staff of life

== English == === Etymology === By extension from the Biblical phrase “break the staff of bread” (Hebrew מַטֶּה לֶחֶם (maté lékhem)), staff (“long, straight rod”) 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 (“grain; food”, literally “stick or wood of life”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈstɑːf ə(v) ˌlaɪf/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈstæf ə(v) ˌlaɪf/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈstɐːf ɘ(v) ˌlɑef/ === Noun === staff of life (idiomatic, often literary or poetic) Bread or some other staple foodstuff. ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References === === Further reading === staff of life (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia