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G1305 διατροφή (diatrophḗ)

Greek 📖 Greek Word Study
Noun, Feminine
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Quick Definition

διατροφή, ῆς, ἡ n.f. nourishment, food

Strong's Definition

nourishment

Derivation: from a compound of G1223 (διά) and G5142 (τρέφω);

KJV Usage: food

UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

noun, f. | -ῆς | τρέφω

5.1 · Foods and Condiments · Food

food any kind of food or nourishment Almost all languages have at least a few general terms for food, though these may be derived from verbal expressions meaning essentially ‘that which is eaten.’ In some instances a distinction may be made between ‘that which is chewed’ and ‘that which is drunk,’ and it may therefore be important in certain contexts to speak of food in general by a phrase meaning ‘that which is either chewed or drunk.’ If one fails to include both types of food, the reader might interpret a passage such as MAT 6:11 as requesting only solid foods.
In the place of a general term or phrase such as ‘that which is eaten’ or ‘that which is consumed,’ some languages generalize the meaning of a particular term. For example, in certain parts of the Orient the term meaning specifically ‘rice’ also refers to ‘food’ in general. In fact, some persons will declare, ‘I have not eaten!’ if they have not had rice as part of a meal. A similar type of meaning has developed in English with respect to ‘bread.’ For example, in rendering LUK 4:4 (οὐκ ἐπ’ ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος ‘man shall not live by bread alone’) it would be wrong to employ a strictly literal rendering, since this might mean simply that people should not live on a diet consisting solely of bread. The meaning of LUK 4:4 is, of course, ‘to live means more than merely eating.’

1TI 6:8

1 There are no doubt certain subtle differences of meaning in the various terms listed here as meaning ‘food,’ but it is impossible to determine such distinctions in meaning from NT contexts. Perhaps τροφή and διατροφή are somewhat more generic in meaning and may suggest a greater emphasis upon nourishment (see footnote b). At the same time, βρῶσις[c] and βρῶμα[a] may imply solid substantive food, but it is difficult, if not impossible, to argue for such subtle connotative distinctions in meanings which are essentially generic. 2 1TI 6:8 It is possible that τροφή and διατροφή focus primarily upon the meaning of food as nourishment, and in 1TI 6:8 and MAT 10:10 it would be perfectly appropriate to use a translation meaning ‘nourishment’ rather than merely ‘food.’

UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

δια-τροφή, -ῆς, 7, (διατρέφω to support), sustenance : 1 Tim. vi. 8. (Xen. vect. 4, 49; Menand. ap. Stob. floril. 61, 1 [vol. ii. 386 ed. Gaisf.]; Diod. 19, 32; Epict. ench. 12; Joseph. antt. 2, 5,7; 4, 8,21; often in Plut.; 1 Mace. vi. 49.)

Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary

διατροφή diatrophē 1x

food, sustenance, 1 Tim. 6:8*

Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon

** δια-τροφή, ῆς, ἡ

(< διατρέφω, to support, sustain), [in LXX: I Mac 6:49 * ;]

food, nourishment: I Ti 6:8.†

Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT

διατροφή is found, as in τ Tim 68, in P Oxy IT. 275} (a contract of apprenticeship—a.D. 66) εἰς λόγον διατροφῆς δραχμὰς πέντε, “on account of his keep five drachmas,” III. 4947® (a will = a.p. 156) ἢ δ᾽ αὐτὴ γυνή pov χορηγήσει τῷ υἱῷ μου Δείῳ εἰς δ[ι]α[τρο]φὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην δαπάνην kth., “τὴν said wife shall supply to my son Dius for his sustenance and other expenses” etc. (Edd.), 74. 497° (a marriage contract—early ii/A.D.) χορηγείτω ὃ αὐτὸς Θέων τοῖς τέκνοις τὰ πρὸς τὴν διατροφήν, BGU I. 3217 (A.v. 216) τὰ εἰς διατροφὴν ἀποκείμενα σειτάρια, etc. For the verb, as in Judith 52°, cf. P Oxy IIT. 638 (A.p. 112) ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῆς χρόνον ἐφ᾽ ὃν καὶ διατρέφειν ἡμᾶς αὐτήν.

Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon

διατροφή (diatrophē) — food. διατροφή, ἡ, sustenance and support, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τῷ τέρατι [the Minotaur] πρὸς διατροφὴν κατασκευάσαι λαβύρινθον [Refs 1st c.BC+]: plural, means of subsistence, [NT]

STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon

δια-τροφή, ῆς, ἡ (διατρέφω, to support, sustain), [in LXX: 1Ma.6:49 * ;] food, nourishment: 1Ti.6:8.† (AS)

Bible Occurrences (1)

6:8

📖 Greek Word Study — In-Depth Study from Precept Austin

Food (1305) diatrophe

Food (1305) (diatrophe from diatrepho =to maintain,<> diá = an intensifier + trépho = to nourish) is used only here in the NT (one use 1Macc 6:49) and from the meaning of the root verb diatrepho gives us the sense of that which sustains, maintains, nourishes, or supports the body. Sustenance. Nourishment. Means of subsistence suggests that it may have a broader sense than just food, though that is doubtless the primary idea. Mouton and Milligan record that diatrophe is found in a papyrus contract of apprenticeship from Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, and dated A.D. 66—perhaps the very year that 1 Timothy was written—this word occurs in the sense of board and room. Five drachmas was to be paid for the boy's "keep" (Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, page 156). A well-filled stomach is indeed a great thing —all else is luxury.

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