Definition and Context: In the biblical context, "nourishing" refers to the act of providing sustenance, support, and care necessary for growth and health. This concept is both physical and spiritual, encompassing the provision of food and the nurturing of one's spiritual life through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Physical Nourishment: The Bible frequently addresses the importance of physical nourishment. In Genesis 1:29 , God provides for humanity's physical needs by giving "every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it" for food. This provision underscores God's role as the ultimate provider of nourishment.

In the New Testament, Jesus emphasizes the importance of physical nourishment in His miracles, such as the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21). Here, Jesus demonstrates compassion by ensuring the physical needs of the crowd are met, illustrating the importance of caring for others' physical well-being.

Spiritual Nourishment: Spiritual nourishment is a central theme in Scripture, often depicted as essential for sustaining one's faith and relationship with God. In Deuteronomy 8:3 , it is written, "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 necessity of God's Word as spiritual sustenance.

Jesus further elaborates on this in John 6:35 , declaring, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst." Here, Christ identifies Himself as the source of spiritual nourishment, offering eternal sustenance to those who believe in Him.

Nourishing Others: The Bible also calls believers to nourish others, both physically and spiritually. In Isaiah 58:10 , the prophet exhorts, "And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday." This passage encourages acts of compassion and service, reflecting God's love through the nourishment of others.

The Apostle Paul, in his letters, often speaks of spiritual nourishment within the community of believers. In Ephesians 4:15-16 , he writes, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." This imagery of the body of Christ growing and being built up emphasizes the importance of mutual edification and spiritual nourishment within the church.

Conclusion: The concept of nourishing in the Bible encompasses both the physical and spiritual dimensions of life. It reflects God's provision and care for His creation, the necessity of His Word for spiritual growth, and the call for believers to extend nourishment to others. Through these acts, the faithful embody the love and compassion of Christ, fostering a community that thrives on mutual support and spiritual vitality.1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Nourish.

2. (a.) Promoting growth; nutritious,

Give us Today Our Needful Bread
... What is more nourishing to the soul than Word, or what more precious to the mind
of him that is capable of receiving it than the Wisdom of God? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xvii give us today.htm

The Lake Samochonitis [Or Semechonitis. ]
... concerning the pointing...The sentence and sense seems indeed to flow more smoothly,
if you should render it thus, "The springs which, nourishing Little Jordan ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 69 the lake samochonitis.htm

How the Will Variously Governs the Powers of the Soul.
... But as for our senses and the faculties of nourishing, growing, and producing, we
cannot with the same ease govern them, but we must employ industry and art. ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter ii how the will.htm

He Teaches Rhetoric, the Only Thing He Loved, and Scorns the ...
... For what else is nourishing the wind but nourishing them, that is, by our
wanderings to become their enjoyment and derision? Footnotes: ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter ii he teaches rhetoric the.htm

Whether the Entire Punishment Due to Sin is Forgiven through this ...
... Now it was instituted not for satisfaction, but for nourishing spiritually through
union between Christ and His members, as nourishment is united with the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the entire punishment due.htm

Caput xv.
... The powers of taste denote the fulness of the intelligible nourishments,
and the reception of the Divine and nourishing streams. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/dionysius/on the heavenly hierarchy/caput xv.htm

The Name Children Does not Imply Instruction in Elementary ...
... as this: I have instructed you in Christ with simple, true, and natural
nourishment,"namely, that which is spiritual: for such is the nourishing substance ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter vi the name children does.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... from that which thou mayest cast away as an empty bone, others may pick both good
and wholesome bits, yea, and also out of that suck much nourishing marrow. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

Shoes of Iron, and Strength Sufficient: a New Year's Promise
... They have a holy taste whereby they discern spiritual meats, and we would bring
forth for food that which they will account to be nourishing and savoury. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/shoes of iron and strength.htm

Letter i. My Dear Friend, I Employed the Compelled and Most ...
... it is, and even with regard to Christianity itself, like certain plants, I creep
towards the light, even though it draw me away from the more nourishing warmth ...
/.../coleridge/confessions of an inquiring spirit etc/letter i my dear friend.htm

Nourishing (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Nourish. 2. (a.) Promoting growth;
nutritious,. Multi-Version Concordance Nourishing (3 Occurrences). ...
/n/nourishing.htm - 7k

Nourishment (14 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The act of nourishing, or the state of being
nourished; nutrition. 2. (n.) That which serves to nourish; nutriment; food. ...
/n/nourishment.htm - 10k

Nurture (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The act of nourishing or nursing; bringing
up; early education. 2. (n.) That which nourishes; food; diet. ...
/n/nurture.htm - 7k

Nourisheth (2 Occurrences)

/n/nourisheth.htm - 7k

Low (216 Occurrences)
... (superl.) Smaller than is reasonable or probable; as, a low estimate. 25. (superl.)
Not rich, high seasoned, or nourishing; plain; simple; as, a low diet. 26. ...
/l/low.htm - 39k

Weak (102 Occurrences)
... 8. (vi) Not thoroughly or abundantly impregnated with the usual or required ingredients,
or with stimulating and nourishing substances; of less than the usual ...
/w/weak.htm - 38k

Irrigation
... (n.) The act or process of irrigating, or the state of being irrigated; especially,
the operation of causing water to flow over lands, for nourishing plants. ...
/i/irrigation.htm - 9k

Strong (736 Occurrences)
... 13. (superl.) Solid; nourishing; as, strong meat. 14. (superl.) Well established;
firm; not easily overthrown or altered; as, a strong custom; a strong belief. ...
/s/strong.htm - 44k

Slept (74 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 12:3 but the poor man had nothing at all, but one little ewe lamb which
he had bought, and was nourishing; and it grew up with him, and together with ...
/s/slept.htm - 28k

Provision (50 Occurrences)
... Daniel 1:5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and
of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end ...
/p/provision.htm - 23k

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