View All Biblical Expressions

Break bread

Here’s what it means

The phrase means begin or share a meal and, in some Christian settings, may refer especially to the Lord’s Supper.

Why the Bible says it this way

An idiom is a familiar phrase whose meaning comes from the whole expression, not from reading each word by itself.

A helpful detail: Context must distinguish an ordinary meal from the memorial meal; the same physical action could occur in both.

Where it appears