In the biblical context, "dough" refers to the mixture of flour and water, often with leaven, used to make bread. Bread was a staple food in ancient Israel and holds significant symbolic and practical importance throughout the Scriptures.

Old Testament References

Dough is first mentioned in the context of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. In Exodus 12:34, the Israelites took their dough before it was leavened, as they were hastily driven out of Egypt. This event is commemorated in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, where unleavened bread, or matzah, is eaten to remember the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt: "So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing" (Exodus 12:34).

In Numbers 15:20-21, the Lord commands the Israelites to offer the first of their dough as a contribution to Him: "From the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD an offering throughout your generations" (Numbers 15:21). This offering, known as the "terumah," was a way to acknowledge God's provision and to sanctify the rest of the dough.

Symbolism and Rituals

Dough and bread are rich in symbolism throughout the Bible. Leaven, or yeast, is often used metaphorically to represent sin or corruption due to its permeating nature. In the New Testament, Jesus warns His disciples about the "leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees," referring to their teachings and hypocrisy (Matthew 16:6).

Conversely, unleavened bread symbolizes purity and separation from sin. During the Passover, the absence of leaven in the dough is a reminder of the Israelites' deliverance from bondage and their call to holiness.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of dough to illustrate spiritual truths. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, Paul admonishes the Corinthian church to remove the "old leaven" of sin so that they may be a new, unleavened batch: "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are" (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).

Cultural and Historical Insights

In ancient Israel, bread-making was a daily task, typically performed by women. The process involved grinding grain into flour, mixing it with water to form dough, and baking it in communal ovens. The offering of the first dough was a practice that reinforced community and religious identity, reminding the Israelites of their dependence on God for sustenance.

Dough, as a fundamental element of daily life, serves as a powerful symbol in biblical teaching, representing both the physical provision of God and the spiritual truths of purity, holiness, and the transformative power of Christ.(batsek, meaning "swelling, " i.e., in fermentation). The dough the Israelites had prepared for baking was carried away by them out of Egypt in their kneading-troughs (Exodus 12:34, 39). In the process of baking, the dough had to be turned (Hosea 7:8). 1. (n.) Paste of bread; a soft mass of moistened flour or meal, kneaded or unkneaded, but not yet baked; as, to knead dough.

2. (n.) Anything of the consistency of such paste.

DOUGH

do. See BREAD.

5445. phurama -- that which is mixed
... of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: phurama Phonetic Spelling: (foo'-ram-ah)
Short Definition: a mass or lump Definition: a mass or lump, as of bread dough ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5445.htm - 6k1217. batseq -- dough (for cooking)
... 1216, 1217. batseq. 1218 . dough (for cooking). Transliteration: batseq
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-tsake') Short Definition: dough. ...
/hebrew/1217.htm - 6k

6182. arisah -- perhaps coarse meal
... 6181, 6182. arisah. 6183 . perhaps coarse meal. Transliteration: arisah
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-ee-saw') Short Definition: dough. ... dough. ...
/hebrew/6182.htm - 5k

4863. mishereth -- perhaps kneading trough
... kneading trough, store. From sha'ar in the original sense of swelling; a
kneading-trough (in which the dough rises) -- kneading trough, store. see HEBREW ...
/hebrew/4863.htm - 6k

The Parable of the Leaven.
... Like all other plants they require food, and they find this in the dough they are
placed in. ... This gas bubbles up and makes the heavy dough spongy and light. ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the new testament/the parable of the leaven.htm

Leaven
... effect of the Gospel, as ministered by, and residing in, the society of men, in
whom the will of God is supreme, is to change the heavy lump of dough into light ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/leaven.htm

The Leaven.
... the baking of bread. The moist, soft, yet dense mass of dough, is by
fermentation thrown into the form of a sponge. Owing to the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/iv the leaven.htm

Easter Sunday
... It is the nature of leaven that a small quantity mixed with a lump of dough will
pervade and fill the whole lump until its own acid nature has been imparted to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/epistle sermons vol ii/easter sunday.htm

Acon. Ptolemais.
... to be mentioned. "Rabbi came to a certain place, and saw the men of that
place baking their dough in uncleanness. When he inquired ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 64 acon ptolemais.htm

On Gen. vii. 6
... And Noah there and then bade his wife, and his sons' wives, diligently
attend to kneading dough and laying it in the oven. They ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/section iv on gen vii.htm

The First Great Group of Parables.
... separate form. A piece of leavened dough saved over from the last baking
is added to the new dough to ferment it. Three measures ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/liv the first great group 5.htm

The Escape from Egypt
... for me also." The Egyptians also told the people to hasten out of the land, for
they said, "We shall all perish." So the people took their dough before the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the escape from egypt.htm

The Sinner's Natural Power and Moral Weakness.
... those temptations. Just as our dough-faced politicians might, but do not
and will not, resist the demands of the slave power. Just ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/xi the sinners natural power.htm

The Kingdom of God and Your Part in It
... was a minute plant, perhaps one six-thousandth of an inch in diameter, with such
an amazing power of propagation that, simply in contact with the dough, it has ...
/.../stones rolled away and other addresses to young men/vi the kingdom of god.htm

Dough (15 Occurrences)
... The dough the Israelites had prepared for baking was carried away by them out of
Egypt in their kneading-troughs (Exodus 12:34, 39). ...DOUGH. do. See BREAD. ...
/d/dough.htm - 12k

Leaven (24 Occurrences)
... (1.) Hebrews seor (Exodus 12:15, 19; 13:7; Leviticus 2:11), the remnant of dough
from the preceding baking which had fermented and become acid. ...
/l/leaven.htm - 21k

Cake (25 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) A small mass of dough baked; especially, a thin
loaf from unleavened dough; as, an oatmeal cake; johnnycake. ...
/c/cake.htm - 17k

Yeast (48 Occurrences)
... plant or its spores, and under certain conditions produces fermentation in saccharine
or farinaceous substances; a preparation used for raising dough for bread ...
/y/yeast.htm - 21k

Kneading (7 Occurrences)
... Exodus 12:34 The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading
troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ...
/k/kneading.htm - 8k

Knead (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary To prepare dough in the process of baking (Genesis
18:6; 1 Samuel 28:24; Hosea 7:4). Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...
/k/knead.htm - 7k

Leavened (16 Occurrences)
... Exodus 12:34 The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading
troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ...
/l/leavened.htm - 12k

Paste (10 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A soft composition, as of flour moistened with water or milk, or of earth
moistened to the consistence of dough, as in making potter's ware. ...
/p/paste.htm - 10k

Bake (13 Occurrences)
... 11). Common ovens were generally used; at other times a jar was half-filled
with hot pebbles, and the dough was spread over them. ...
/b/bake.htm - 12k

Coarse (6 Occurrences)
... Numbers 15:20 Of the first of your dough you shall offer up a cake for a wave offering:
as the wave offering of the threshing floor, so you shall heave it. ...
/c/coarse.htm - 8k

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Leaven? | GotQuestions.org

Who is the Queen of Heaven? | GotQuestions.org

What is the significance of unleavened bread? | GotQuestions.org

Dough: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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