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ἄρτος

ártos

G740 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Bread, specifically a baked product made primarily from wheat or barley flour, most commonly in the form of a loaf; by extension, any food made from grain that serves as staple nourishment. In some contexts, may refer more generally to food, sustenance, or provision, employing bread as a synecdoche for basic nourishment. May denote consecrated bread in temple or liturgical settings (e.g., 'bread of the presence').

Semantic Range

bread, loaf, baked bread, food in general (by extension), provision, consecrated bread (in ritual/cultic context), bread of the presence/showbread

Root / Etymology

From the Greek root ἀρτ- relating to bread or loaves of bread. Some have traced it to the verb αἴρω ('to raise, lift'), allegedly due to the leavening/rising of bread, but the etymology remains uncertain and classical evidence is lacking for this derivation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἄρτος ordinarily refers to a loaf or piece of bread, as distinct from ψωμίον (a small piece or morsel of bread, often broken off from an ἄρτος) or σῖτος (grain, or wheat, as a commodity). By the Hellenistic period, especially in the Septuagint and New Testament, ἄρτος can stand for food in a more general sense, but its primary meaning remains 'bread.' In liturgical or cultic contexts, notably in the Septuagint and New Testament, ἄρτος denotes the consecrated bread placed before the deity, sometimes rendered in English as 'showbread' or 'bread of the presence.' The English tradition of rendering ἄρτος as 'bread' captures the usual sense, but not always the more general or cultic connotations. The word appears frequently in narratives of meals, miracles of multiplication, and ritual instructions, demonstrating both mundane and sacred usage without clear distinction by form; the context must clarify which is intended. The dual senses 'loaf' (physical bread) and 'food' (basic nourishment) are especially notable in Koine usage.

Translation Consistency

primary "bread" 96 occurrences

'Bread' is the most natural, flexible English noun that fits the full semantic range of ἄρτος: a loaf or loaves, staple food/provision, and consecrated/ritual bread (e.g., 'bread of the presence'). It is also the most frequent rendering in the P2 data (59 vs. 37 uses of 'loaves'), and it cleanly covers the synecdochic sense ('food') while remaining simple and idiomatic for consistent use across all forms.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"loaves" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from αἴρω; bread (as raised) or a loaf:--(shew-)bread, loaf.

Root Family

ἄρτος (artos) — bread, loaf, staple food, provision

Root ἀρτ- bread, loaf, food (as basic nourishment)

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G740-04 ἄρτον arton N ACC M SG bread bread bread 45
G740-07 ἄρτους artous N ACC M PL loaves loaves of bread loaves of bread 30
G740-05 ἄρτος artos N NOM M SG bread bread bread 10
G740-06 ἄρτου artou N GEN M SG bread of bread bread 5
G740-02 ἄρτοι artoi N NOM M PL bread loaves of bread loaves of bread 4
G740-01 ἄρτῳ arto N DAT M SG bread to/for the bread bread 2
G740-03 ἄρτοις artois N DAT M PL loaves to loaves loaves 1

Occurrences in Scripture

97 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G740-02 Matthew 4:3 ἄρτοι artoi N NOM M PL bread loaves of bread loaves of bread
G740-01 Matthew 4:4 ἄρτῳ arto N DAT M SG bread to/for the bread bread
G740-04 Matthew 6:11 ἄρτον arton N ACC M SG bread bread bread
G740-04 Matthew 7:9 ἄρτον arton N ACC M SG bread bread bread
G740-07 Matthew 12:4 ἄρτους artous N ACC M PL loaves loaves of bread loaves of bread
G740-07 Matthew 14:17 ἄρτους artous N ACC M PL loaves loaves of bread loaves of bread
G740-07 Matthew 14:19 ἄρτους artous N ACC M PL loaves loaves of bread loaves of bread
G740-07 Matthew 14:19 ἄρτους artous-2 N ACC M PL loaves loaves of bread loaves of bread
G740-04 Matthew 15:2 ἄρτον arton N ACC M SG bread bread bread
G740-04 Matthew 15:26 ἄρτον arton N ACC M SG bread bread bread
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