Description
Bread was dough made from the flour of various grains, mixed with oil or water, and baked for eating.
Translation
“Bread,” as the basic, staple food of ancient times, often appears in Scripture with the more general meaning of “food.” So the expression “to eat bread” means “to eat a meal” (see GEN 37:25; GEN 43:32; EXO 2:20;). Since the bread was not usually cut with a knife but rather broken or torn with the hands, the expression “to break bread” means “to eat” or “to eat a meal” (see JER 16:7; ACT 2:42; ACT 2:46; ACT 20:7).
In many passages the word that indicates one unit of bread is simply “bread,” as, for example, in MAT 14:17, where the disciples say “All we have here are five loaves [literally ‘five breads’]” (GNT). In many languages it will be more natural to substitute the word “loaf” for “bread.”
The Hebrew word chalah refers to bread of higher quality since it was made with more expensive flour, called soleth in Hebrew (see Plain flour and Fine flour). In some languages it will be possible to make a distinction between this bread and the bread of lower quality.
The Hebrew word kawan in JER 7:18 and JER 44:19 refers to bread that was intended not as food but as an offering to a pagan goddess. It may have been shaped like the goddess or marked with her image; translations reflect both possibilities. Similarly, in 2SA 13:6; 2SA 13:7; 2SA 13:8; 2SA 13:9; 2SA 13:10 the Hebrew word lvivah may indicate a special shape (heart-shaped?). In 2SA 13:6CEV renders it “special bread” and adds this footnote: “Or ‘heart-shaped bread’ or ‘dumplings.’ ” Translators are advised to follow this example. The point of the story here is that the “special bread” or “special cake” was something better than average, which could help to revive a sick person or at least cheer him up.
The Hebrew word raqiq refers to very thin bread, perhaps even crisp. It appears most often connected to the Hebrew word matsah, which means “unleavened bread” (see Unleavened bread). In these passages (EXO 29:2; LEV 2:4; LEV 7:12; NUM 6:15; NUM 6:19; 1CH 23:29), it will be best to translate it as a unit together with the word for “unleavened bread” (see the suggestions at Unleavened bread). In EXO 16:31 the Hebrew word tsapichith probably has about the same meaning.
EXO 29:2; LEV 7:12; LEV 8:26 (following comments adapted from A Handbook on Leviticus at LEV 7:12, page 95): These verses mention three types of unleavened bread (RSV “unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well mixed with oil” in LEV 7:12) to accompany animal sacrifices: (1) The first type was a perforated loaf made with flour mixed with oil but without yeast. (2) The second type was a kind of thin, round bread also made without yeast, but on which olive oil was spread. It was similar to biscuits or possibly pancakes. It is mistakenly called “wafers” in RSV and KJV. Neither should it be translated “cakes,” which will be misleading in most languages. General terms should be used for these first two types of bread, as long as both terms indicate that they are made without yeast. (3) There is some question about exactly what is meant by the third kind of bread. It was apparently to be similar to the first type, perhaps pierced or perforated, but there is no mention of its being made without yeast and no indication that it was actually baked. This has led some commentators to assume that it was merely a kind of dough made of choice flour and oil. However, GNT seems to understand the text to imply both that it was unleavened and that it was baked. Since David shared such loaves with people (2SA 6:19), it seems best to assume they were baked. And although “unleavened” is not explicitly mentioned for the third type, the contrast with LEV 7:13 probably indicates that they were made without yeast. Translators will need to find three different words or descriptive phrases for these three types of unleavened bread.
LEV 6:14: The Hebrew word tufin, which is translated “baked” in RSV and some other English versions, is difficult and uncertain. A number of other translations and commentaries have understood the word to mean “broken” (NIV, NAB) or “crumbled” (GNT, REB). Still others, following the Septuagint, see it as referring to a kind of pastry (NJB, TOB). Translators should probably look for an equivalent to the idea of breaking or crumbling into small pieces. But it may be advisable to add a footnote explaining the uncertainty concerning this term and the different possible translations of it.
The Greek word artos refers to a relatively small and generally round loaf of bread. It was considerably smaller than typical present-day loaves of bread and thus more like “rolls” or “buns.”