Loaf

The loaf was a unit of bread. The normal loaf was round and flat, about the size of a man’s hand with fingers spread. However, sizes and shapes could vary widely. It has been suggested that there were three kinds of loaves: a small loaf like a modern roll or biscuit; a big, round loaf; and a flat, thin bread that was used to scoop up food. Generally, bread made of wheat was eaten by richer people, while bread made of barley was the food of the poor (JDG 7:13; JHN 6:7).

---

Most languages that have a word for bread will also have a word for “loaf,” that is, an individual unit of bread. In many places in Scripture, the word that indicates one unit of bread is simply “bread,” so it may be rendered “loaf” in these places (see the discussion under Bread).

JDG 7:13: The important characteristic of the barley loaf in this verse is that it rolls down the hill. Where a language distinguishes between types of loaves according to shape, a word for a round loaf would be appropriate here.

Consecrated bread, bread of the presence, showbread: See Consecrated bread, bread of the presence, showbread.