Lexicon epiousios: Daily, necessary for existence Original Word: ἐπιούσιος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: epiousios
Pronunciation: eh-pee-OO-see-os
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-oo'-see-os)
Definition: Daily, necessary for existence
Meaning: for the morrow, necessary, sufficient. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance daily. Perhaps from the same as epiousa; tomorrow's; but more probably from epi and a derivative of the present participle feminine of eimi; for subsistence, i.e. Needful -- daily. see GREEK epiousa see GREEK epi see GREEK eimi HELPS Word-studies 1967 epioúsios (from 1909 /epí, "upon, fitting" and 3776 /ousía, "being, substance") – properly, aptly substantive, appropriate to what is "coming on" (happening), i.e. suitable (apt) for the coming day. [1967 (epioúsios) is cognate with 1966 /epioúsa, "the next day," "the following (approaching) day," "the coming day," see the NAS dictionary.] 1967 /epioúsios ("aptly substantive") only occurs in the Lord's Prayer. It refers to God's provision that is needed for each day (Mt 6:11; Lk 11:3) – literally, "bread that fits (meets) the unique demands of the coming day." NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom epeimiDefinitionfor the coming day, for subsistence NASB Translationdaily (2).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1967: ἐπιούσιοςἐπιούσιος, ἐπιούσιον, a word found only in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3, in the phrase ἄρτος ἐπιούσιος ([Peshitta] Syriac oNQNSd 4MXL [ ] the bread of our necessity, i. e. necessary for us (but the Curetonian (earlier) Syriac reads )NYM) [] continual; cf. Lightfoot as below, I. 3, p. 214ff; Taylor, Sayings of the Jewish Fathers, p. 139f); Itala (Old Latin)panisquotidianus). Origen testifies (de orat. 27) that the word was not in use in ordinary speech, and accordingly seems to have been coined by the Evangelists themselves. Many commentators, as Beza, Kuinoel, Tholuck, Ewald, Bleek, Keim, Cremer, following Origen, Jerome (who in Matt. only translates by the barbarous phrasepanissupersubstantialis), Theophylact, Euthymius Zigabenus, explain the word by bread for sustenance, which serves to sustain life, deriving the word from οὐσία, after the analogy of ἐξουσιος, ἐνουσιος. But οὐσία very rarely, and only in philosophic language, is equivalent to ὕπαρξις, as in Plato, Theact., p. 185 c. (app. to τό μή εἶναι), Aristotle, de part. anim. i. 1 (ἡ γάρ γένεσις ἕνεκα τῆς οὐσίας ἐστιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ οὐσία ἕνεκα τῆς γενέσεως; for other examples see Bonitz's Index to Aristotle, p. 544), and generally denotes either essence, real nature, or substance, property, resources. On this account Leo Meyer (in Kuhn, Zeitschr. f. vergleich. Sprachkunde, vii., pp. 401-430), Kamphausen (Gebet des Herrn, pp. 86-102), with whom Keim (ii. 278f. (English translation, iii. 340)), Weiss (Matthew, the passage cited), Delitzsch (Zeitschr. f. d. luth. Theol. 1876, p. 402), agree, prefer to derive the word from ἐπειναι (and in particular from the participle ἐπων, ἐπουσιος for ἐποντιος, see below) to be present, and to understand it bread which is ready at hand or suffices, so that Christ is conjectured to have said in Chaldean דְּחֻקָּנָא לַחְמָא (cf. חֻקִּי לֶחֶם my allowance of bread, Proverbs 30:8) or something of the sort. But this opinion, like the preceding, encounters the great objection (to mention no other) that, although the iota ἰ in ἐπί is retained before a vowel in certain words (as ἐπίορκος, ἐπιορκέω, ἐπιόσσομαι, etc. (cf. Lightfoot, as below, I. § 1)), yet in ἐπειναι and words derived from it, ἐπουσια, ἐπουσιωδης, it is always elided. Therefore much more correctly do Grotius, Scaliger, Wetstein, Fischer (De vitiis lexamples etc., p. 306ff), Valckenaer, Fritzsche (on Matthew, p. 267ff), Winer (97 (92)), Bretschneider, Wahl, Meyer (Lightfoot (Revision etc., Appendix)) and others, comparing the words ἑκούσιος, ἐθελούσιος, γερούσιος (from ἑκών, ἐθελων, γέρων, for ἑκοντιος, ἐθελοντιος, γεροντιος, cf. Kühner, 1: § 63, 3 and § 334, 1 Anm. 2), conjecture that the adjective ἐπιούσιος is formed from ἐπιών, ἐπιοῦσα, with reference to the familiar expression ἡ ἐπιοῦσα (see ἄπειμι), and ἄρτος ἐπιούσιος is equivalent to ἄρτος τῆς ἐπιουσης ἡμέρας, food for the morrow, i. e. necessary or sufficient food. Thus, ἐπιούσιον, and σήμερον, admirably answer to each other, and that state of mind is portrayed which, piously contented with food sufficing from one day to the next, in praying to God for sustenance does not go beyond the absolute necessity of the nearest future. This explanation is also recommended by the fact that in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, as Jerome testifies, the word ἐπιούσιος was represented by the Aramaic מְחַר, quod dicitur crastinus; hence, it would seem that Christ himself used the Chaldaic expression לִמְחַר דִי לַחְמָא. Nor is the prayer, so understood, at variance with the mind of Christ as expressed in Matthew 6:34, but on the contrary harmonizes with it finely; for his hearers are bidden to ask of God, in order that they may themselves be relieved of anxiety for the morrow. (See Lightfoot, as above, pp. 195-234; McClellan, The New Testament, etc., pp. 632-647; Tholuck, Bergpredigt, Matthew, the passage cited, for earlier references.)
Topical Lexicon Word Origin: Derived from the Greek preposition ἐπί (epi, meaning "upon" or "for") and the participle οὖσα (ousa, from εἰμί, eimi, meaning "to be"). The term is unique to the New Testament and its exact origin is debated among scholars.Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ἐπιούσιος, the concept of daily provision and reliance on God is echoed in various Old Testament passages. For example, the provision of manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4, 15) and the prayer for daily sustenance in Proverbs 30:8-9 reflect similar themes. The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lechem, Strong's H3899), meaning "bread," is often used in contexts of sustenance and provision. Usage: The word ἐπιούσιος appears only twice in the New Testament, both times in the context of the Lord's Prayer, where it is used to describe the type of bread being requested from God. Context: The term ἐπιούσιος is a significant yet enigmatic word found in the New Testament, specifically in the Lord's Prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3. In both instances, it is used in the phrase "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11, BSB) and "Give us each day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3, BSB). The word has been the subject of much scholarly debate due to its rarity and the lack of clear parallels in other Greek literature.
The primary interpretations of ἐπιούσιος focus on its meaning as "daily," "necessary," or "sufficient for the day." Some scholars suggest that it implies a request for the bread that is needed for the current day, emphasizing reliance on God for daily sustenance. Others propose that it could mean "for the coming day," indicating a forward-looking trust in God's provision.
Theologically, ἐπιούσιος underscores the believer's dependence on God for physical and spiritual nourishment. It reflects a humble acknowledgment of human need and divine provision, aligning with the broader biblical theme of trusting God for one's needs. Forms and Transliterations επιουσιον επιούσιον ἐπιούσιον επιπέμπει επίπεμπτον epiousion epioúsionLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
