Topical Lexicon Definition in Daily Life The term refers to a simple round cake of bread, commonly unleavened, baked on hot stones or ashes. Such cakes formed the staple fare of pastoral and agrarian households throughout the Ancient Near East, lending the word a natural association with ordinary nourishment, hospitality, and divine provision. Hospitality and Fellowship (Genesis 18:6) When Abraham hastened to entertain three mysterious visitors, he instructed Sarah to “quickly prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and bake some cakes” (Genesis 18:6). The offering of these cakes expressed covenantal hospitality and served as a tangible act of faith; Abraham ministered to strangers yet unknowingly hosted the Lord (compare Hebrews 13:2). The text reminds believers that humble, timely service—symbolized in a freshly baked cake—may participate in God’s redemptive purposes. Deliverance and Memorial (Exodus 12:39) Israel’s first steps out of Egypt were marked by unleavened cakes: “Because they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, they had prepared no provisions for themselves” (Exodus 12:39). The haste of deliverance meant there was no time for fermentation, and the resulting bread became an enduring memorial in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Every generation that partakes of this feast proclaims God’s mighty act of rescue and the call to leave the leaven of sin behind (1 Corinthians 5:7–8). Daily Sustenance in the Wilderness (Numbers 11:8) Manna, gathered and ground, was baked “into cakes, and it tasted like pastries baked with oil” (Numbers 11:8). The image is one of God converting the wilderness into a bakery, supplying Israel with bread directly from heaven. Even in monotony, the cakes testified to faithfulness; Israel’s dissatisfaction exposed hearts prone to despise grace that comes in familiar packaging. Ministers today may draw on this passage to warn against spiritual boredom with divine provision. Prophetic Provision and Obedience (1 Kings 17:13; 1 Kings 19:6) In Zarephath, the widow was told, “First make me a small cake of bread” (1 Kings 17:13). Her obedience opened the door to unfailing flour and oil, illustrating how God often ties supernatural supply to acts of faith. Later, the despairing prophet himself received “a cake baked on hot stones” from an angel (1 Kings 19:6). These accounts underscore that God both requires and gives: He calls the impoverished to give Him a cake and then sustains the exhausted with one. Symbolic Judgment (Ezekiel 4:12) Ezekiel was commanded to bake barley cakes over dried human dung as fuel, graphically portraying the defilement of Jerusalem’s diet in exile. The ordinary cake became a startling sermon, demonstrating how sin corrupts even daily bread. Scripture’s consistent message is that sin contaminates every sphere until repentance restores purity (Titus 1:15). Moral Diagnosis (Hosea 7:8) “Ephraim is a flat cake not turned” (Hosea 7:8). An unturned cake is charred on one side and raw on the other—inedible and useless. Hosea’s metaphor exposes half-heartedness: outwardly burned with religious activity yet inwardly doughy with unrepentant sin. The imagery warns churches against partial devotion that fails the test of genuine holiness (James 1:22-25). Christological Echoes While the Old Testament cakes primarily meet temporal needs, they anticipate the One who declared, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Jesus fulfills every strand: He is greater than Abraham’s hospitality, the true Passover, the heavenly manna, the widow’s miraculous supply, the prophet’s sustaining meal, the purifier of defiled hearts, and the perfectly “turned” loaf—wholly consumed by the Father’s will. Ministry Applications • Practice generous hospitality; God often advances His kingdom through simple meals shared in faith. Through seven diverse occurrences, עֻגָּה traces a line from kitchen hearths to prophetic theatres, from Exodus haste to eschatological hope, demonstrating that the God who feeds bodies also nourishes souls and that common bread, offered in faith, becomes a vessel of eternal truth. Forms and Transliterations וְעֻגַ֥ת ועגת עֻג֑וֹת עֻגַ֥ת עֻגָ֖ה עֻגָ֨ה עֻגֹ֥ת עֻגֽוֹת׃ עגה עגות עגות׃ עגת ‘u·ḡāh ‘u·ḡaṯ ‘u·ḡō·wṯ ‘u·ḡōṯ ‘uḡāh ‘uḡaṯ ‘uḡōṯ ‘uḡōwṯ uGah uGat uGot veuGat wə‘uḡaṯ wə·‘u·ḡaṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 18:6 HEB: ל֖וּשִׁי וַעֲשִׂ֥י עֻגֽוֹת׃ NAS: knead [it] and make bread cakes. KJV: [it], and make cakes upon the hearth. INT: knead and make bread Exodus 12:39 Numbers 11:8 1 Kings 17:13 1 Kings 19:6 Ezekiel 4:12 Hosea 7:8 7 Occurrences |
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