Bread: Kept in Baskets
Jump to: Torrey'sLibrarySubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, bread was a staple food and held significant symbolic and practical importance. The practice of keeping bread in baskets is mentioned in several passages, highlighting both its everyday use and its role in miraculous events.

Old Testament Context

The use of baskets for carrying and storing bread is implied in various Old Testament narratives. Baskets were common household items, crafted from materials like reeds or palm leaves, and were used for carrying food, including bread, during travel or harvest. While specific references to bread being kept in baskets are not explicitly detailed in the Old Testament, the practice can be inferred from the general use of baskets for food storage and transport.

New Testament Accounts

The New Testament provides more explicit references to bread being kept in baskets, particularly in the context of Jesus' miracles. The feeding of the multitudes is a prominent example where baskets play a crucial role.

1. Feeding of the Five Thousand: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus performs the miracle of feeding five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fish. After everyone had eaten and was satisfied, the disciples collected the leftovers. "And they all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over" (Matthew 14:20). The twelve baskets of leftover bread symbolize God's abundant provision and the importance of stewardship.

2. Feeding of the Four Thousand: A similar miracle occurs when Jesus feeds four thousand men, along with women and children, with seven loaves and a few small fish. After the meal, the disciples gather the remnants. "Afterward, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over" (Matthew 15:37). The seven baskets of leftovers again emphasize the theme of divine abundance and care.

Symbolic Significance

The use of baskets to collect leftover bread in these miracles carries deep symbolic meaning. The act of gathering the remnants in baskets signifies the importance of not wasting God's provision. It also reflects the idea of God's kingdom being one of abundance, where even the leftovers are more than sufficient to meet needs.

Furthermore, the number of baskets—twelve and seven—holds symbolic significance. Twelve often represents the twelve tribes of Israel, suggesting completeness and God's covenant with His people. Seven is a number of perfection and completion, indicating the fullness of God's provision.

Practical Implications

In a practical sense, the use of baskets for bread underscores the everyday life of the people during biblical times. Baskets were essential for carrying food, whether for personal consumption or communal sharing. The imagery of bread in baskets serves as a reminder of the sustenance God provides and the responsibility of His followers to manage resources wisely.

In summary, the concept of bread kept in baskets in the Bible highlights both the miraculous provision of God and the practical aspects of daily life in biblical times. Through these narratives, believers are reminded of God's abundant care and the call to be faithful stewards of His blessings.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Genesis 40:16
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 29:32
And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Twelve Baskets Full of Fragments Gathered from the Miracle of ...
... If the disciples had kept the one basket, there ... doctrine any more than looking at
bread will satisfy ... the fragments that remained twelve baskets full." (Matthew ...
//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/ix twelve baskets full of.htm

Joseph, a Servant, a Prisoner, and a Saint.
... "The three baskets are three ... and the thin and poorly fed cows ate up the well-kept
and fat ... nothing to reap in time of harvest and the people would want bread. ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter vii joseph a servant.htm

Abigail's Sensible Advice
... Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five roasted
sheep, five baskets of parched ... as you live, since Jehovah has kept you from ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/abigails sensible advice.htm

Of the Question as to How the Four Evangelists Harmonize with Each ...
... they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the ... be a settled matter,
and one kept regularly in ... the view of proving him, whence bread might be ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter xlvi of the question as.htm

The Feeding of the Four Thousand - to Dalmanutha - the Sign from ...
... because they had been so busy for the Bread of Life ... And, it must be kept in view,
that Christ dismissed ... lies even in the designation of the baskets' in which ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxvi the feeding of.htm

Joseph's Eagerness to Help Others
... put him into the prison, in the place where the king's prisoners were kept. ... I also
saw something in my dream: there were three baskets of white bread on my ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/josephs eagerness to help others.htm

Two by Two.
... go free, but for the Queen's sake he kept him in ... As He broke the bread and gave to
the disciples they ... And they filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxiii two by two.htm

Book vii. On the Useful or the Ordinary
... are adulterers, their hearts are like an oven for baking bread. ... and they put the
plentiful leftovers in twelve baskets. ... by it, and you will be kept from those ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/book vii on the useful.htm

Acts of Andrew and Matthias
... altered, nor his mind deranged; but he kept praying to ... Brother, may the Lord give
thee heavenly bread out of ... what was over to them twelve baskets of fragments. ...
/.../unknown/acts of andrew and matthias/acts of andrew and matthias.htm

The Cause of Spiritual Stupidity.
... What connection was there between 'How many baskets took ye up ... maundering over their
one loaf"with the Bread of Life ... the dead, not beyond my reach: kept for me ...
/.../macdonald/unspoken sermons/the cause of spiritual stupidity.htm

Resources
What did Jesus mean when He said, “This is my body, broken for you”? | GotQuestions.org

What did Jesus mean when He said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood? | GotQuestions.org

Why is the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper such a controversial issue? | GotQuestions.org

Bread: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Bread

Bread by Idolaters

Bread in Times of Scarcity, Sold by Weight

Bread of Christ

Bread was Baked in Ovens

Bread was Baked: On Coals of Fire

Bread was Baked: On Hearths

Bread was Formed Into: Cakes

Bread was Formed Into: Loaves

Bread was Formed Into: Wafers

Bread was Kneaded

Bread with Water, the Food of Prisons

Bread: (Eating Without Scarceness) of Plenty

Bread: (Fulness of) of Abundance

Bread: (Of Adversity) Heavy Affliction

Bread: (Of Deceit) Unlawful Gain

Bread: (Of Idleness) Sloth

Bread: (Of Tears) Sorrow

Bread: (Of Wickedness) Oppression

Bread: (Partaking of) Communion of Saints

Bread: (Seeking of Begging) Extreme Poverty

Bread: (Want of) Extreme Poverty

Bread: (When Broken) the Death of Christ

Bread: Barley

Bread: Broken for Use

Bread: Called the Staff of Life

Bread: Christ

Bread: Corn Ground for Making

Bread: Crumb of, Used to Wipe the Fingers, Thrown Under the Table

Bread: Figurative

Bread: First Fruit of, offered to God

Bread: Given by God

Bread: How Prepared in Pans

Bread: How Prepared: Baked in Ovens

Bread: How Prepared: Cakes

Bread: How Prepared: Cracknels

Bread: How Prepared: Honey

Bread: How Prepared: Kneaded

Bread: How Prepared: Made Into Loaves

Bread: How Prepared: Mixed With Oil

Bread: How Prepared: On Coals

Bread: How Prepared: On Coals of Dung

Bread: How Prepared: On Hearths

Bread: How Prepared: Wafers

Bread: Kept in Baskets

Bread: Kinds of Bread of Affliction

Bread: Kinds of Leavened (Made With Yeast)

Bread: Kinds of Unleavened (Made Without Yeast)

Bread: Made by Men

Bread: Made by Women

Bread: Made of Barley

Bread: Made of Beans, Millet

Bread: Made of Manna (In the Wilderness)

Bread: Made of Wheat

Bread: Made of Wheat Flour

Bread: Making of, a Trade

Bread: Manna

Bread: Meal

Bread: Multitudes Miraculously Fed by Christ With

Bread: Nutritious and Strengthening

Bread: Offered With Sacrifices

Bread: Often Given As a Present

Bread: Often Put for the Whole Substance of Man

Bread: Ordinary, Called Common Bread

Bread: Placed on Table of Shew Bread

Bread: Plenty of, Promised to the Obedient

Bread: Publicly Sold

Bread: Sacred, Called Hallowed Bread

Bread: Sacrificed

Bread: Scarceness of, Sent As a Punishment

Bread: Served Round After Funerals

Bread: Sometimes Unleavened

Bread: Symbolical of the Body of Christ

Bread: The Principal Food Used by the Ancients

Bread: Traffic In

Bread: Troughs Used for Kneading

Bread: Usually Leavened

Bread: when Old, Dry and Mouldy

Bread: Yielded by the Earth

Tibbath

Related Terms

Show-bread (15 Occurrences)

Bread-maker (8 Occurrences)

Bread-makers (2 Occurrences)

Bread-basin (2 Occurrences)

Bread-meal (1 Occurrence)

Bread-paste (1 Occurrence)

Bread-basins (1 Occurrence)

Bread-corn (1 Occurrence)

Bread-making (1 Occurrence)

Barley-bread (1 Occurrence)

Bread-yeast (1 Occurrence)

Shew-bread (1 Occurrence)

Bake (13 Occurrences)

Cake (25 Occurrences)

Yeast (48 Occurrences)

Baked (26 Occurrences)

Camest (27 Occurrences)

Showbread (18 Occurrences)

Cakes (65 Occurrences)

Shewbread (16 Occurrences)

Agape

Cooking (14 Occurrences)

Crust (3 Occurrences)

Arrangement (18 Occurrences)

Supply (40 Occurrences)

Supplied (22 Occurrences)

Basket (40 Occurrences)

Broke (153 Occurrences)

Containing (12 Occurrences)

Clusters (12 Occurrences)

Crumb

Abib (5 Occurrences)

Satiety (12 Occurrences)

Anxiety (24 Occurrences)

Cooked (35 Occurrences)

Buy (71 Occurrences)

Parched (37 Occurrences)

Satisfy (32 Occurrences)

Breaking (69 Occurrences)

Bit (46 Occurrences)

Blessing (357 Occurrences)

Broken (559 Occurrences)

Barley (35 Occurrences)

Succoth (18 Occurrences)

Zalmun'na (8 Occurrences)

Ate (138 Occurrences)

Bunches (7 Occurrences)

Basins (33 Occurrences)

Beans (2 Occurrences)

Baking (4 Occurrences)

Bakers (6 Occurrences)

Beggar (5 Occurrences)

Celebrated (24 Occurrences)

Crumbs (8 Occurrences)

Continuing (24 Occurrences)

Companions (58 Occurrences)

Customary (8 Occurrences)

Appalment (10 Occurrences)

Amounts (12 Occurrences)

Summer (28 Occurrences)

Shew-loaves (1 Occurrence)

Sustained (20 Occurrences)

Sop (3 Occurrences)

Scant (4 Occurrences)

Alway (26 Occurrences)

Asses (68 Occurrences)

Consecrated (101 Occurrences)

Supplies (23 Occurrences)

Zalmunna (9 Occurrences)

Spent (76 Occurrences)

Yourselves (530 Occurrences)

Ziba (13 Occurrences)

Satisfied (110 Occurrences)

Zebah (9 Occurrences)

Yea (867 Occurrences)

Aught (52 Occurrences)

Alone (232 Occurrences)

Supper (17 Occurrences)

Vowed (34 Occurrences)

Bread: How Prepared: Wafers
Top of Page
Top of Page