Definition and Overview:
Sustenance refers to the means of sustaining life, particularly through food and nourishment. In the biblical context, sustenance encompasses not only physical nourishment but also spiritual sustenance provided by God. The Bible frequently addresses the theme of sustenance, illustrating God's provision for His people and the importance of relying on Him for both physical and spiritual needs.

Biblical Instances and Themes:

1. God as Provider:
The Bible consistently portrays God as the ultimate provider of sustenance. In Genesis 1:29, God provides Adam and Eve with every seed-bearing plant and tree for food, establishing His role as the sustainer of life from the very beginning. The Israelites' journey through the wilderness further exemplifies God's provision, as He provides manna from heaven to sustain them (Exodus 16:4: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you.'").

2. Dependence on God:
The theme of dependence on God for sustenance is prevalent throughout Scripture. In Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses reminds the Israelites that God humbled them and let them hunger, then fed them with manna to teach them that "man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" . This passage underscores the necessity of spiritual sustenance alongside physical nourishment.

3. Jesus as the Bread of Life:
In the New Testament, Jesus identifies Himself as the ultimate source of spiritual sustenance. In John 6:35, Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst" . This statement emphasizes that true and eternal sustenance is found in a relationship with Christ.

4. Prayer for Daily Bread:
The Lord's Prayer, as recorded in Matthew 6:11, includes a petition for daily sustenance: "Give us this day our daily bread" . This prayer reflects a reliance on God for daily needs and acknowledges Him as the source of all provision.

5. Contentment and Trust:
The Bible encourages believers to trust in God's provision and to be content with what they have. In Philippians 4:11-13, the Apostle Paul speaks of learning to be content in all circumstances, whether in plenty or in want, through the strength provided by Christ. This passage highlights the sufficiency of God's provision and the importance of trusting Him for sustenance.

6. Generosity and Sharing:
Scripture also calls believers to share their sustenance with others. In 1 John 3:17, believers are admonished to show love by providing for those in need: "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God abide in him?" . This reflects the biblical principle of stewardship and the responsibility to care for others.

Conclusion:
The concept of sustenance in the Bible is multifaceted, encompassing God's provision of physical nourishment and the deeper spiritual sustenance found in a relationship with Him. Believers are called to trust in God's provision, seek spiritual nourishment through His Word, and share their resources with those in need, reflecting God's love and care for all creation.1. (n.) That which supports life; food; provisions; means of living; as, the city has ample sustenance.

2. (n.) The act of sustaining; support; maintenance; subsistence; as, the sustenance of the body; the sustenance of life.

5527. chortasma -- fodder
... fodder. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: chortasma Phonetic Spelling:
(khor'-tas-mah) Short Definition: food, sustenance Definition: food ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5527.htm - 6k

740. artos -- bread, a loaf
... 740 -- properly, bread; (figuratively) divine provision; all the sustenance God
supplies to yielded believers scene-by-scene to live in His preferred-will ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/740.htm - 7k

4241. michyah -- preservation of life, sustenance
... 4240, 4241. michyah. 4242 . preservation of life, sustenance. Transliteration:
michyah Phonetic Spelling: (mikh-yaw') Short Definition: reviving. ...
/hebrew/4241.htm - 6k

4202. mazon -- food, sustenance
... 4201, 4202. mazon. 4203 . food, sustenance. Transliteration: mazon Phonetic
Spelling: (maw-zone') Short Definition: food. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/4202.htm - 6k

3557. kul -- to comprehend, contain
... 1), endure (5), had to provide (1), held (1), hold (4), holding (2), maintain (1),
provide (4), provided (6), provided them with sustenance (1), provisioned (1 ...
/hebrew/3557.htm - 6k

2425b. chayyim -- life
... life NASB Word Usage alive (1), life (124), life-giving (1), lifetime (4), live
(5), live* (1), lived (2), lived* (1), lives (4), living (1), sustenance (1). ...
/hebrew/2425b.htm - 5k

4937. mish'en -- a support, staff
... stay Or mishtan {mish-awn'}; from sha'an; a support (concretely), ie (figuratively)
a protector or sustenance -- stay. see HEBREW sha'an. 4936, 4937. ...
/hebrew/4937.htm - 5k

3633. Kalkol -- an Israelite noted for his wisdom
... noted for his wisdom NASB Word Usage Calcol (2). Calcol, Chalcol. From kuwl; sustenance;
Calcol, an Israelite -- Calcol, Chalcol. see HEBREW kuwl. 3632, 3633 ...
/hebrew/3633.htm - 6k

4938. mish'enah -- a support, staff
... staff Or mishteneth {mish-eh'-neth}; feminine of mish'en; support (abstractly),
ie (figuratively) sustenance or (concretely) a walking-stick -- staff. ...
/hebrew/4938.htm - 5k

How Ahab when He had Taken Jezebel to Wife Became More Wicked than ...
... for it lay between them, and this at the command of God, for [God told him] that
he should there find a woman who was a widow that should give him sustenance. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 how ahab when.htm

The Good Shepherd
... is my law; Christ's providence is my guidance and defence"which in the present case
means Christ's companionship"is my safety, my sustenance"which in the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/the good shepherd.htm

The Festal Life
... Now, in the notion of a feast, there are two things included"joy and plentiful
sustenance. ... That is the feeding which brings not only sustenance but life. ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/the festal life.htm

Excerpts of Theodotus;
... But mystically it shows that, as life is maintained in individuals by sustenance,
and want of sustenance is the token of death; so also ought we to fast from ...
/.../theodotus/excerpts of theodotus/excerpts of theodotus.htm

The Boy and the Sunday School
... symmetrical maturity. He needs but three things to attain his best: proper
sustenance, unlimited activity, and careful guidance. Given ...
/.../alexander/the boy and the sunday school/v the boy and the.htm

On Clothes.
... These are the "What?" And of bare sustenance, dry and moist, as being necessaries,
He says, "Your Father knoweth that ye need these." And if, in a word, we are ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter xi name clothes.htm

Acts xxviii. 1
... 1166] more negligent, but what a liberal entertainment was given to them for Paul's
sake: and three months were they there, all of them provided with sustenance ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily liv acts xxviii 1.htm

The Mountain Road
... But this flock finds supplies on the barren hill-tops. Sustenance in Sorrow and
Loss. ... 2. Promise of sustenance of a higher kind even in sorrow. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the mountain road.htm

How Augustine, Coming into Britain, First Preached in the Isle of ...
... we desire not to harm you, but will give you favourable entertainment, and take
care to supply you with all things necessary to your sustenance; nor do we ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xxv how augustine coming.htm

Mercy must be Freely Shown Even Though it Brings an Odium of Its ...
... [565] Is it not much better that the priests should melt it down for the sustenance
of the ... Surely thou hadst gold? Thou shouldst have given them sustenance. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xxviii mercy must be.htm

Sustenance (11 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) That which supports life; food; provisions; means
of living; as, the city has ample sustenance. ...Sustenance (11 Occurrences). ...
/s/sustenance.htm - 9k

Maintenance (4 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The act of maintaining; sustenance; support;
defense; vindication. 2. (n.) That which maintains ...
/m/maintenance.htm - 8k

Provided (68 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 19:32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old: and he
had provided the king with sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a ...
/p/provided.htm - 28k

Swaddle

/s/swaddle.htm - 8k

Sustains (11 Occurrences)

/s/sustains.htm - 9k

Victuals (32 Occurrences)
... (n. pl.) Food for human beings, esp. when it is cooked or prepared for the table;
that which supports human life; provisions; sustenance; meat; viands. Int. ...
/v/victuals.htm - 17k

Victual (6 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To supply with provisions for subsistence; to provide with food; to store
with sustenance; as, to victual an army; to victual a ship. ...
/v/victual.htm - 8k

Naked (56 Occurrences)
... defenseless. 3. (a.) Unprovided with needful or desirable accessories,
means of sustenance, etc.; destitute; unaided; bare. 4. (a ...
/n/naked.htm - 29k

Neighborhood (7 Occurrences)
... Judges 6:4 they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as
far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no ...
/n/neighborhood.htm - 8k

Living (3112 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Manner of life; as, riotous living; penurious living; earnest
living. 4. (n.) Means of subsistence; sustenance; estate. ...
/l/living.htm - 18k

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