Belly

The belly in Scripture serves both literal and figurative purposes. In Hebrew thought the belly (beten) could denote the womb, the inner being, or the seat of carnal desires. Paul uses it metaphorically in Philippians 3:19, describing those whose god is their belly—people who serve sensual appetite as an idol. Romans 16:18 applies the same image to false teachers who serve their own belly. Titus 1:12 quotes the Cretan poet Epimenides on lazy gluttons. Jonah's three days in the belly of the fish (Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40) became a type of Christ's death and resurrection.