ochel · food

What it means

ochel (אֹכֶל) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “food”.

Provisions.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. What is bought, stored or eaten as daily sustenance.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Food, nourishment: what is eaten and the provisions that are stored. It comes from the verb אָכַל, ‘eat’ (H398).

• The food Joseph stores Genesis 41:35Genesis 41:48
• The brothers go to Egypt to buy food Genesis 42:7Genesis 43:2Genesis 44:1
• The manna: “what he can eat” Exodus 16:16Exodus 16:18
• “You give them their food in its season” Psalms 104:27Psalms 145:15Job 38:41
• Not lending food for profit Leviticus 25:37

Historical and cultural background

Joseph had “all the food of these good years” gathered and kept in the cities (Genesis 41:35), and that is why his brothers had to go down to Egypt “to buy food” (42:7).

How we translate it

“Food” 38 times, in the story of Joseph as in the Psalms and Job. When the Hebrew says ‘for the eating’ it is rendered “what he can eat” (Exodus 16:16, 18). In Genesis 14:11, “all their food”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• food ×38
• what he could eat ×2
• eating ×1
• mealtime ×1
• what he can eat ×1
• what he eats ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×16
• Exodus×4
• Leviticus×2
• Deuteronomy×3
• Ruth×1
• Job×6
• Psalms×6
• Proverbs×1
• Lamentations×2
• Joel×1
• Habakkuk×1
• Malachi×1

• Genesis 14:11

  They took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and went away.

• Genesis 41:35

  Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up grain under the hand of Pharaoh, as food in the cities, and let them keep it.

• Genesis 41:36

  The food will be a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine that will be in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be cut off by the famine.”

• Genesis 41:48

  He gathered all the food of the seven years that were in the land of Egypt, and put food in the cities; the food of the fields of each city that surrounded it he put in it.

• Genesis 42:7

  Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he made himself a stranger to them and spoke with them harshly. He said to them, “Where have you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

• Genesis 42:10

  They said to him, “No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food.

• Genesis 43:2

  When they had finished eating the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”

• Genesis 43:4

  If you are sending our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.

• Genesis 43:20

  and said, “Please, my lord, we did indeed come down the first time to buy food.

• Genesis 43:22

  And other silver we have brought down in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our bags.”

• Genesis 44:1

  He commanded the one over his house, saying, “Fill the bags of the men with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his bag.

• Genesis 44:25

  And our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’

• Genesis 47:24

  And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be yours, as seed for the field and as your food and for those in your households, and as food for your little ones.”

• Exodus 12:4

  If the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house shall take one according to the number of persons; you shall make your count for the lamb each according to what he eats.

• Exodus 16:16

  This is the thing that YHWH has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one according to what he can eat, an omer per head, according to the number of your persons; each one for those in his tent you shall take.’ ”

• Exodus 16:18

  But when they measured it with the omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to what he could eat.

• Exodus 16:21

  They gathered it morning by morning, each according to what he could eat; and when the sun grew hot, it melted.

• Leviticus 11:34

  Any food that may be eaten, on which water comes, will be unclean; and any drink that may be drunk from any such vessel will be unclean.

• Leviticus 25:37

  You shall not give him your silver at interest, and you shall not give your food for profit.

• Deuteronomy 2:6

  Food you shall buy from them for silver, and eat; and also water you shall acquire from them for silver, and drink.’

• Deuteronomy 2:28

  Food for silver you will sell me, and I will eat; and water for silver you will give me, and I will drink. Only let me pass through on foot,

• Deuteronomy 23:19

  You shall not charge interest to your brother, interest on silver, interest on food, interest on any thing that is lent at interest.

• Ruth 2:14

  At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here and eat some of the bread and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her roasted grain; she ate, was satisfied, and had some left over.

• Job 9:26

  They pass like reed boats, like an eagle that swoops on food.

• Job 12:11

  Does not the ear test words, as the palate tastes food?

• Job 20:21

  There was no survivor from his eating; therefore his prosperity will not last.

• Job 36:31

  For by them he judges peoples; he gives food in abundance.

• Job 38:41

  Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young cry for help to El and wander without food?

• Job 39:29

  From there it searches out food; from afar its eyes look.

• Psalms 78:18

  And they put El to the test in their heart by asking food for their appetite.

• Psalms 78:30

  They had not turned away from what they craved; their food was still in their mouths,

• Psalms 104:21

  The young lions roar for prey, and to seek from El their food.

• Psalms 104:27

  All of them wait for you to give them their food in its season.

• Psalms 107:18

  All food their soul abhorred, and they drew near to the gates of death.

• Psalms 145:15

  The eyes of all wait for you, and you give them their food in its season.

• Proverbs 13:23

  Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but there is one who is swept away for lack of justice.

• Lamentations 1:11

  All her people groan, seeking bread; they have given their precious things for food to bring back life. “See, YHWH, and look, for I have become worthless.”

• Lamentations 1:19

  I called to my lovers; they deceived me; my priests and my elders in the city breathed their last while they sought food for themselves to bring back their life.

• Joel 1:16

  Has not the food been cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our Elohim?

• Habakkuk 3:17

  Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there is no yield on the vines, the work of the olive lies, and the fields do not produce food, the flock is cut off from the fold, and there are no cattle in the stalls,

And 4 more times.