G5142 — τρέφω (trepho)¶
Core Data¶
- Strong's: G5142
- Original: τρέφω
- Transliteration: trepho
- Pronunciation: tref'-o
- Part of Speech: Verb (primary)
- Root: Primary verb (perhaps strengthened from τρέω treo "to dread/flee")
- Occurrences: 8 verses / 8 tokens in NT
- Books: 5 (Matthew, Luke, Acts, James, Revelation)
- First Occurrence: Mat 6:26 — "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them."
- Hapax Legomenon: No
Lexicon Definition¶
A primary verb meaning to nourish, feed, or bring up. The semantic range spans: 1. Physical sustenance — providing food to sustain life 2. Rearing/nurturing — bringing up a child to maturity 3. Ongoing provision — sustained care over time
The root idea involves active, ongoing provision for life and growth, distinct from a single meal (which would use ἐσθίω/esthio) or pastoral shepherding (ποιμαίνω/poimaino).
Louw-Nida Semantic Domains¶
| Domain | Label | Other Words in Domain |
|---|---|---|
| 23.1 | Eat, Drink | ἄρτος (artos), βιβρώσκω (bibrosko), βόσκω (bosko), βρῶσις (brosis) |
| 35.6 | Rear, Bring Up | ἀνατρέφω (anatrepho), ἐκτρέφω (ektrepho), τεκνοτροφέω (teknotropheo), τροφός (trophos) |
| 35.4 | Care For, Take Care Of | διακονέω (diakoneo), ἐπιμελέομαι (epimeleomai), ἐπισκέπτομαι (episkeptomai) |
Translation Distribution (KJV)¶
| Translation | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| feedeth | 2 | 25.0% |
| fed | 1 | 12.5% |
| brought up | 1 | 12.5% |
| was nourished | 1 | 12.5% |
| they should feed | 1 | 12.5% |
| she is nourished | 1 | 12.5% |
| ye have nourished | 1 | 12.5% |
Note: The KJV renders τρέφω with "nourish" only in contexts of extended/sustained provision (Acts 12:20, Jas 5:5, Rev 12:6, 12:14), while "feed/fed" appears in direct sustenance contexts.
Distribution by Book¶
| Book | Count | Per 100 Verses |
|---|---|---|
| James | 1 | 0.93 |
| Revelation | 2 | 0.50 |
| Matthew | 2 | 0.19 |
| Luke | 2 | 0.17 |
| Acts | 1 | 0.10 |
Pattern: Revelation contains 25% of all NT uses despite being only 2.7% of the NT by verse count. Both Revelation occurrences appear in the same chapter (12:6, 12:14) describing the woman's wilderness nourishment, making this a concentrated theological usage.
Semantic Categories¶
1. Divine Provision for Creation¶
God as the one who feeds/sustains living creatures. - Mat 6:26 — "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them." - Luk 12:24 — "Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them."
2. Human Acts of Feeding/Charity¶
Providing food as an act of mercy or care. - Mat 25:37 — "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?"
3. Rearing/Bringing Up¶
Nurturing a child to maturity (extended period, not a single meal). - Luk 4:16 — "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day."
4. Economic/Political Sustenance¶
Ongoing provision of resources between parties. - Act 12:20 — "And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him... because their country was nourished by the king's country."
5. Self-Indulgent Nourishing¶
Luxurious feeding of oneself (negative connotation). - Jas 5:5 — "Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter."
6. Divine Protection in the Wilderness¶
God sustaining His people through extended periods of trial. - Rev 12:6 — "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." - Rev 12:14 — "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."
Common Collocations¶
| Word | Strong's | Co-occurrences | Typical Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἡμέρα (hemera) | G2250 | 3x (38%) | "nourished X days" — temporal duration of feeding |
| ἔρημος (eremos) | G2048 | 2x (25%) | "wilderness" — location of divine provision |
| τόπος (topos) | G5117 | 2x (25%) | "place" — designated location for nourishment |
| θεός (theos) | G2316 | 2x (25%) | God as the provider/preparer |
| πετεινόν (peteinon) | G4071 | 2x (25%) | "birds/fowls" — objects of divine feeding |
| σπείρω (speiro) | G4687 | 2x (25%) | "sow" — contrast with human labor |
| θερίζω (therizo) | G2325 | 2x (25%) | "reap" — contrast with human labor |
Pattern: The wilderness-nourishment cluster (eremos + topos + hemera) appears exclusively in Revelation 12:6, 14, while the sow-reap-feed cluster appears in the Synoptic bird-feeding passages.
Related Words¶
Word Family / Cognates¶
| Word | Strong's | Meaning | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|
| τροφή (trophe) | G5160 | nourishment, food | 16v |
| τροφός (trophos) | G5162 | nurse, nourisher | 1v |
| ἀνατρέφω (anatrepho) | G397 | to rear, bring up | 3v |
| ἐκτρέφω (ektrepho) | G1625 | to rear up to maturity, nourish | 2v |
| τεκνοτροφέω (teknotropheo) | G5044 | to be a child-rearer | 1v |
| διατροφή (diatrophe) | G1305 | nourishment, food | 1v |
| σύντροφος (syntrophos) | G4939 | foster-brother, one brought up with | 1v |
Easily Confused Words¶
| Word | Strong's | Shared Translation | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| βόσκω (bosko) | G1006 | "feed" | bosko = shepherd-feeding (pasturing animals); trepho = nourish/sustain |
| ποιμαίνω (poimaino) | G4165 | "feed" | poimaino = shepherd's ruling/tending function; trepho = provision aspect |
| χορτάζω (chortazo) | G5526 | "feed" | chortazo = to satisfy/fill to the full; trepho = ongoing nourishment |
Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶
| Hebrew Source | Strong's | Co-occurrence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| חָיָה (chayah) | H2421 | 3 | "to live" — τρέφω renders life-preservation contexts |
| יוֹם (yom) | H3117 | 5 | "day" — temporal collocate (not semantic equivalent) |
| בּוֹא (bo) | H935 | 4 | "to come/enter" — contextual co-occurrence |
Note: There is no single dominant Hebrew equivalent. The Hebrew semantic space for "nourish/feed" is covered primarily by H2421 chayah (in causative: "keep alive"), H3557 kuwl ("sustain/nourish"), and H7462 ra'ah ("shepherd/feed").
Theological Note on Revelation 12:6, 14¶
The two occurrences in Revelation 12 use τρέφω to describe identical events with different time expressions: - Rev 12:6: "1260 days" (ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα) - Rev 12:14: "time, times, and half a time" (καιρὸν καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ)
This parallel confirms the prophetic equivalence: 1260 days = time + times + half a time = 3.5 prophetic years. The verb τρέφω emphasizes sustained divine care throughout this entire period, not merely protection but active provision — recalling Israel's wilderness experience where God fed (τρέφω in LXX Exod 16:32; Deut 8:3, 16) the nation with manna for 40 years.
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