ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – EAT – ‘AKAL  אכל

John 6:54: “Whosoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” 

The word in Aramaic that Jesus spoke for the word eat was ‘akal.  There are two possible root words, ‘alakam which means to consume or kallah which means your inward parts physical, like your kidneys or spiritual like your soul.  I believe the root word is alakam but it is a play on the word Kallah. In other word you are to consume the Words of Jesus ‘alakam so they become a part of your being – kallah.  All your strength and energy to receive eternal life will come from Him.

In the first century  there was a common Northern Galilean idiomatic expression that when a person has reached the point where exhaustion has just taken over his body he would say: “I have eaten my body and drank my blood.”  In other words he is saying he has used up all his strength and energy and he needs more.

Perhaps Jesus is saying: “When you have used up all your energies in trying to live a righteous life to achieve eternity, then come to Me because I am the true source of eternal life. Consume my Words and let them become your source of life.”