φάγω
phágō
G5315
SILEX Entry
Definition
To eat, consume food (by mouth); to ingest solid or prepared food for nourishment. Used primarily of literal eating, but occasionally with figurative senses such as taking in or partaking of something (e.g., spiritual or metaphorical nourishment).
Semantic Range
to eat (food), to consume, to partake of, to devour, to eat metaphorically (e.g., as in consuming or taking in something, such as teaching), to be nourished by
Root / Etymology
Root/Stem: φαγ-. φάγω is the aorist/future form of the verb ἐσθίω (esthiō, 'to eat'). The present and imperfect forms of the verb are supplied by ἐσθίω, while φάγω provides the aorist and future. The verb is thus a suppletive form. The root φαγ- is Indo-European, cf. Latin 'facio' (to eat in archaic sense), Sanskrit 'bhaksh-' (to eat).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Classical Greek, ἐσθίω was used for 'to eat' in present and imperfect tenses, while φάγω provided the aorist and future. This suppletive relationship was retained into the Koine period. In the New Testament and Septuagint, φάγω occurs as the aorist form for eating, found in both literal contexts (eating food, e.g., bread, fish) and sometimes figurative (such as 'eating' spiritual food or metaphorically 'devouring'). English translations usually render φάγω as 'eat,' but the Greek alternation between ἐσθίω and φάγω for different tenses is not captured in translation. No significant difference in meaning is implied by using φάγω or ἐσθίω; the distinction is grammatical in Greek but lost in English. In Septuagint Greek, φάγω frequently renders Hebrew אָכַל (’ākal, 'to eat'). The verb has a broad semantic range in both Hellenistic and biblical Greek related to food consumption, with figurative extensions in select contexts (e.g., 'eat up', 'consume', 'devour').
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primary verb (used as an alternate of ἐσθίω in certain tenses); to eat (literally or figuratively):--eat, meat.
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.