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עֻגָּה

𐤏𐤂𐤄

ʻuggâh

H5692 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Small, round cake of bread baked on hot stones or in ashes, commonly made from simple dough. The term denotes a basic flatbread, typically circular in shape, prepared for everyday consumption or for travel provisions. The semantic range includes flat cakes of bread, cakes offered to guests, or food used as sustenance by travelers.

Semantic Range

round flatbread, ash-baked cake, bread-cake, unleavened bread suitable for quick preparation or travel, simple food provision

Root / Etymology

From the root עוג (ע-ו-ג), meaning 'to be round, to circle,' reflecting the typical shape of the bread. The lexical item עֻגָּה is a feminine noun formed from this root, emphasizing its roundness and baked form.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, עֻגָּה refers to a modest, unleavened flatbread, often baked on heated stones or in ashes, rather than in a constructed oven. It appears in narratives depicting simple fare offered to guests (Genesis 18:6), provisions for travelers (1 Kings 17:12-13), or as a staple food item in times of scarcity. The preparation was generally quick and suitable for nomadic or agrarian lifestyles. In later Hebrew and post-biblical periods, the word's usage expanded to a wider variety of cakes and pastries, but in the Hebrew Bible, it retains its basic sense of 'round bread.' Unlike חַלָּה (ḥallah), which refers to a more elaborate loaf often set apart for ritual use, עֻגָּה is an everyday food. English translations as 'cake' may mislead, since in modern English 'cake' typically suggests a sweet, leavened dessert; the biblical עֻגָּה was a plain bread. No religious or ritual connotation is inherently present in the biblical usage of this term.

Translation Consistency

primary "flatbread" 4 occurrences

ʻUggâh denotes a simple, small round/unleavened bread or ash-baked cake used as everyday food or travel provision. "Flatbread" is a single, natural English word that captures the typical shape, preparation, and function without the sweet or celebratory connotations of "cake," and so works consistently across the term's semantic range.

Alternatives (3 occurrences):
"round bread-cakes" (3x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עוּג; an ash-cake (as round); cake (upon the hearth).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עוג (ʿ-w-g) — to be round, to circle, to make round

Root עוג to be round, to circle, to make round
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4580 מָעוֹג round bread-loaf
H5746 עוּג you shall bake her as a round cake
H5747 עוֹג Og

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5692-03 עֻגֽוֹת ugot HNcfpa cakes round bread-cakes round bread-cakes 3
H5692-01 עֻגָ֨ה ugah HNcfsa a-cake round bread-cake flatbread 2
H5692-02 עֻגַ֥ת ugat HNcfsc a cake round flatbread of round flatbread of 1
H5692-04 וְ/עֻגַ֥ת veugat HC/Ncfsc and-a-cake and round flatbread of and round flatbread 1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5692-03 Genesis 18:6 עֻגֽוֹת ugot HNcfpa cakes round bread-cakes round bread-cakes
H5692-03 Exodus 12:39 עֻגֹ֥ת ugot HNcfpa cakes round bread-cakes round bread-cakes
H5692-03 Numbers 11:8 עֻג֑וֹת ugot HNcfpa cakes round bread-cakes round bread-cakes
H5692-01 1 Kings 17:13 עֻגָ֨ה ugah HNcfsa cake round bread-cake flatbread
H5692-02 1 Kings 19:6 עֻגַ֥ת ugat HNcfsc a cake round flatbread of round flatbread of
H5692-04 Ezekiel 4:12 וְ/עֻגַ֥ת veugat HC/Ncfsc and-a-cake and round flatbread of and round flatbread
H5692-01 Hosea 7:8 עֻגָ֖ה ugah HNcfsa a-cake round bread-cake flatbread
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