ἄλευρον (aleuron)
aleuron
flour
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun aleuron refers to wheat flour or fine meal, the essential ingredient for baking bread in the ancient world. Derived from the verb aleō, meaning "to grind," the word itself carries the weight of labor and preparation. It appears only twice in the New Testament, both times within Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of God.
In Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:21, Jesus compares the kingdom to a woman who hides three measures of aleuron in three pecks of dough until it is all leavened. This specific detail highlights the ordinary, hidden nature of spiritual growth. The flour does not announce its presence; it works silently from within, transforming the whole batch through an internal process that requires time and patience.
Translators consistently render aleuron as "flour" or "meal," preserving the concrete imagery of daily sustenance. By choosing this common staple rather than a rare delicacy, the parables ground divine truth in the familiar routines of household life. The word reminds readers that profound change often begins with simple, unobserved ingredients mixed into the ordinary course of existence.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word aleuron simply means flour, the ground grain that becomes bread. In the ancient world, this was a daily necessity, not a luxury item. Jesus used this common ingredient to describe how the Kingdom of God works in our lives. He spoke of a woman mixing a large amount of flour into dough, letting it rise from within.
This image offers comfort when spiritual growth feels slow or invisible. Just as the flour disappears into the dough to transform it completely, God’s work often happens quietly inside us. We may not see immediate changes, but the process is real and effective. The Kingdom grows through patient, hidden labor rather than loud displays.
You can trust that your faithful steps in prayer and service are working like leaven in the dough. Even when results are not yet visible, God is using the ordinary moments of your life to bring about lasting transformation. This simple truth encourages us to keep going with hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- of meal1×
- of flour1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀλεύρου2×
Key Verses
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Matthew 13:33
He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”
Jesus uses flour here to show how the Kingdom starts small and hidden but eventually transforms everything it touches.
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Luke 13:21
It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
Luke records this same parable, emphasizing that the leaven works until the entire batch is affected by its presence.