אָכַל
to eat
also: devour, burn up, feed fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘eat’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘be eaten by man Ex 12’
- Qal Passive
- An archaic passive of the Qal, preserved in a few forms.
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘cause to eat’
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem.
Form
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H398 appears in the Book of Leviticus — 81 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Leviticus
- Leviticus 3:17 תֹאכֵֽלוּ Qal impf 2mp "'It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.'"
- Leviticus 6:10 תֹּאכַ֥ל Qal impf 3fs The priest shall put on his linen garment, and he shall put on his linen breeches upon his body; and he shall remove the ashes from where the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
- Leviticus 6:16 יֹאכְל֖וּ תֵּֽאָכֵל֙ יֹאכְלֽוּ/הָ Qal impf 3mp Niphal impf 3fs Qal impf 3mp + sfx pers 3fs That which is left of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They shall eat it in the court of the Tent of Meeting
- Leviticus 6:18 יֹֽאכֲלֶ֔/נָּה Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 3fs Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as their portion forever throughout your generations, from the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. Whoever touches them shall be holy.'"
- Leviticus 6:23 תֵאָכֵֽל Niphal impf 3fs Every meal offering of a priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten."
- Leviticus 6:26 יֹאכֲלֶ֑/נָּה תֵּֽאָכֵ֔ל Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 3fs Niphal impf 3fs The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the Tent of Meeting.
- Leviticus 6:29 יֹאכַ֣ל Qal impf 3ms Every male among the priests shall eat of it: it is most holy.
- Leviticus 6:30 תֵאָכֵ֑ל Niphal impf 3fs No sin offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be eaten: it shall be burned with fire.
- Leviticus 7:6 יֹאכְלֶ֑/נּוּ יֵאָכֵ֔ל Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms Niphal impf 3ms Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.
- Leviticus 7:15 יֵאָכֵ֑ל Niphal impf 3ms The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.
- Leviticus 7:16 יֵאָכֵ֑ל יֵאָכֵֽל Niphal impf 3ms Niphal impf 3ms "'But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow, or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice; and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten:
- Leviticus 7:18 הֵאָכֹ֣ל יֵ֠אָכֵל הָ/אֹכֶ֥לֶת Niphal inf.abs Niphal impf 3ms ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act fs If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed to him who offers it. It will be an abomination, and the soul who eats any of it will bear his iniquity.
- Leviticus 7:19 יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל יֹאכַ֥ל Niphal impf 3ms Qal impf 3ms "'The flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. As for the flesh, everyone who is clean may eat it;
- Leviticus 7:20 תֹּאכַ֣ל Qal impf 3fs but the soul who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that belongs to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
- Leviticus 7:21 וְ/אָכַ֛ל conj + Qal wpf 3ms When anyone touches any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean animal, or any unclean abomination, and eats some of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which belong to Yahweh, that soul shall be cut off from his people.'"
- Leviticus 7:23 תֹאכֵֽלוּ Qal impf 2mp "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'You shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat.
- Leviticus 7:24 וְ/אָכֹ֖ל תֹאכְלֻֽ/הוּ conj + Qal inf.abs Qal impf 2mp + sfx pers 3ms The fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of animals, may be used for any other service, but you shall in no way eat of it.
- Leviticus 7:25 אֹכֵ֣ל הָ/אֹכֶ֖לֶת Qal ptcp.act ms ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act fs For whoever eats the fat of the animal, of which men offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh, even the soul who eats it shall be cut off from his people.
- Leviticus 7:26 תֹאכְל֔וּ Qal impf 2mp You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings.
- Leviticus 7:27 תֹּאכַ֣ל Qal impf 3fs Whoever it is who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.'"
- Leviticus 8:31 תֹּאכְל֣וּ יֹאכְלֻֽ/הוּ Qal impf 2mp Qal impf 3mp + sfx pers 3ms Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, "Boil the flesh at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons shall eat it.'
- Leviticus 9:24 וַ/תֹּ֨אכַל֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3fs There came forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar: and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
- Leviticus 10:2 וַ/תֹּ֣אכַל conj + Qal wimpf 3fs And fire came forth from before Yahweh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh.
- Leviticus 10:12 וְ/אִכְל֥וּ/הָ conj + Qal impv 2mp + sfx pers 3fs Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, "Take the meal offering that remains of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar; for it is most holy;
- Leviticus 10:13 וַ/אֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp and you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion, and your sons' portion, of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire: for so I am commanded.
- Leviticus 10:14 תֹּֽאכְלוּ֙ Qal impf 2mp The waved breast and the heaved thigh you shall eat in a clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you: for they are given as your portion, and your sons' portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the children of Israel.
- Leviticus 10:17 אֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם Qal pf 2mp "Why haven't you eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he has given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Yahweh?
- Leviticus 10:18 אָכ֨וֹל תֹּאכְל֥וּ Qal inf.abs Qal impf 2mp Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary: you certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded."
- Leviticus 10:19 וְ/אָכַ֤לְתִּי conj + Qal wpf 1cs Aaron spoke to Moses, "Behold, this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before Yahweh; and such things as these have happend to me: and if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been pleasing in the sight of Yahweh?"
- Leviticus 11:2 תֹּאכְל֔וּ Qal impf 2mp "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
- Leviticus 11:3 תֹּאכֵֽלוּ Qal impf 2mp Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.
- Leviticus 11:4 תֹֽאכְל֔וּ Qal impf 2mp "'Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because he chews the cud but doesn't have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you.
- Leviticus 11:8 תֹאכֵ֔לוּ Qal impf 2mp Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
- Leviticus 11:9 תֹּֽאכְל֔וּ תֹּאכֵֽלוּ Qal impf 2mp Qal impf 2mp These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat.
- Leviticus 11:11 תֹאכֵ֔לוּ Qal impf 2mp and you detest them. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.
- Leviticus 11:13 יֵאָכְל֖וּ Niphal impf 3mp "'These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture,
- Leviticus 11:21 תֹּֽאכְל֔וּ Qal impf 2mp Yet you may eat these: of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have legs above their feet, with which to hop on the earth.
- Leviticus 11:22 תֹּאכֵ֔לוּ Qal impf 2mp Even of these you may eat: any kind of locust, any kind of katydid, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper.
- Leviticus 11:34 יֵאָכֵ֗ל Niphal impf 3ms All food which may be eaten, that on which water comes, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
- Leviticus 11:40 וְ/הָֽ/אֹכֵל֙ conj + ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
- Leviticus 11:41 יֵאָכֵֽל Niphal impf 3ms "'Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
- Leviticus 11:42 תֹאכְל֖וּ/ם Qal impf 2mp + sfx pers 3mp Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
- Leviticus 11:47 הַֽ/נֶּאֱכֶ֔לֶת תֵאָכֵֽל ptcl def.art + Niphal ptcp.pass fs Niphal impf 3fs to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.'"
- Leviticus 14:47 וְ/הָ/אֹכֵ֣ל conj + ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms He who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes; and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
- Leviticus 17:10 יֹאכַ֖ל הָ/אֹכֶ֣לֶת Qal impf 3ms ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act fs "'Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who eats any kind of blood, I will set my face against that soul who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
- Leviticus 17:12 תֹ֣אכַל יֹ֥אכַל Qal impf 3fs Qal impf 3ms Therefore I have said to the children of Israel, "No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who lives as a foreigner among you eat blood."
- Leviticus 17:13 יֵאָכֵ֑ל Niphal impf 3ms "'Whatever man there is of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who takes in hunting any animal or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust.
- Leviticus 17:14 תֹאכֵ֑לוּ אֹכְלָ֖י/ו Qal impf 2mp Qal ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms For as to the life of all flesh, its blood is with its life: therefore I said to the children of Israel, "You shall not eat the blood of any kind of flesh; for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off."
- Leviticus 17:15 תֹּאכַ֤ל Qal impf 3fs "'Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening: then he shall be clean.
- Leviticus 19:6 יֵאָכֵ֖ל Niphal impf 3ms It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day: and if anything remains until the third day, it shall be burned with fire.
- Leviticus 19:7 הֵאָכֹ֥ל יֵאָכֵ֖ל Niphal inf.abs Niphal impf 3ms If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It will not be accepted;
- Leviticus 19:8 וְ/אֹֽכְלָי/ו֙ conj + Qal ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms but everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the holy thing of Yahweh, and that soul shall be cut off from his people.
- Leviticus 19:23 יֵאָכֵֽל Niphal impf 3ms "'When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years shall they be forbidden to you. It shall not be eaten.
- Leviticus 19:25 תֹּֽאכְלוּ֙ Qal impf 2mp In the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield its increase to you. I am Yahweh your God.
- Leviticus 19:26 תֹאכְל֖וּ Qal impf 2mp "'You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it; neither shall you use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.
- Leviticus 21:22 יֹאכֵֽל Qal impf 3ms He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.
- Leviticus 22:4 יֹאכַ֔ל Qal impf 3ms "'Whoever of the seed of Aaron is a leper or has an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goes from him;
- Leviticus 22:6 יֹאכַל֙ Qal impf 3ms the person that touches any such shall be unclean until the evening, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his body in water.
- Leviticus 22:7 יֹאכַ֣ל Qal impf 3ms When the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread.
- Leviticus 22:8 יֹאכַ֖ל Qal impf 3ms That which dies of itself, or is torn by animals, he shall not eat, defiling himself by it. I am Yahweh.
- Leviticus 22:10 יֹ֣אכַל יֹ֥אכַל Qal impf 3ms Qal impf 3ms "'No stranger shall eat of the holy thing: a foreigner living with the priests, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
- Leviticus 22:11 יֹ֣אכַל יֹאכְל֥וּ Qal impf 3ms Qal impf 3mp But if a priest buys a slave, purchased by his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread.
- Leviticus 22:12 תֹאכֵֽל Qal impf 3fs If a priest's daughter is married to an outsider, she shall not eat of the heave offering of the holy things.
- Leviticus 22:13 תֹּאכֵ֑ל יֹ֥אכַל Qal impf 3fs Qal impf 3ms But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father's bread: but no stranger shall eat any of it.
- Leviticus 22:14 יֹאכַ֥ל Qal impf 3ms "'If a man eats something holy unwittingly, then he shall add the fifth part of its value to it, and shall give the holy thing to the priest.
- Leviticus 22:16 בְּ/אָכְלָ֖/ם prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp and so cause them to bear the iniquity that brings guilt, when they eat their holy things: for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.'"
- Leviticus 22:30 יֵאָכֵ֔ל Niphal impf 3ms It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until the morning. I am Yahweh.
- Leviticus 23:6 תֹּאכֵֽלוּ Qal impf 2mp On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to Yahweh. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
- Leviticus 23:14 תֹֽאכְל֗וּ Qal impf 2mp You shall eat neither bread, nor roasted grain, nor fresh grain, until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
- Leviticus 24:9 וַ/אֲכָלֻ֖/הוּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp + sfx pers 3ms It shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy to him of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire by a perpetual statute."
- Leviticus 25:7 לֶ/אֱכֹֽל prep + Qal inf.cs For your cattle also, and for the animals that are in your land, shall all the increase of it be for food.
- Leviticus 25:12 תֹּאכְל֖וּ Qal impf 2mp For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat of its increase out of the field.
- Leviticus 25:19 וַ/אֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp The land shall yield its fruit, and you shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
- Leviticus 25:20 נֹּאכַ֤֖ל Qal impf 1cp If you said, "What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase;"
- Leviticus 25:22 וַ/אֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם תֹּאכְל֖וּ conj + Qal wpf 2mp Qal impf 2mp You shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits, the old store; until the ninth year, until its fruits come in, you shall eat the old store.
- Leviticus 26:5 וַ/אֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp Your threshing shall reach to the vintage, and the vintage shall reach to the sowing time; and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
- Leviticus 26:10 וַ/אֲכַלְתֶּ֥ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall move out the old because of the new.
- Leviticus 26:16 וַ/אֲכָלֻ֖/הוּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp + sfx pers 3ms I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away; and you will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it.
- Leviticus 26:26 וַ/אֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight: and you shall eat, and not be satisfied.
- Leviticus 26:29 וַ/אֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם תֹּאכֵֽלוּ conj + Qal wpf 2mp Qal impf 2mp You will eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters.
- Leviticus 26:38 וְ/אָכְלָ֣ה conj + Qal wpf 3fs You will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will eat you up.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“to eat” is the headline sense of the Hebrew verb אכל (ʼâkal). Different stems carry different senses — BDB groups them under 4 stems, among them Qal and Niphal. With 703 verses in 38 books, it is one of the most common word in the Hebrew Bible. Scripture first uses it in Genesis 2:16. From the same root come אכילה, אכל and אכל. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H398 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 703
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 703 distinct verses.
- 38 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 38 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #57
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 57 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 703 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Leviticus 81 verses 12%
- Deuteronomy 71 verses 10%
- Genesis 54 verses 8%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 703 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 317 verses · 45%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 274 verses · 39%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 112 verses · 16%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Eat 128×, Shall eat 38×, Ye shall eat 30×
- American Standard Version: Eat 105×, Ye shall eat 28×, Shall eat 26×
- Berean Standard Bible: Eat 166×, Ate 21×, Consumed 20×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Eat 175×, Will eat 39×, You shall eat 36×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H398 across 809 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 164 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H398 across 808 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 204 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H398 across 784 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 155 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 25 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H398 across 946 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 134 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
15 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 15 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. אָכַל Ex 34:28 +; אָֽכְלָה Nu 21:28 +, etc. Impf. יֹאכַל Gn 49:27 +; וַיֹּא֫כַל Gn 25:34 +; וַיֹּאכַ֑ל Gn 3:6 +; יֹאכֵ֑ל Lv 21:22 +; אֹכַל Gn 24:33 +; וָֽאֹכַ֫ל 27:33; וְאֹכֵ֑ל Is 44:19; וָֽאֹכֵל Gn 3:12, 13; 3 pl. יֹאכְלוּ Gn 32:33 +; יֹאכֵ֑לוּ Dt 18:8 +; etc. (for יוֹכְלוּ Ez 42:5 rd. יוצלו, יאצלו 𝔊 Ew Co); sf. יֹאכְלֶנּוּ Lv 7:6 +; תֹּאכַלְכֶם Is 33:11, etc., prob. also תְּאָכְלֵהוּ Jb 20:26, either as secondary form fr. תֹּא׳ (Ew§ 253 Di) or text. error (Ges§ 68. 1) > Pi., Thes KöI, 389; or Poʿel, Ki De MV; Imv. אֱכוֹל 1 K 18:41 +, etc.; Inf. abs. אָכוֹל Gn 2:16 +; cstr. אֲכֹל Nu 26:10 + 2 textual; לֶאֱכֹל Gn 24:33 +; לְאָכְלָה Je 12:9; Pt. אֹכֵל (אוֹכֵל) Gn 39:6 +, אֹכֶלֶת Ex 24:17 +, etc.— e.g. Exodus 34:28
- 1. eat, human subject Gn 3:11, 18 + oft.; mostly c. acc. Ex 16:35 +; also sq. מִן־ (eat of,—some of,—or from) Ex 34:15 Ru 2:14 +; sq. בְּ (eat of or at) Ex 12:43 f; abs. Dt 2:6 +; as act of worship Gn 31:54 (cf. 46:1) Ex 18:12; 24:11; 34:15 Dt 12:7, 18; 14:23, 26 Ju 9:27 +; of priests Ex 29:32 Lv 10:13 +; cf. אָכַל אֶל־הֶהָרִים Ez 18:6, 11, 15; 22:9 + 33:25 עַל־הַדָּם Co עַל־הֶהָרִים; (but RSRel. Sem.. i. 324 N would emend first 4 by last); eat up, finish eating Gn 43:2 (c. כלה) 1 K 13:28 +; אָכַל לֶחֶם = take a meal Gn 43:25 Ex 2:20 1 S 20:24 Je 41:1 +; so א׳ alone Gn 43:16 1 S 20:5 +; א׳ לֶחֶם = eat, get food Gn 3:19 2 K 4:8 +; Am 7:12 (i.e. spend one’s life) cf. Ec 5:16; לֹא א׳ ל׳ i.e. fast 1 S 28:20; 30:12 Ezr 10:6 cf. Dn 10:3; fig. א׳ אֶת־בְּשָׂרוֹ Ec 4:5 (i.e. waste away); eat words Je 15:16 (i.e. eagerly receive); of adultery, Pr 30:20 אָֽכְלָה וּמָֽחֲתָה פִּ֑יהָ וְאָֽמְרָה לֹא־פָעַלְתִּי אָֽוֶן׃; eat (taste) good fortune, א׳ בַּטּוֹבָה Jb 21:25; לְפִי אָכְלוֹ according to his eating, i.e. acc. to his needs in eating Ex 12:4; 16:16, 18 also v 21; cf. Jb 20:21 & sub אָכְלָה; אָכַל הַפְּרִי 2 K 19:29 Am 9:14, of peaceful enjoyment of results of labour; fig. of receiving consequences of action, good or bad Pr 1:31; 18:21 Ho 10:13 cf. וַיֹּאכַל גַּם־אָכוֹל אֶת־כַּסְפֵּנוּ Gn 31:15 i.e. he has reaped all the benefit, cf. Ho 7:9; fig. of mourner, אֵפֶר כַּלֶּחֶם אָכָ֑לְתִּי ψ 102:10 (cf. 80:6 Hiph., & As. akâl al âkul, bikîtum kurmatî = food I ate not, weeping (was) my refreshment HptASKT 166 f. Obv. l, 21, 22 ZimBP 34, 42); of gods, partaking of sacrifices Dt 32:38; fig. = destroy Dt 7:16 (cf. Nu 14:9); cf. Je 10:25; 30:16; 50:7 Ho 7:7. e.g. Genesis 3:11
- 2. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour; Gn 37:20, 33; 40:17, 19 1 K 13:28; 14:11; 16:4; 21:23, 24 Ho 2:14 +; specif. of locusts Jo 1:4; 2:25 2 Ch 7:13 cf. Am 4:9; moth Jb 13:28; flies ψ 78:45; worms Dt 28:39; also Ez 19:3, 6 (of Isr. under fig. of lion), cf. Je 50:7, 17; 51:34; also Ho 13:8 (of י׳ under fig. of lion), Ez 22:25 (נֶפֶשׁ אָכָ֑לוּ, of false proph. under fig. of lion). e.g. Genesis 37:20
- 3. fig. of fire, devour, consume Lv 6:3 (sq. 2 acc. consume offering to ashes) Na 3:13 Is 5:24 (in sim.), partic. of fire fr. י׳ Lv 10:2; 16:25 Ju 9:15 f 1 K 18:38 2 K 1:10, 12, 14 2 Ch 7:1; cf. Am. 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2, 5; 5:6 +; Dt 5:22 of fire at Sinai; of י׳ as fire (in judgment) Dt 4:24 כִּי י׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה הוּא cf. Dt 9:3 Is 10:17 (‖ בּער) 30:27, 30; 33:14 (‖ מוֹקְדֵי עוֹלָם). e.g. Leviticus 6:3
- 4. of sword, devour, slay Dt 32:42 2 S 2:26; 11:25; 18:8 Ho 11:6 Je 2:30 12:12; cf. of devastation of land Is 1:7 Je 8:16. e.g. Deuteronomy 32:42
- 5. in genl. devour, consume, destroy (inanim. subj.) of drought Gn 31:40; of pestilence Ez 7:15; of forest 2 S 18:8; cf. Lv 26:38 וְאָֽכְלָה אֶתְכֶם אֶרֶץ אֹיְבֵיכֶם; of הַבֹּשֶׁת Je 3:24 (v. בֹּשֶׁת). e.g. Genesis 31:40
- 6. fig. of oppression, devour the poor, etc. Pr 30:14 Hb 3:14 cf. ψ 14:4; of bitter enmity לֶאֱכֹל אֶת־בְּשָׂרִי ψ 27:2. (cf. Jb 19:22). e.g. Proverbs 30:14
Niphal
- Pf. וְנֶאֱכַל cons. Ex 22:5 Impf. יֵאָכֵל Gn 6:21 +; וַיֵּאָכֵ֫ל Nu 12:12 etc.; Inf. abs. הֵאָכֹל Lv 7:18; 19:7; Pt. f. נֶאֱכֶ֫לֶת Lv 11:47;— e.g. Exodus 22:5
- 1. be eaten by man Ex 12:46; 13:3, 7; 21:28; 29:34 Lv 6:9, 16, 19, 23; 7:6, 15, 16(×2), 18; 11:41; 19:6, 7, 23; 22:30 Nu 28:17 Ez 45:21; of custom, usage Gn 6:21 Ex 12:16 Dt 12:22 Jb 6:6; of permission to eat Lv 7:19; 11:13, 34, 47(×2); 17:13; c. neg. be uneatable Je 24:2, 3, 8; 29:17. e.g. Exodus 12:46
- 2. be devoured by fire, consumed Zp 1:18; 3:8 Zc 9:4 Ez 23:25. e.g. Zephaniah 1:18
- 3. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh Nu 12:12 Je 30:16. e.g. Numbers 12:12
Pual
- Pf. אֻכְּלוּ be consumed with fire Ne 2:3, 13 cf. Na 1:10 (fig.); so Pt. אֻכָּל (= מְאֻכָּל Ew§ 169 d) Ex 3:2; by sword Is 1:20 תְּאֻכְּלוּ. e.g. Nehemiah 2:3
Hiphil
- Pf. 2 ms. sf. הֶאֱכַלְתָּם ψ 80:6, וְהַאֲכַלְתִּ֫י Is 49:26; sf. וְהַאֲכַלְתִּיךָ cons. Is 58:14; הֶאֱכַלְתִּיךְ Ez 16:19; וְהַאֲכַלְתִּים cons. Je 19:9; Impf. sf. יַאֲכִלֵנוּ Nu 11:4, 18, etc.; 2 ms. js. תַּאֲכֵל Eze 3:3; 1 s. אוֹכִיל Ho 11:4(?); Imv. הַאֲכִילֵהוּ Pr 25:21. etc.; Inf. לִהָכִיל Ez 21:33 (but Co לההל); Pt. מַאֲכִיל Je 23:15, etc.;— e.g. Psalms 80:6
- 1. cause to eat, feed with, sq. 2 acc. subj. mostly י׳; Ex 16:32 Dt 8:3, 16 Ez 3:2 Je 19:9; abs. Ho 11:4; cf. Nu 11:4, 18; fig. Je 9:14; 23:15 Is 49:26; 58:14 Ez 16:19; also ψ 80:6 הֶאֱכַלְתָּם לֶחֶם דִּמְעָ֑ה (cf. 102:10 Qal supr.); sq. acc. pers. + מן ψ 81:17, but also subj. man Pr 25:21; 1 K 22:27 2 Ch 18:26 וְהַאֲכִלֻהוּ לֶהֶם לַ֫חַץ of prison fare; sq. acc. pers. only 2 Ch 28:15, cf. Ez 3:3. e.g. Exodus 16:32
- 2. cause to devour, obj. sword Ez 21:23 (but on text vid. Co). e.g. Ezekiel 21:23
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. eat (Aramaic أَكَلَ, As. akâlu DlW, Aramaic אֲכַל, ܐܶܟܰܠ )—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אָכַל
- √אך to rub,
- 1. to gnaw, eat, consume. Inf. in Y. freq. לוֹכַל = לֶאֱכוֹל. Ber. I, 1; a. v. fr.
- 2. trnsf. to absorb, occupy, take away. Y. Shebu. VII, 38ᵃ בשרבית אוֹכֶלֶת בו when interests gnaw on (absorb) the property. Y. Erub. IV, 21ᵈ bot. ד׳ אמות אוֹכְלוֹת וכ׳ four cubits entering into the area of Tiberias. Num. R. s. 4 כמה לוחות אוֹכְלוֹת how much space did the tablets occupy &c.? B. Bath. 14ᵃ (interchanging with איגרות, Var. אוגדות, v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note 5, 6).
- 3. (euphem.) to sleep with. Keth. V, 9, differ. of opin. ib. 65ᵇ; Y. ib. 30ᵇ top a. bot.
- to be eaten &c. Zeb. I, 3; Ber. I, 1; a. fr.
- to consume, burn. Tam. I, 4 המְאוּכָּלוֹת הפנימיות (Talm. ed. המעו׳) the thoroughly lighted coals in the centre; Y. Yoma II, 39ᶜ
- to give to eat, cause to eat. Keth. V, 3 היבם אינו מַאֵכִיל וכ׳ the Yabam does not transfer the privilege of eating T’rumah to his sister-in-law. Kidd. 31ᵃ יש מאכיל וכ׳ one may feed his father on pheasants &c.; a. fr.
- 1. to be consumed, burnt up, digested. Ber. VIII, 7 עד כדי שיִתְאַכֵּל וכ׳ Ar. (ed. שיתע׳) until the food is digested (or absorbed) in his bowels. Tam. II, 1; a. e.
- 2. to be worn off, spent. Snh. VI, 12 Y. ed. נתא׳ הבשר (Mish. ib. VI, 6 נתע׳) when the flesh of the corpse was gone. Cant. R. to IV, 4 שלא נתא׳ אחת מהן none of them was worn off. Kidd. 59ᵃ נתא׳ המעות the money was spent; a. e.
אֲכַל
- 1. same.—Inf. מֵיכַל, מֵיכוּל. Targ. Gen. II, 16; a. fr.—Y. Ter. VIII, 46ᵃ כד אתון יֵיכלון when they came and were about eating; ib. (more corr.) אתון מיכל; a. fr.
- 2. with קרצי prop. to eat (the bread of) destruction, eat the informer’s bread, hence to inform against. Dan. III, 8; VI, 25.—Targ. Ps. XV, 3; a. fr.—Gitt. 56ᵃ איכול בהו קו׳; Lam. R. to IV, 2 איכול קרצהון I will inform against them. e.g. Daniel 3:8
- to give to eat, to support. Y. Ter. X, 47ᵇ bot. אוכלה ליה he gave it to him to eat. Gen. R. s. 48, end (read:) אוכלית אשקית לוי hast thou given (thy guest) to eat? to drink? do escort him, i.e. perform thy duties fully. Y. Kidd. I, 61ᵇ הוה מייכל לאבוי וכ׳ fed his father on &c.; a. fr.
- , אִתְאָכִיל to be eaten, consumed. Targ. Ps. LXVIII, 23; a. fr. Tanḥ. Emor, 6 ומה דהבא מִתְאֲכִיל וכ׳; Lev. R. s. 27 ומה זה וכ׳ what is this? do they eat gold &c.? Kidd. 59ᵃ קא מתאכלי were eaten up (spent). [אכלי Af. of כלי to cry, v. כלי.]
אֲכַל II
- (sec. r. of כול) to measure. Ned. 51ᵃ ליכיל לי מר please measure for me. Ruth R. introd. 2. הא … סאה תקום אכול (read סאתה קום) here is the bag and here the measure, get up and fill it; v. כּוּל.
אֹכֶל
- , v. אוֹכֶל
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 494 distinct written forms H398 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 434 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H398, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- אכילה ʼăkîylâh H396 food
- אכל ʼăkal H399 to eat
- אכל ʼôkel H400 food
- מאכל maʼăkâl H3978 food
- מאכלת maʼăkeleth H3979 knife
- מאכלת maʼăkôleth H3980 fuel
- מכלת makkôleth H4361 food
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 9 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 670 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 703 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 2:16
- Exodus 2:20
- Leviticus 3:17
- Numbers 6:3
- Deuteronomy 2:6
- Joshua 5:11
- Judges 6:21
- Ruth 2:14
- 1 Samuel 1:7
- 2 Samuel 2:26
- 1 Kings 1:25
- 2 Kings 1:10
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
