Leaven
ζύμηStrong’s G2219zumē
Appears in 11 verses of the New Testament
In short
Zumē is the Greek word usually translated “leaven”. It appears in 11 verses of the New Testament.
“Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”
Meaning
Usually translated “leaven”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- leaven 11
- to leaven 2
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Matthew 4
- 1 Corinthians 3
- Luke 2
- Mark 1
- Galatians 1
5 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Matthew 16:6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
- Matthew 16:11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
- Matthew 16:12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
- Mark 8:15And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
- Luke 12:1In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- Luke 13:21It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Greek dictionary
ζύμη zumē · leaven
ζύμη, -ης, ἡ [in LXX for חָמֵץ, Exo.12:16 13:3 23:18 34:25, Deu.16:3; שְׂאֹר, Exo.12:16, 19 13:7, Lev.2:11, Deu.16:4 * ;] leaven: Mat.13:33, Luk.13:21; τ. ἄρτου, Mat.16:12. Metaphorical, of a moral influence or tendency, always, exc. in the Parable of the Leaven (Mat.13:33, Luk.13:21), for evil: 1Co.5:6-8, Gal.5:9; ζ. τ. Φαρισαίων, Mat.16:6, 11, Mrk.8:16, Luk.12:1 (Cremer, 723).† (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “leaven” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
LEAVEN, noun
lev'n. [Latin levo, Eng. to lift.]
- A mass of sour dough, which, mixed with a larger quantity of dough or paste, produces fermentation in it and renders it light. Exodus 12:15
- Any thing which makes a general change in the mass.“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” Matthew 16:6
All definitions and other forms of “leaven”
LEAVEN, verb transitive
lev'n.
- To excite fermentation in; to raise and make light, as dough or paste.“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” 1 Corinthians 5:6
- to taint; to imbue.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.