טְעֵם (te.am)
te.am
to feed
A:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:V
Word Overview
The Aramaic verb te’am means to feed or cause someone to eat. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Daniel 1:5, where King Nebuchadnezzar orders that the young captives be given a daily portion of the king’s food and wine.
This word is related to the Hebrew root ta’am, which means "to taste." The connection suggests that feeding is the practical result of tasting — providing sustenance so one may experience the flavor of life. In Daniel, this command highlights the tension between assimilation and faithfulness, as the king’s diet represents a shift away from Jewish law.
Translators typically render it simply as "feed" or "provisions." The brevity of its usage in Scripture underscores how specific actions, like sharing a meal, can carry significant theological weight in biblical narratives.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word te’am appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, yet it carries a quiet weight about how we are sustained. In Daniel 1:5, King Nebuchadnezzar orders that young captives be fed from his royal table. This act of feeding was not merely about nutrition; it was a tool for assimilation, an attempt to reshape their identity through what they consumed.
For you, this word invites reflection on the sources of your daily strength. What feeds your spirit? The world often offers its own provisions, promising comfort and belonging through familiar patterns. Yet true sustenance comes from aligning with God’s truth, even when it requires resisting cultural pressures. Your faithfulness is nourished not by external approval, but by obedience to the One who rules over all kingdoms.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they fed/ him1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יְטַ֣עֲמוּנֵּ֔/הּ1×
Key Verses
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Daniel 5:21
He was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the animals’, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the sky, until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that he sets up over it whomever he will.
Though this verse uses a different form, it illustrates the consequence of rejecting God's authority, where the king is fed grass like an animal.