Quick Definition
τρέφω v. I feed, rear
Strong's Definition
but perhaps strengthened from the base of G5157 (τροπή) through the idea of convolution); properly, to stiffen, i.e. fatten (by implication, to cherish (with food, etc.), pamper, rear)
Derivation: a primary verb (properly, ;
KJV Usage: bring up, feed, nourish
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | aor. ἔθρεψα · pf.pass. τέθραμμαι | ἀνατρέφω · διατροφή · ἐκτρέφω · ἐντρέφομαι · θρέμμα · θρόμβος · σύντροφος · τεκνοτροφέω · τροφή · τροφός · τροφοφορέω
23.6 · Physiological Processes and States · Eat, Drink
to provide food for, to give food to someone to eat to provide food for, with the implication of a considerable period of time and the food being adequate nourishment
MAT 6:26 · MAT 25:37 · LUK 12:24 · LUK 23:29 · ACT 12:20 · JAS 5:5
35.45 · Help, Care For · Care For, Take Care Of
to take care of to take care of, with special reference to supplying necessary nourishment
35.51 · Help, Care For · Rear, Bring Up
to raise, to rear, to bring up to raise a child to maturity by providing for physical and psychological needs To raise or bring up children may be expressed in a number of different ways, for example, ‘to give food to children,’ ‘to take care of children,’ ‘to be a parent to children,’ ‘to cause a child to become an adult,’ or ‘to make a child become like oneself.’
1 It is possible that ἐκτρέφω[a] is somewhat more emphatic in meaning than τρέφω[a], but this cannot be determined from existing contexts. 2 There may very well be subtle differences of meaning in the series in 35.51, but there is no direct contextual evidence to support significant distinctions in meaning.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
τρέφω; 1 aor. ἔθρεψα ; Pass., pres. rpépopar; pf. ptep. τεθραμμένος ; fr. Hom. down; to nourish, support; to feed : τινά, Mt. vi. 26; xxv. 37; Lk. xii. 24; Acts xii. 20; Rev. xii. 6, 14; to give suck, Lk. xxiii. 29 LT Tr WH; to fatten, Jas. v. 5 [here A. V. nourish]. to bring up, nurture, Lk. iv. 16 [here T WH mrg. ἀνατρέφω] (1 Mace. iii. 33; xi. 39, and often in prof. auth.). [Comp. : ἐκ-, ev- τρέφω.)
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
τρέφω trephō 9x
to nourish; to feed, support, cherish, provide for,
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
τρέφω
[in LXX for חָיָה hi., גָּדַל pi., אָכַל hi., etc. ;]
to make to grow, bring up, rear (cl.; I Mac 3:33 11:39): Lk 4:16 (T, WH, mg., ἀνατ-)
to nourish, feed: Mt 6:26 25:37, Lk 12:24, Ac 12:20, Re 12:6, 14; of a mother, to give suck, Lk 23:29; of animals, to fatten (Je 26 (46):21), fig., Ja 5:5 (cf. ἀνα-, ἐκ-, ἐν-τρέφω).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
τρέφω, “nourish,”’ ‘‘feed.”” In P Eleph 21! (B.c. 285-4) provision is made for the maintenance of parents by their sons— τρεφέτωσαν αὐτοὺς οἱ υἱεῖς πάντες κοινῆι. Cf PSI VI. 5964 (iii/B.C.) ἀφ᾽ οὗ τε γεγόναμεν ἐν Φιλαδελφέαι σὺ ἡμᾶς τέτρεφας, 2ό. 6041 (iii/B.c.) τέφ]τροφα τοὺς ἵππους, P Oxy II. 27514 (contract of apprenticeship—a.D. 66) τοῦ παιδὸς τρεφομένου kal ἱματι(σ)ζομένου ἐπὶ τὸν ὅλον χρόνον, ‘the boy is to be fed and clothed during the whole period,” 26. VI. go824 (A.D. 199) τρεφόντων ὑμῶν τὰ [κ]τήνη χόρτῳ τε καὶ κριθῇ, and P Lips I. 2818 (deed of adoption—a.p. 381) ὅνπερ θρέψω καὶ ἱματίζω (λ ἱματίσω) εὐγενῶς καὶ γνησίως ὡς υἱὸν γνήσιον καὶ φυσικὸν ὡς ἐξ ἐμ]οῦ γενόμενον. For the meaning ‘‘ give suck,” as in Lk 2355, see P Ryl II. 178° (agreement with a nurse—early i/a.D.) τοῦτο θρέψει ἐπὶ τὸν ἐνλείψοντα χρόνον, ‘she shall nurse it for the rest of the time.” In P Oxy XII. 14152? (late iii/A.pD.) μέτριός εἶμι, παρὰ πατρὶ τρέφομα[ι, the editors render, “1 am a man of moderate means, I live in my father’s house.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
τρέφω (trephō) — to feed. τρέφω, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τράφω (see. entry); 1st pers. singular optative τρέφοιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future θρέψω [Refs]aorist 1 ἔθρεψα, Epic dialect θρέψα [Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist 2 ἔτρᾰφον (see. infr. B): perfect τέτροφα intransitive, [Refs 8th c.BC+] —middle, future θρέψομαι in passive sense, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist ἐθρεψάμην [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.:—passive, future τρᾰφήσομαι Ps.-[Refs 4th c.BC+], etc., but in early writers in middle form θρέψομαι (see. above): aorist 1 ἐθρέφθην, Epic dialect θρέφθη [Refs 8th c.BC+], rare in Trag. and Attic dialect, [Refs 6th c.BC+]aorist 2 ἐτράφην [ᾰ] [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect 3rd.pers. plural ἔτραφεν, τράφεν, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect τέθραμμαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; 2nd pers. plural τέθραφθε [Refs 5th c.BC+] [assuming variant] in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive τεθράφθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I. thicken or congeal a liquid, γάλα θρέψαι curdle it, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τρέφε (imperfect) πίονατυρόν [Refs 3rd c.BC+] —passive, with perfect active τέτροφα, curdle, congeal, γάλα τρεφόμενον τυρὸν ἐργάζεσθαι [Refs 8th c.BC+]
II. usually, cause to grow or increase, bring up, rear, especially of children bred and brought up in a house, ὅ σ᾽ ἔτρεφε τυτθὸν ἐόντα [Refs 8th c.BC+] bring up in a certain way, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, rear for oneself, θρέψαιό τε φαίδιμον υἱόν [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—passive, to be reared, grow up, ὅς μοι τηλύγετος τρέφεται θαλίῃ ἔνι πολλῇ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κάρτιστοι τράφεν ἀνδρῶν grew up the strongest men, [Refs]:—properly a boy was called τρεφόμενος only so long as he remained in the charge of the women, i. e. till his fifth year, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐξ ὅτου 'τράφην ἐγώ from the time when I left the nursery, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; but even of pre-natal growth, ἐν σκότοισινηδύος τεθραμμένη [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὅπως πατρὸς δείξεις οἷος ἐξ οἵου τράφης[Refs] true nurslings of your mothers, implying a reproach for unmanliness (assuming variant), [Refs 4th c.BC+]; μιᾶς τρέφει πρὸς νυκτός art nursed by night alone, i. e. art blind, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.2. of slaves, cattle, dogs and the like, rear and keep them, κύνας [Refs 8th c.BC+]; λέοντος ἶνιν (see. σίνις) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἱ τρέφοντες (i.e. τοὺς ἐλέφαντας) the keepers, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τ. [ἑταίραν], [πόρνας], keep.., [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ τρέφων one's master, [Refs 4th c.BC+] he keeps a sea-beach in the house, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, to be bred, reared, δοῦλος οὐκ ὠνητός, ἀλλ᾽ οἴκοι τραφείς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν τῇ σῇ οἰκίᾳ γέγονεν καὶ τέθραπται was born and bred, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ἀγαθῖνον θρεμένον (i. e. τεθρεμμένον, ={θρεπτόν}, see at {θρεπτός} [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; Νείκην τὴν θρεμένην μου [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
II.3. tend, cherish, τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ φίλεόν τε καὶ ἔτρεφον, of Calypso, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of plants, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
II.4. of parts of the body, let grow, cherish, foster, χαίτην.. Σπερχειῷ τρέφε [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τ. κόμην, ={κομᾶν}, [Refs 5th c.BC+] things which put fat on swine, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
II.5. in Poets, of earth and sea, breed, produce, teem with, οὐδὲν ἀκιδνότερον γαῖα τ. ἀνθρώποιο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὃν πόντος τ., i. e. the sailors, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: rare in Prose, ἀεί τι ἡ Αιβύη τρέφει καινόν [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.6. in Poets also, simply, have within oneself, contain, ὅ τι καὶ πόλις τέτροφεν ἄφιλον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τρέφειν τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡσυχαιτέραν to keep his tongue more quiet, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἵας λατρείας.. τρέφει what services.. she has as her lot, [Refs]; ἐν ἐλπίσιν τρέφω.. ἥξειν I cherish hopes that.., [Refs]; τὸν Καδμογενῆ τρέφει.. βιότου πολύπονον [πέλαγος] is his daily lot, [Refs]; πόνοι τρέφοντες βροτούς [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III. maintain, support, τ. ἀνδρὸς μόχθος ἡμένας ἔσω [Refs 5th c.BC+]; γάλακτι, τυρῷ, κρέασι τ., [Refs]; σίτῳ, ὄψῳ, [Refs]; feed a patient, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; provide the food for an employee, σοῦ τρέφοντος αὐτόν, ἐμοῦ δὲ ἱματίζοντος αὐτόν [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; also τ. ἀπό τινος [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.2. maintain an army or fleet, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τ. τὰς ναῦς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τ. τὸ ναυτικὸν ἀπὸ τῶν νήσων[Refs]
III.3. of land, feed, maintain one, τρέφει γὰρ οὗτος [ὁ ἀγρὸς].. με [Refs 4th c.BC+]
III.4. of women, feed or suckle an infant, συνεξομοιοῦται τὰ τρεφόμενα ταῖς τρεφούσαις [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; ἡ τρέφουσα, ={ἡ τροφός}, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
III.5. of food, nourish, τὰ Ἡρακλεωτικὰ τρέφει οὐχ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀμυγδάλοις [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
IV. bring up, rear, educate, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἡ θρέψασα (i.e. γῆ) the motherland, [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—middle, ἐθρέψω Ξέρξην ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἤθεσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ θρεψαμένη one's motherland, [Refs 4th c.BC+] —passive, ὀρθῶς, εὖ τραφῆναι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; παιδείᾳ, ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ παιδείᾳ τ., [Refs 5th c.BC+]
V. the passive sometimes came to mean little more than to be, ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ πολέμιον ἐτράφη (i.e. τὸ γένος) [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B [Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist 2 active ἔτραφον in passive sense (which is to τρέφομαι, τέτροφα (intransitive) as ἔδρακον to δέρκομαι, δέδορκα, etc.), ὃς.. ἔτραφ᾽ ἄριστος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τραφέμεν (Epic dialect for τραφεῖν)[Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπεὶ τράφ᾽ ἐνὶ μεγάρῳ, i. e. when he was well-grown, [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—as transitive the aorist 2 is used by [Refs 8th c.BC+]imperfect:—ἐτράφην is perhaps post-Homeric; 3rd.pers. singular τράφη is see reading in [Refs 8th c.BC+] (περ) variants in [Refs]; 3rd.pers. plural ἔτραφεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τράφεν in all codices of [Refs 8th c.BC+]: the vox nihili ἐτράφεμεν, found in [Refs 8th c.BC+] as cited by [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—the reduplicate 3rd.pers. singular τέτραφ᾽ [Refs 8th c.BC+], 3rd.pers. plural τέτραφεν [Refs], are ff. lines, though found in many codices Later this aorist became obsolete, except in Epic dialect imitators, as in [Refs 3rd c.BC+]