Meat
An Archaic English Usage
Modern English readers naturally associate "meat" exclusively with animal flesh, but in the 17th-century English of the King James Version, "meat" simply meant food of any kind. This older usage persists in compound forms like "sweetmeat" (a candy) and the phrase "meat and drink" (meaning food and beverage in general). When the KJV was translated in 1611, "meat" was the standard English word for any food, and "flesh" was the specific term for animal tissue. Understanding this distinction is crucial for accurately reading dozens of KJV passages.
Food in the Old Testament
The Old Testament uses several Hebrew words that the KJV translates as "meat." These include 'okhel (food, something eaten), lechem (bread, food in general), and basar (which specifically means flesh). The context determines whether the reference is to food generally or to animal flesh specifically. For example, the "meat offering" of Leviticus (Leviticus 2:1) was actually a grain offering consisting of flour, oil, and frankincense — no animal flesh was involved. Modern translations correctly render this as "grain offering" to avoid confusion.
Jesus and Spiritual Food
In John 4:8, the KJV states that the disciples "were gone away unto the city to buy meat," meaning they went to purchase food. When they returned and urged Jesus to eat, He replied: "I have meat to eat that ye know not of" (John 4:32), and then explained: "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34). Here Jesus used the everyday concept of food as a metaphor for His supreme purpose: doing the Father's will sustained Him more than physical nourishment.
Meat Offered to Idols
In 1 Corinthians 8-10, Paul addressed the controversy over "meat" (food) that had been offered to pagan idols before being sold in the marketplace. The Greek words broma and brosis (both meaning food) are used throughout this discussion. Paul's counsel was that while idols are nothing and the food itself is not spiritually contaminated (1 Corinthians 8:4-6), believers should be sensitive to the consciences of weaker brothers who might be troubled by eating such food (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). This passage has nothing specifically to do with animal flesh but with food in general that had been associated with pagan worship.
The Meat of Maturity
The author of Hebrews uses food imagery to distinguish between spiritual maturity and immaturity: "Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age" (Hebrews 5:14, KJV). Here "meat" represents substantial, advanced spiritual teaching, as opposed to "milk," which represents basic doctrines suitable for new believers (Hebrews 5:12-13). Paul made a similar distinction in 1 Corinthians 3:2. This metaphor of solid food versus milk became a foundational image in Christian teaching about spiritual growth and discipleship.
Dietary Laws and the Early Church
The broader biblical treatment of food includes the Levitical dietary laws (Leviticus 11), which distinguished between clean and unclean animals. In the New Testament, Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and Peter's vision of the sheet filled with animals reinforced this teaching (Acts 10:9-16). Paul affirmed that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink" — that is, not a matter of dietary regulations — "but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17). These passages trace the biblical trajectory from detailed food laws to the freedom of the new covenant.
Biblical Context
The word "meat" (meaning food generally) appears throughout the KJV in passages like John 4:8 and 4:34 (food as metaphor for God's will), 1 Corinthians 8-10 (food offered to idols), Hebrews 5:12-14 (solid food as mature teaching), Leviticus 2:1 (the grain offering, misleadingly called "meat offering"), and Romans 14:17 (the kingdom of God is not about food). The Greek words broma and brosis both mean food in general.
Theological Significance
The biblical use of food imagery teaches that physical nourishment points to deeper spiritual realities. Jesus identified doing God's will as His true food. The author of Hebrews distinguished between spiritual milk and solid food to describe levels of Christian maturity. Paul argued that food regulations are secondary to the realities of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Understanding that "meat" means food in these passages prevents misinterpretation and reveals the richness of Scripture's use of everyday experience to teach spiritual truth.
Historical Background
In the ancient Near East, food and meals carried significant social and religious meaning. Sacrificial meals were central to both Israelite worship and pagan religion, which created the controversy Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians. The shift in the English word "meat" from meaning all food to meaning only animal flesh occurred gradually after the KJV era. The Levitical "meat offering" (grain offering) reflects ancient Near Eastern traditions of presenting agricultural produce to deities, a practice common across many cultures.