Bread

Bread the basic component of the diet

Matthew 6:11 ESV

Give us this day our daily bread,

See also Dt 8:3; Job 23:12; Ge 14:18; Ge 18:3–6 Abraham entertains the three angels; Ge 25:34; Ge 27:17; Ge 45:23; Dt 8:7–9; Dt 23:4; Jdg 8:5–6 Gideon asks for bread for his troops; Jdg 19:19; Ru 2:14; 1 Sa 2:36; 1 Sa 17:17; 1 Sa 21:2–3; 1 Sa 25:7–11 Nabal refuses bread to David’s men; 1 Ki 13:7–22; 1 Ki 17:10–16 The widow at Zarephath feeds Elijah and is rewarded; 1 Ki 19:5–6; Ps 104:14–15; Pr 30:8; Is 33:16; Is 51:14; Is 55:2; Je 37:21 Jeremiah’s rations in prison; Je 42:14; La 5:6; Eze 4:9; Mt 4:3–4 the temptation of Jesus Christ; Mk 6:8; 2 Co 9:10

A diet consisting solely of bread was indicative of deprivation

1 Kings 22:27 ESV

and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.” ’ ”

See also Pr 6:26; La 1:11; La 2:12; La 4:4

Kinds of bread

Unleavened bread

Exodus 12:39 ESV

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

See also Ex 12:8; Ex 12:14–20; Ex 13:3–7

Manna

Exodus 16:31–35 ESV

Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

See also Ps 78:23–25; Ex 16:4–8; Ex 16:11–12; Ex 16:14–19; Ne 9:15; Ps 105:40

Gifts of bread

Genesis 45:23 ESV

To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey.

See also 1 Sa 10:3–4; 1 Sa 16:20; 1 Sa 25:18; 2 Sa 6:19; 2 Sa 16:1–2; 1 Ki 14:3; 2 Ki 4:42

Offerings of bread

Leviticus 7:11–14 ESV

“And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord. If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings.

See also Ex 29:2; Ex 29:32–34; Le 2:11; Le 8:31–32; Le 23:20; Nu 6:17–20; Jdg 6:19–21

The bread of the Presence

Leviticus 24:5–8 ESV

“You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever.

The table for the bread of the Presence:

Ex 25:23–30; Ex 35:10–13; Ex 39:33–36; Ex 40:22–23; Nu 4:4–8

1 Sa 21:1–6 David and his men eat the consecrated bread; 1 Ch 9:31–32; 1 Ch 23:29; 2 Ch 2:4; 2 Ch 13:11; Ne 10:32–33; Mt 12:1–8 Jesus Christ and his disciples in the cornfields on the Sabbath; Heb 9:1–2

Jesus Christ as the bread of life

John 6:25–35 ESV

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

See also Jn 6:41–59

Miracles of multiplication of bread

Matthew 14:13–21 ESV

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

See also Mt 15:32–38

The breaking of bread as a symbol of the death of Jesus Christ

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

See also Lk 24:28–35; Ac 2:42; Ac 2:46; Ac 20:6–7; Ac 20:11; Ac 27:35; 1 Co 10:16–17