What is the meaning of buffet in the Bible?

The word buffet in the King James Version does not refer to an informal, self-serve meal but to bodily violence. To buffet is to “strike sharply” or “batter” (Merriam-Webster online). Here are some passages that use the word buffet:

Matthew 26:67: “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands” (KJV). This refers to the torment Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers.

Mark 14:65: “And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands” (KJV).

First Corinthians 4:11: “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace” (KJV).

Buffet can also be used in a metaphorical sense, as in 2 Corinthians 12:7, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (KJV).

Contemporary translations like the NIV, NLT, and ESV employ words like struck, harass, beat, and hit in place of buffet. These synonyms help clarify what buffet meant in the King James Version. To buffet someone is literally to beat him with the fist. The Greek word kolaphizo, translated as “buffet” in the KJV, evokes an image of being pummeled. Paul’s use of the word to describe his struggle with the “thorn in his flesh” shows the intensity of the pain he endured. A similar term is employed in 1 Corinthians 9:27, where Paul emphasizes his need for self-control: “I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (NASB 1977).

Considering that Jesus is God in the flesh, it is astounding that He allowed Himself to be subjected to such bodily violence that He could no longer carry His cross (Matthew 27:32). Jesus was buffeted on our behalf. The Lamb of God was slaughtered, not merely killed. The severity of His afflictions necessary for our atonement reveals the seriousness of our rebellion and sinful actions. Sin destroys; we destroy ourselves, others, relationships, and creation itself through our sins. The buffeting Jesus endured for our sins should motivate Christians to shun evil thoughts, desires, and actions.

Scripture shows that Christians will be figuratively “buffeted” by trials, temptations, and struggles with the flesh. As Scripture states, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Fortunately, we live with the hope of a coming world in which the buffeting will cease and there will be no more pain (see Revelation 21:4).