Topical Bible: Hungry

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In the Bible, the concept of hunger is both a physical and spiritual theme, reflecting the human need for sustenance and the deeper longing for spiritual fulfillment. The term "hungry" appears in various contexts throughout Scripture, illustrating God's provision, human dependence, and the call to righteousness.

Physical Hunger:

Physical hunger is a common experience depicted in the Bible, often highlighting God's provision and care for His people. In the Old Testament, God provided manna from heaven to feed the Israelites during their wilderness journey (Exodus 16:4). This miraculous provision underscored God's ability to meet the physical needs of His people. In the New Testament, Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fish, demonstrating His compassion and divine power to provide (Matthew 14:19-21).

The Bible also addresses the responsibility of believers to care for those who are physically hungry. Proverbs 22:9 states, "A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." This reflects the biblical principle of generosity and the call to support those in need.

Spiritual Hunger:

Beyond physical hunger, the Bible frequently uses hunger as a metaphor for spiritual longing and the pursuit of righteousness. In the Beatitudes, Jesus declares, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). This beatitude emphasizes the deep desire for a right relationship with God and the promise of spiritual satisfaction for those who earnestly seek Him.

The Psalms often express a yearning for God that is likened to hunger. Psalm 42:1-2 states, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God." This imagery conveys the intense spiritual desire for communion with the Creator.

Jesus, the Bread of Life:

Jesus Christ is central to the theme of spiritual hunger. In John 6:35 , Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst." Here, Jesus presents Himself as the ultimate fulfillment of spiritual hunger, offering eternal life and satisfaction to those who believe in Him.

Hunger as a Test of Faith:

Hunger is sometimes portrayed as a test of faith and reliance on God. In Deuteronomy 8:3 , Moses reminds the Israelites, "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." This passage highlights the lesson that true sustenance comes from God and His Word, not merely from physical food.

Judgment and Hunger:

The Bible also associates hunger with divine judgment. In times of disobedience, God warned Israel of famine as a consequence of their sin (Leviticus 26:26). This serves as a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and His people, where obedience brings blessing and disobedience results in discipline.

Conclusion:

The theme of hunger in the Bible encompasses both the physical and spiritual realms, illustrating God's provision, the believer's responsibility to care for others, and the deeper spiritual longing for righteousness and communion with God. Through Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, believers find ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction for their spiritual hunger.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (superl.) Feeling hunger; having a keen appetite; feeling uneasiness or distress from want of food; hence, having an eager desire.

2. (superl.) Showing hunger or a craving desire; voracious.

3. (superl.) Not rich or fertile; poor; barren; starved; as, a hungry soil.

Greek

4361. prospeinos -- hungry
... hungry. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: prospeinos Phonetic Spelling:
(pros'-pi-nos) Short Definition: very hungry Definition: very hungry. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4361.htm - 6k

3983. peinao -- to hunger, be hungry
... to hunger, be hungry. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: peinao Phonetic Spelling:
(pi-nah'-o) Short Definition: I am hungry, needy Definition: I am hungry ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3983.htm - 7k

3523. nestis -- not eating
... eating. Word Origin from ne- (implying negation) and the same as esthio
Definition not eating NASB Word Usage hungry (2). fasting. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3523.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

7457. raeb -- hungry
... 7456, 7457. raeb. 7458 . hungry. Transliteration: raeb Phonetic Spelling:
(raw-abe') Short Definition: hungry. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/7457.htm - 6k

7456. raeb -- to be hungry
... 7455, 7456. raeb. 7457 . to be hungry. Transliteration: raeb Phonetic Spelling:
(raw-abe') Short Definition: hungry. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7456.htm - 6k

3719. kaphan -- to be hungry, to hunger
... 3718, 3719. kaphan. 3720 . to be hungry, to hunger. Transliteration: kaphan
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-fan') Short Definition: bent. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/3719.htm - 5k

Library

Hungry, and Faint, and Poor,
... VIII. SHORT HYMNS: BEFORE SERMON. Hymn 92 Hungry, and faint, and poor,. John Newton
6,6,8,6. Hungry, and faint, and poor,. Behold us, LORD, again. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 92 hungry and faint.htm

Jesus Feeds the Hungry
... THE NEW TESTAMENT JESUS FEEDS THE HUNGRY. When Herod the ruler of Galilee
heard what Jesus was doing, he was greatly puzzled, for ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/jesus feeds the hungry.htm

If You Give a Grape to Him when Hungry...
... Book II. 23 If you give a grape to him when hungry? If you give a grape
to him when hungry, a must-cake, an onion, a thistle, [3547 ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/23 if you give a.htm

Of the Abstinence of one Old Man who Took Food Six Times So ...
... Prolegomena. Chapter XXV. Of the abstinence of one old man who took food
six times so sparingly that he was still hungry. When one ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter xxv of the abstinence.htm

Our Fellow.
... He was hungry sometimes without food at hand to satisfy His hunger. He always
showed a peculiar tender sympathy with hungry people. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/our fellow.htm

A Child's Faith
... "Please give me something to eat, for I am very hungry," he said to her
one evening. ... But you must sit here and sew, hungry and cold. ...
/.../shaw/touching incidents and remarkable answers to prayer/a childs faith.htm

That He Himself is Both Judge and King.
... be at His right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom which is
prepared for you from the beginning of the world: for I was hungry, and ye ...
/.../cyprian/three books of testimonies against the jews/30 that he himself is.htm

The Judgment Scene.
... unto them on his right hand, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/the judgment scene.htm

The Wise Man, Having Found that Wisdom Brought with it but ...
... free and boundless desires"? No, indeed. After all is cast into that hungry
pit, yawning and empty it is still. Look well on this ...
/.../jennings/old groans and new songs/chapter ii the wise man.htm

How Can I Obtain Faith?
... A man is hungry, and he asks you, "How can I get bread?" "Go to the baker's," you
say. The answer is complete enough for him; it meets the case at once. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 18 1872/how can i obtain faith.htm

Thesaurus

Thirsty (38 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Thirsty (38 Occurrences). Matthew 25:35 for I was hungry,
and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. ...
/t/thirsty.htm - 18k

Thirst (40 Occurrences)
... Matthew 25:35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. ... He who comes to me will
not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. ...
/t/thirst.htm - 20k

Homeless (6 Occurrences)
... Matthew 25:35 For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave
me drink; when I was homeless, you gave me a welcome; (WEY). ...
/h/homeless.htm - 8k

Companions (58 Occurrences)
... Matthew 12:3 But he said to them, "Haven't you read what David did, when
he was hungry, and those who were with him; (See NAS NIV). ...
/c/companions.htm - 23k

Sheaves (13 Occurrences)
... Figurative: "Being hungry they carry the sheaves" is a picture of torment similar
to that of the hungry horse urged to go by the bundle of hay tied before him ...
/s/sheaves.htm - 12k

Sheaf (11 Occurrences)
... Figurative: "Being hungry they carry the sheaves" is a picture of torment similar
to that of the hungry horse urged to go by the bundle of hay tied before him ...
/s/sheaf.htm - 12k

Satisfy (32 Occurrences)
... Proverbs 6:30 Men don't despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself
when he is hungry: (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV). ...
/s/satisfy.htm - 16k

Drinks (28 Occurrences)
... (WEB WEY DBY NAS RSV NIV). 1 Corinthians 11:21 For each one in eating takes his
own supper before others, and one is hungry and another drinks to excess. (DBY). ...
/d/drinks.htm - 14k

Robbery (18 Occurrences)
... In the King James Version Job 5:5; Job 18:9, "robber" stands for the doubtful word
tsammim, the Revised Version (British and American) "hungry" in J Obadiah 5 ...
/r/robbery.htm - 16k

Eats (57 Occurrences)
... 1 Corinthians 11:21 for it is his own supper of which each of you is in a hurry
to partake, and one eats like a hungry man, while another has already drunk to ...
/e/eats.htm - 24k

Resources

What does the Bible say about feeding the hungry? | GotQuestions.org

Who are the “least of these” in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the way of salvation? | GotQuestions.org

Hungry: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Hungry (56 Occurrences)

Matthew 4:2
When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.
(WEB WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 12:1
At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
(WEB WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 12:3
But he said to them, "Haven't you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him;
(WEB WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 15:32
But Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "My heart yearns over this mass of people, for it is now the third day that they have been with me and they have nothing to eat. I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they should faint on the road."
(WEY NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 21:18
Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.
(WEB WEY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 25:35
for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.
(WEB WEY ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 25:37
"Then the righteous will answer him, saying,'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?
(WEB WEY ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 25:42
for I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;
(WEB WEY ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 25:44
"Then they will also answer, saying,'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn't help you?'
(WEB WEY ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 2:25
He said to them, "Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry-he, and those who were with him?
(WEB WEY ASV WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 8:3
If I were to send them home hungry, they would faint on the way, some of them having come a great distance."
(WEY NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 11:12
The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry.
(WEB KJV WEY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 1:53
He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 4:2
for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.
(WEB WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 6:3
Jesus, answering them, said, "Haven't you read what David did when he was hungry, he, and those who were with him;
(WEB WEY ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 6:25
Woe to you, you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
(WEB WEY NAS NIV)

John 6:35
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
(WEB NIV)

Acts 10:10
He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Romans 12:20
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head."
(WEB WEY NAS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 4:11
unto the present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and wander about,
(See NAS NIV)

1 Corinthians 11:21
For in your eating each one takes his own supper first. One is hungry, and another is drunken.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 11:34
But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.
(WEB WEY ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Philippians 4:12
I know how to be humbled, and I know also how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Revelation 7:16
They will never be hungry, neither thirsty any more; neither will the sun beat on them, nor any heat;
(WEB WEY)

Deuteronomy 8:3
And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
(See NAS)

1 Samuel 2:5
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. Yes, the barren has borne seven. She who has many children languishes.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 17:29
and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David, and for the people who were with him, to eat: for they said, "The people are hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 7:12
The king arose in the night, and said to his servants, "I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. Therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying,'When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.'"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV)

Job 5:5
whose harvest the hungry eats up, and take it even out of the thorns. The snare gapes for their substance.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 18:12
Hungry is his sorrow, And calamity is ready at his side.
(YLT NIV)

Job 22:7
You haven't given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 24:10
So that they go around naked without clothing. Being hungry, they carry the sheaves.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 17:12
He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
(See NIV)

Psalms 34:10
Young lions have lacked and been hungry, And those seeking Jehovah lack not any good,
(YLT NIV)

Psalms 50:12
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 107:5
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 107:9
For he satisfies the longing soul. He fills the hungry soul with good.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 107:36
There he makes the hungry live, that they may prepare a city to live in,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 146:7
who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh frees the prisoners.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Proverbs 6:30
Men don't despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Proverbs 10:3
Yahweh will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked.
(WEB RSV NIV)

Proverbs 13:25
The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.
(WEB NIV)

Proverbs 19:15
Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and the idle soul shall suffer hunger.
(See NIV)

Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Proverbs 27:7
A full soul loathes a honeycomb; but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Isaiah 8:21
They will pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS

Isaiah 9:20
One will devour on the right hand, and be hungry; and he will eat on the left hand, and they will not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 29:8
It will be like when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger isn't satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he drinks; but he awakes, and behold, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like that.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 32:6
For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profanity, and to utter error against Yahweh, To make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 44:12
The blacksmith takes an axe, works in the coals, fashions it with hammers, and works it with his strong arm. He is hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water, and is faint.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 58:7
Isn't it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 58:10
and if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then your light shall rise in darkness, and your obscurity be as the noonday;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 65:13
Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, "Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be disappointed;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 42:14
saying, No; but the land of Egypt we enter, that we see no war, and the sound of a trumpet do not hear, and for bread be not hungry; and there do we dwell.
(YLT RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 18:7
and has not wronged any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 18:16
neither has wronged any, has not taken anything to pledge, neither has taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Hungry

Related Terms

Pillows (6 Occurrences)

Cushions (5 Occurrences)

Charms (10 Occurrences)

Venison (10 Occurrences)

Chase (14 Occurrences)

Kerchiefs (2 Occurrences)

Joints (7 Occurrences)

Lengths (2 Occurrences)

Wolf (4 Occurrences)