staff of life
Bread is sometimes called the “staff of life”, especially in literary or poetic contexts.
Meaning
Noun
- Bread or some other staple foodstuff.
Origin
- By extension from the Biblical phrase “break the staff of bread” (Hebrew לֶחֶם מַטֶּה), staff in this context meaning something that acts as a support: see, for example, Leviticus 26:26 (King James Version; spelling modernized): “And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied”; and Ezekiel 4:16: “[…] Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care, and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:”. Compare Egyptian ḫt n ꜥnḫ.
Modern English dictionary
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