Foods of the Bible

Brian Kuehmichel
March 7, 2013



Good, fresh, healthy, wholesome foods are given by God (Genesis 1:29-30) to sustain and preserve our health so we might fulfill His directive to have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28) and to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Geneisis 1:28; 9:1) for His glory. Our Creator, who sustains us in life (Acts 17:28), gave us these foods (Genesis 1:29; 9:3-4) for our well-being to carry out His directives for us. Even so, we will grow old and die. (Romans 3:23; 5:12; 6:23)

But Jesus Christ is the giver of eternal life (John 3:15; 6:54; 10:28; 17:2-3; Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:24-25) and in Him we get the ultimate food and healing (Luke 22:30; 1 Peter 2:21-25).

John 6:51-58 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

Even though God in Genesis 9:3-4 permits eating all manner of things because of our broken world, many of these are not healthful. For this reason God gave to Israel the directions about clean and unclean foods for the well-being of those who limit themselves to the clean and healthful foods. Leviticus chapter 11 gives details.

Genesis 9:3-4 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

Leviticus 11:1-3, 9, 21-22
1-3 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

Leviticus 17:13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

Leviticus 20:25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.

The Bible has an extensive list of generally available wholesome foods. These are shown below with their categories and include scriptures to reference.


Bible Foods
compiled by Brian Kuehmichel©
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." (Genesis 1:29)
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Genesis 9:1-4)
Category
How used
Food Name
Scripture
A
Tree Nut
Fresh / dried
Almonds
Genesis 43:11; Numbers 17:8
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Anise
Matthew 23:23
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Apples
Song of Solomon 2:5; Joel 1:12
Cultured, fermented foods
Cultured
Apple cider vinegar
 
B
Grains & Seeds
Ground / baked / boiled / roasted
Barley
Deuteronomy 8:8; Judges 7:13; Ruth 2:23; Ezekiel 4:9
Grains & Seeds
Baked / roasted
Barley Bread
2 Kings 4:42
Vegetables and Legumes
Baked / roasted
Beans or Pulse (Legumes - cassia, fava bean or other beans, peas, chickpea, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soybeans, peanuts, etc.)
2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Beef
Deuteronomy 14:4; 1 Kings 4:22-23
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Bitter Herbs (arugula, cilantro, dandelion greens, endive, parsley, watercress, etc. See: Spices)
Exodus 12:8
Clean Animal
bison (pygarg)
Deuteronomy 14:5
Grains & Seeds
Derived / baked /roasted
Bread
Genesis 25:34; 1 Samuel 17:17; 2 Samuel 6:19; 16:1; Mark 8:14; Luke 22:19
Grains & Seeds
Derived / baked /roasted
Bread-Unleavened
Genesis 19:3; Exodus 12:20
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Broth
Judges 6:19-20; Isaiah 65:4
Clean Animal
Extracted
Butter
Isaiah 7:22; Proverbs 30:33
C
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Calf, Cattle & Oxen (Bovine)
1 Kings 19:21; Proverbs 15:17; Luke 15:23
Grains & Seeds
Baked / roasted
Cakes (from grains)
2 Samuel 13:8
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Carob (St. John's Bread)
Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6 (akris: this Greek word for locusts can apply to either an insect or the top of a tree or plant. Many believe this to be St. John's Bread or Carob which grew wild around the river Jordan. It is named for John the Baptist).
Cultured, fermented foods
Cultured
Cheese
I Samuel 17:18; 2 Samuel 17:29; Job 10:10
Clean Fowl
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Chicken
Matthew 23:37
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Dried
Cinnamon (See: Spices)
Exodus 30:23; Revelation 18:13
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Coriander (cilantro See: Spices)
Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:7
Grains & Seeds
Baked / roasted / boiled
Corn (refers to "grain" such as wheat or barley)
Ruth 2:14; I Samuel 17:17; Matthew 12:1
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh
Cucumbers
Numbers 11:5
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Cumin or Cummin (See: Spices)
Isaiah 28:25; Matthew 23:23
Cultured, fermented foods
Cultured
Curds (cottage and ricotta cheese)
Genesis 18:8; Isaiah 7:15 - (Bovine) Deuteronomy 32:14
D
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Dates
2 Samuel 6:19; 1 Chronicles 16:3
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Dill (See: Spices)
Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42
Clean Fowl
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Dove
Leviticus 12:8
E
Clean Fowl
 
Eggs
Job 6:6; Luke 11:12
F
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Figs (Sycamore Fruit)
Numbers 13:23; I Samuel 25:18; Nehemiah 13:15; Psalm 78:47; Jeremiah 24:1-3; Amos 7:14
Grains & Seeds
Baked / roasted
Fitches (Spelt)
Ezekiel 4:9
Clean Finned Fish
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Fish with Scales (Anchovies, Bass, Bream, Cod, Flounder, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, Mackerel, Orange Roughy, Perch, Pike, Pollack, Salmon, Sardines, Tilapia, Trout, Tuna, Turbot, Whitefish & Whiting, among others)
Deuteronomy 14:9; Leviticus 11:9; Matthew 7:10
Grains & Seeds
Ground / baked / boiled / roasted
Flax Seed
Exodus 9:31
Grains & Seeds
Ground / baked / boiled / roasted
Flour (Whole Meal)
Ezekiel 16:19; Numbers 6:15; 2 Samuel 17:28; 1 Kings 17:12
Clean Fowl
Baked / roasted
Fowl (chicken, dove, duck, goose, grouse, partridge, pheasant, pigeons, quail, turkey, etc.)
Deuteronomy 14:11; 1 Kings 4:23; [Partridge (1 Samuel 26:20; Jeremiah 17:11), Pigeon (Genesis 15:9; Leviticus 12:8), Quail (Psalm 105:40), Dove (Leviticus 12:8), Chicken (Matthew 23:37)]
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Fruits [of trees, shrubs, vines, berries, etc.] (Apples, Almonds, apricot, Dates, Figs, Grapes, Melons, Olives, Pomegranates, plum, Sycamore Fruit)
Genesis 1:29; 3:2; 2 Samuel 16:2
G
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Garlic (See: Spices)
Numbers 11:5
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Goat
Genesis 27:9; Deuteronomy 14:4
Clean Animal
Raw or cultured
Goat milk
Proverbs 27:27
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Gourds & squashes (pumpkin, squash, zucchini, etc.)
2 Kings 4:39
Grains & Seeds
Ground or whole / baked / boiled / roasted
Grain(s) (barley, emmer, millet, spelt, sorghum, wheat - ground meal)
Ruth 2:14; Matthew 13:33
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Grapes
Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 23:24; 24:21
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Extracted
Grape Juice (new wine)
Numbers 6:3; Zechariah 9:17
Clean Animal
Cooked: roasted
Grasshoppers, Crickets & Locusts
Leviticus 11:22
H
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Herbs (leafy plants: endive, escarole, orache, spinach, etc.) and Vegetables (See: Spices)
Genesis 1:29; Exodus 12:8; Proverbs 15:17; 27:25; Matthew 13:32
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Herbs & Seasonings (See also: Spices)
 
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Extracted
Honey
Exodus 33:3; Deuteronomy 8:8; Judges 14:8-9; Psalm 19:10; Proverbs 24:13; 25:16; Isaiah 7:15 (warning to use in moderation)
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Hyssop (marjoram, capers) (See: Spices)
marjoram: Exodus 12:22; capers: Psalms 51:7; John 19:29
I
Clean Animal
Baked / roasted
insects (See: Locusts)
 
L
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Lamb & Sheep
Deuteronomy 14:4
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Leeks (See also: Onions)
Numbers 11:5
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Legumes (See: Beans or Pulse)
2 Samuel 17:28
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Lentils
Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9
Cultured, fermented foods
Cultured
Leaven (Yeast)
Leviticus 23:17; Galatians 5:9
Clean Animal
Raw: ?; Cooked: baked, roasted
Locusts (grasshoppers, crickets, some beetles)
Leviticus 11:22; Mark 1:6
M
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Meats
Deuteronomy 14; Leviticus 11
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh
Melon
Numbers 11:5; Isaiah 1:8
Clean Animal
Raw or cultured
Milk (Bovine, camel, sheep)
Exodus 33:3; Deuteronomy 32:14; Job 10:10; Judges 5:25; Isaiah 7:21-22 | Curds (Isaiah 7:15)
Grains & Seeds
Baked / roasted
Millet
Ezekiel 4:9
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Mint (See: Spices)
Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Mulberry
2 Samuel 5:24; 1 Corinthians 14:14
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Ground or whole / fresh / dried
Mustard Seeds (See: Spices)
Matthew 13:31; Mark 4:31; Luke 13:19
N
Tree Nut
Dried
Nuts
Genesis 43:11; Song of Solomon 6:11
O
Extracted foods
Extracted
Oils (from plants)
Proverbs 21:17
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Olives
Leviticus 2:4; Deuteronomy 8:8; 28:40; Ezra 6:9; Isaiah 17:6; Micah 6:15
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Extracted
Olive oil
Leviticus 2:4; Deuteronomy 8:8; 28:40; Ezra 6:9; Isaiah 17:6; Micah 6:15
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Onions (See also: Leeks, Spices)
Numbers 11:5
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
 
P
Clean Fowl
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Partridge
1 Samuel 26:20; Jeremiah 17:11
Clean Fowl
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Pigeon
Genesis 15:9; Leviticus 12:8
Tree Nut
 
Pistachio Nuts
Genesis 43:11
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Pomegranates
Numbers 13:23; Numbers 20:5; Deuteronomy 8:8
Clean Fowl
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Poultry (See: Fowl)
 
Q
Clean Fowl
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Quail
Exodus 16:13; Numbers 11:32; Psalm 105:40
R
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Dried
Raisins (See also: Grapes)
Numbers 6:3; 2 Samuel 6:19; 2 Samuel 16:1
Vegetables and Legumes
 
root vegetables (See: Leeks, Onions)
 
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Ground / baked / boiled / roasted
Rue
Luke 11:42
Grains & Seeds
Ground / baked / boiled / roasted
Rye
Isaiah 28:25
S
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Saffron (See: Spices)
Song of Solomon 4:14
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
 
Salt
Leviticus 2:13; Ezra 6:9; Job 6:6; Luke 14:34
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Sheep & Lamb
Deuteronomy 14:4
Grains & Seeds
Derived / baked /roasted
Sourdough (yeast) Bread
Leviticus 23:17; Amos 4:5
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Spices
(anise, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, ginger, marjoram, mint, mustard, parsley, saffron, tumeric, etc.) Genesis 43:11; Exodus 30:23; 1 Kings 10:10 (See: Herbs)
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Cooked: roasted
(St. John's Bread / carob)
Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6 (akris: this Greek word for locusts can apply to either an insect or the top of a tree or plant.)
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Squash (Gourds)
2 Kings 4:39
Herbs, Seasonings & Spices
Fresh / dried
Sweet Cane (Sucanat or Evaporated Cane Juice)
Isaiah 43:24; Jeremiah 6:20
Fruits - Fresh & Dried
Fresh / dried
Sycamore (Figs)
Numbers 13:23; I Samuel 25:18; Psalm 78:47; Amos 7:14
U
Grains & Seeds
Derived / baked /roasted
Unleavened Bread (Tortillas, Flat Bread, Chapatis)
Genesis, 19:3; Exodus 29:2
V
Edible Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Veal (bovine-young cattle)
Genesis 18:7-8
Vegetables and Legumes
Fresh / dried
Vegetables (See: Herbs)
Proverbs 15:17
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Venison
Genesis 27:7 KJV; Deuteronomy 14:5
Clean Animal
Cooked: boiled, roasted
Wild game
Genesis 25:28
Cultured, fermented foods
Cultured
Vinegar
Numbers 6:3; Ruth 2:14; John 19:29
 
 
Water
Genesis 21:19; John 4:7
W
Grains & Seeds
Ground or whole / baked / boiled / roasted
Wheat
Deuteronomy 8:8; Ruth 2:23; Psalm 81:16; Ezra 6:9;
Grains & Seeds
Derived / baked /roasted
Wheat bread
Exodus 29:2
Cultured, fermented foods
Cultured
Wine
Ezra 6:9; John 2:1-10; 1 Timothy 5:23
Y
Cultured, fermented foods
Cultured
Yogurt (Butter of Kine)
Deuteronomy 32:14
 

Original: 4/16/2000; Modified On: 7/26/2004; 3/14/2011


Unclean or Forbidden Foods of The Bible

Leviticus chapter 11 gives specific details. Click for another list.



Agriculture cycle for Israel