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The Historic Faith
Strong's Concordance
Hebrew Word Study

Strong's H3978 מַאֲכָל (maakal)

Maakal means “fruit” — full meaning, definition, and every linked Bible usage across the indexed canon.

Same number, other testament: Strong's G3978 — pezeuo (“go afoot”) in the Greek Bible.

Strong's Number H3978
Language Hebrew
Linked Usages 29
Books 18

Strong's H3978 Quick Answer

Strong's H3978 מַאֲכָל (ma'akal) is a Hebrew Strong's word-study entry. ma'akal (mah-ak-awl') n-m. 1. an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit) [from H398] It has 29 linked Bible usages across 18 books. Visible English usage signals include meat, food, fruit, and flesh. Indexed coverage on this page includes Old Testament.

Meaning
ma'akal (mah-ak-awl') n-m. 1. an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit) [from H398]
Usage
29 linked usages
Books
18 indexed books
Corpus
Old Testament
Usage Words
meat, food, fruit, and flesh

Meaning and Definition

ma'akal (mah-ak-awl') n-m. 1. an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit) [from H398] KJV: food, fruit, ((bake-)) meat(-s), victual. Root(s): H398

Original Word
מַאֲכָל
Transliteration
ma'akal
Derivation
Root: אכל First root strongs: 398
Morphology
noun masc

Across Lexicons

How independent scholarly lexicons define Strong's H3978. Each definition is shown with its source so you can compare and cite the original reference works.

How Strong's H3978 Is Translated

The English word each shown verse actually uses to render ma'akal, taken from the interlinear word alignment (the same word underlined in the excerpts below). Where a rendering is used more than once, the count is shown.

meat Deuteronomy 20:20 18× food Genesis 2:9 fruit Leviticus 19:23 flesh Psalms 79:2

How Strong's H3978 Usage Compares

Indexed coverage includes Old Testament. Each section below keeps corpus counts and sample passages visible so readers can compare the word across contexts instead of reading one flat concordance list.

  • The largest indexed corpus on this page is Old Testament with 29 linked usages.
  • The linked rows are Old Testament Hebrew usage, grouped by book for fast canonical scanning.

Strong's H3978 by Corpus

Indexed usage grouped by testament and extended corpus so readers can compare this word across the Bible, Septuagint, deuterocanonical books, and 1 Enoch where present.

Strong's H3978 in the Old Testament

29 indexed usages in Old Testament.

Genesis 2:9 KJV

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:6 KJV

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 6:21 KJV

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

Usage Excerpts

First 29 linked usage excerpts for Strong's H3978.

Genesis 2:9 Old Testament, KJV
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3:6 Old Testament, KJV
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis 6:21 Old Testament, KJV
And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
Genesis 40:17 Old Testament, KJV
And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
Leviticus 19:23 Old Testament, KJV
And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.
Deuteronomy 20:20 Old Testament, KJV
Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.
Deuteronomy 28:26 Old Testament, KJV
And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
Judges 14:14 Old Testament, KJV
And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.
1 Kings 10:5 Old Testament, KJV
And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
1 Chronicles 12:40 Old Testament, KJV
Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
2 Chronicles 9:4 Old Testament, KJV
And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
2 Chronicles 11:11 Old Testament, KJV
And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine.
Ezra 3:7 Old Testament, KJV
They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.
Nehemiah 9:25 Old Testament, KJV
And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
Job 33:20 Old Testament, KJV
So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.
Psalms 44:11 Old Testament, KJV
Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.
Psalms 74:14 Old Testament, KJV
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
Psalms 79:2 Old Testament, KJV
The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
Proverbs 6:8 Old Testament, KJV
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
Isaiah 62:8 Old Testament, KJV
The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:
Jeremiah 7:33 Old Testament, KJV
And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
Jeremiah 16:4 Old Testament, KJV
They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
Jeremiah 19:7 Old Testament, KJV
And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
Jeremiah 34:20 Old Testament, KJV
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
Ezekiel 4:10 Old Testament, KJV
And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.
Ezekiel 47:12 Old Testament, KJV
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
Daniel 1:10 Old Testament, KJV
And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
Habakkuk 1:16 Old Testament, KJV
Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
Haggai 2:12 Old Testament, KJV
If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

All Indexed Usage Links

Every indexed verse link for Strong's H3978, grouped by book.

Genesis 4 usages, Old Testament
Leviticus 1 usage, Old Testament
Deuteronomy 2 usages, Old Testament
Judges 1 usage, Old Testament
1 Kings 1 usage, Old Testament
1 Chronicles 1 usage, Old Testament
2 Chronicles 2 usages, Old Testament
Ezra 1 usage, Old Testament
Nehemiah 1 usage, Old Testament
Job 1 usage, Old Testament
Psalms 3 usages, Old Testament
Proverbs 1 usage, Old Testament
Isaiah 1 usage, Old Testament
Jeremiah 4 usages, Old Testament
Ezekiel 2 usages, Old Testament
Daniel 1 usage, Old Testament
Habakkuk 1 usage, Old Testament
Haggai 1 usage, Old Testament

Strong's H3978 FAQ

What does maakal (מַאֲכָל) mean?

Maakal (Strong's H3978) is a Hebrew word most simply glossed "fruit". ma'akal (mah-ak-awl') n-m. 1. an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit) [from H398]

How many times is maakal (מַאֲכָל) used in the Bible?

This page currently indexes 29 linked usages for Strong's H3978 across 18 books.

Where can I study maakal (מַאֲכָל) in context?

Use the linked verse references on this page to study Strong's H3978 in context. The indexed coverage includes Old Testament.

What English words translate maakal (מַאֲכָל)?

The visible usage excerpts most often surface English words such as meat, food, fruit, and flesh. These are scanning signals from the displayed verses, not replacements for the original-language definition.