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אֲכִילָה

𐤀𐤊𐤉𐤋𐤄

ʼăkîylâh

H396 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אכל to eat, consume, devour

Definition

Edible substance; that which is suitable or ordinarily used for eating or sustenance. The term denotes food, generally as an abstraction or generic designation for that which may be consumed for nourishment. In some contexts, refers specifically to what is customary or permitted as food within the cultural practices of ancient Israel, but the base meaning remains non-specific: edible provision.

Semantic Range

food, edible substance, what may be eaten, provision; anything suitable for eating

Root / Etymology

From the root אָכַל (ʼ-ḵ-l), meaning 'to eat' or 'consume.' אֲכִילָה is a feminine noun formation corresponding to 'eating' or more concretely, 'that which is for eating.' The root verb is broadly used for the physical act of eating.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The noun אֲכִילָה is rare, principally found in poetic or legal language, contrasting with other common nouns for food such as לֶחֶם (bread, or sustenance more broadly). Unlike צֵידָה (provisions, often for travel) or מַאֲכָל (foodstuff, food item), הַכִּילָה points more directly to the state or suitability for consumption, not its preparation or specific character. There is no cultic or ritual restriction inherently signified by this term, making it a neutral reference to edibility rather than ritual acceptability. Its occurrence in legal or descriptive lists emphasizes the inclusive, abstract sense ('anything edible'), and major English translations often render it as 'food,' though this can flatten the nuance of the term. In later Hebrew, derived forms gain the sense of 'meal' or 'act of eating,' but biblical אֲכִילָה refers strictly to the thing eaten, not the event of eating or a communal meal. There are no defined distinctions in use between patriarchal, monarchic, or later periods, as the term is not frequent enough to chart diachronic change. Later translations (including KJV) sometimes use 'meat' for all edible substances, though 'meat' in King James English meant 'food' generally. Modern translations favor 'food' as a more accurate equivalent.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine from אָכַל; something eatable, i.e. food; meat.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אכל (ʾ-k-l) — to eat, consume, devour

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3978 מַאֲכָל for food
H3979 מַאֲכֶלֶת the slaughter-knife
H398 אָכַל to eat
H3980 מַאֲכֹלֶת like an eating-implement of
H399 אֲכַל they ate

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H396-01 הָ/אֲכִילָ֣ה haakhilah HTd/Ncfsa the food the edible provision 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H396-01 1 Kings 19:8 הָ/אֲכִילָ֣ה haakhilah HTd/Ncfsa the food the edible provision
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