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βρῶσις

brōsis

G1035 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Act of eating; consumption of food. Refers primarily to the process or act of eating, ingesting, or consuming (literally, the act of eating or devouring). Also used concretely for food that is to be eaten or ingested, though this sense is less common. In select contexts, it can refer figuratively to the process of decay or corruption (the 'eating away' of something). The principal meaning is the action of eating or the capacity for consumption.

Semantic Range

eating, consumption, act of eating, consumption as a process, food (that is eaten), corrosion, decay

Root / Etymology

From the base of the verb βιβρώσκω (to eat, to devour), itself of uncertain, probably pre-Greek origin, used to form abstract nouns denoting actions or processes.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical Greek, βρῶσις referred consistently to the act of eating or the consumption of food. In the Septuagint and New Testament, the abstract sense of 'eating, consumption' predominates (e.g., Rom 14:17, 'eating and drinking are not the kingdom of God'), but the concrete sense as 'food' is attested (e.g., John 6:55, 'My flesh is true food'). Occasionally, especially in non-biblical Koine, βρῶσις could mean 'corrosion' or 'rust,' describing the 'eating' away of metals (see Jas 5:3) – a metaphorical extension from the core meaning. English translations sometimes collapse the distinction between βρῶσις ('act of consuming; food') and τρίφη ('delicacy, luxury food') or βρῶμα ('that which is eaten, food'), which can obscure the noun's abstract foundation.

Translation Consistency

primary "eating" 6 occurrences

βρῶσις primarily denotes the act or process of eating/consumption. "Eating" is natural, covers the action sense (and by extension figurative ‘‘eating away’’/decay) while still fitting contexts where the noun refers to food to be eaten. It is more idiomatic than the formal "consumption" and better preserves the typical usage than the concrete "food."

Alternatives (5 occurrences):
"food" (5x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from the base of βιβρώσκω; (abstractly) eating (literally or figuratively); by extension (concretely) food (literally or figuratively):--eating, food, meat.

Root Family

βρω- (brōma) — to eat, to devour, consume

Root βρω- to eat, to devour
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1033 βρῶμα that which is eaten

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1035-03 βρῶσιν brosin N ACC F SG food act of eating food 4
G1035-04 βρῶσις brosis N NOM F SG rust eating eating 4
G1035-02 βρώσεως broseos N GEN F SG eating of consumption of eating 2
G1035-01 βρώσει brosei N DAT F SG food to consumption eating 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1035-04 Matthew 6:19 βρῶσις brosis N NOM F SG rust eating eating
G1035-04 Matthew 6:20 βρῶσις brosis N NOM F SG rust eating eating
G1035-03 John 4:32 βρῶσιν brosin N ACC F SG food act of eating food
G1035-03 John 6:27 βρῶσιν brosin N ACC F SG food act of eating food
G1035-03 John 6:27 βρῶσιν brosin-2 N ACC F SG food act of eating food
G1035-04 John 6:55 βρῶσις brosis N NOM F SG food eating food
G1035-04 Romans 14:17 βρῶσις brosis N NOM F SG eating eating eating
G1035-02 1 Corinthians 8:4 βρώσεως broseos N GEN F SG eating of consumption of eating
G1035-03 2 Corinthians 9:10 βρῶσιν brosin N ACC F SG food act of eating the act of eating
G1035-01 Colossians 2:16 βρώσει brosei N DAT F SG food to consumption eating
G1035-02 Hebrews 12:16 βρώσεως broseos N GEN F SG food of consumption food
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