Topical Bible: Bread was Kneaded

Bible > Topical > Bread was Kneaded

◄ Bread was Kneaded ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, bread was a staple food and held significant cultural and spiritual importance. The process of kneading bread is mentioned in various passages throughout the Bible, reflecting both the daily life of ancient peoples and deeper spiritual truths.

Cultural and Historical Context

Kneading bread was a common practice in ancient Israelite households. The process involved mixing flour, water, and sometimes leaven (yeast) to create dough, which was then kneaded by hand to develop its texture and elasticity. This task was typically performed by women and was an essential part of daily life, as bread was a primary component of the diet.

The kneading of bread is first mentioned in the context of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. In Exodus 12:34 , it is recorded, "So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing." This passage highlights the urgency of the Israelites' departure, as they did not have time to let their dough rise.

Spiritual Significance

Bread, and by extension the act of kneading, holds deep spiritual symbolism in the Bible. Bread is often associated with God's provision and sustenance. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11), emphasizing reliance on God for daily needs.

The process of kneading can also symbolize preparation and transformation. Just as dough is worked and shaped, believers are called to be molded by God's hands. In Jeremiah 18:6 , God compares His relationship with Israel to a potter shaping clay: "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel."

Passover and Unleavened Bread

The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately follows Passover, commemorates the Israelites' hasty departure from Egypt. During this time, leaven is removed from homes, and only unleavened bread is eaten. This practice serves as a reminder of the Israelites' deliverance and a call to spiritual purity. In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 , Paul writes, "Get rid of the old leaven, so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Daily Life and Worship

In addition to its role in daily sustenance, bread was integral to worship and offerings. The showbread, or "bread of the Presence," was placed in the Tabernacle and later the Temple as a perpetual offering before the Lord (Exodus 25:30). This bread, made from fine flour, was a symbol of God's covenant and His provision for the twelve tribes of Israel.

The act of kneading and baking bread for offerings was a sacred duty, reflecting the dedication and service of the people to God. In Leviticus 24:5-9 , specific instructions are given for preparing the showbread, underscoring its importance in worship.

Conclusion

The kneading of bread in biblical times was more than a mere culinary task; it was a vital part of life that carried rich spiritual meaning. From the urgency of the Exodus to the symbolism of unleavened bread, the act of kneading reflects themes of provision, transformation, and worship that resonate throughout Scripture.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 18:6
And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes on the hearth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 7:18
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hosea 7:4
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceases from raising after he has kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Give us Today Our Needful Bread
... And while we are considering the needful bread and the tree of life and the ... by Abraham
and partook of three measures of fine flour of wheat kneaded into ember ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xvii give us today.htm

The Leaven.
... Baking the bread of the household was accounted women's work; as men ploughed
and sowed in the field, women kneaded and baked at the oven. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/iv the leaven.htm

On Gen. vii. 6
... They kneaded dough accordingly, and prepared just about as much as might be sufficient
for ... Cham was standing by, about to put a large piece of bread into the ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/section iv on gen vii.htm

I Shall Explain to You Also How it is that the Soul is Transfused ...
... offer up prayer first of all, addressing themselves in these terms to the bread:
"I have ... in himself in like manner, or if he kneads he will be kneaded, or if ...
/.../the acts of the disputation with the heresiarch manes/9 i shall explain to.htm

John vi. 41, 42
... Here He saith that Himself giveth, not the Father; [1297] "The bread that I will
give ... On this account He hath mixed up Himself with us; He hath kneaded up [1302 ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xlvi john vi 41.htm

The Death of Two Brave Warriors
... And she took flour and kneaded it and baked from it bread without yeast.
She set it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the death of two brave.htm

Leaven
... God is supreme, is to change the heavy lump of dough into light, nutritious bread. ...
in order to keep it from putrefaction; the leaven is to be kneaded up into ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/leaven.htm

How a Man's Conduct Comes Home to Him
... has to come up, to ripen, and to be reaped and threshed and ground in the mill,
and the flour must be kneaded and baked in the oven; but the bread comes to the ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/how a mans conduct comes.htm

How the Hebrews under the Conduct of Moses Left Egypt.
... out of the land, because it was a desert, they eat of loaves kneaded of flour ... in,
we keep a feast for eight days, which is called the feast of unleavened bread. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 15 how the hebrews.htm

Concerning the Unity of God . On the Article, I Believe in one God ...
... 9: "And when they are going to eat bread, they first pray, speaking thus to the
bread: I neither reaped thee, nor ground thee, nor kneaded thee, nor cast thee ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture vi concerning the unity.htm