King James Bible Dictionary

DEVOUR, verb transitive [Latin , to eat.]

1. To eat up; to eat with greediness; to eat ravenously, as a beast of prey, or as a hungry man.

We will say, some evil beast hath devoured him. Genesis 37:20.

In the morning, he shall devour the prey. Genesis 49:27.

2. To destroy; to consume with rapidity and violence.

I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad. Amos 1:4.

Famine and pestilence shall devour him. Ezekiel 7:15.

3. To destroy; to annihilate; to consume.

He seemed in swiftness to devour the way.

4. To waste; to consume; to spend in dissipation and riot.

As soon as this thy son had come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots. Luke 15:30.

5. To consume wealth and substance by fraud, oppression, or illegal exactions.

Ye devour widows houses. Matthew 23:14.

6. To destroy spiritually; to ruin the soul.

Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour 1 Peter 5:8.

7. To slay.

The sword shall devour the young lions. Nahum 2.

8. To enjoy with avidity.

Longing they look, and gaping at the sight, devour her oer and oer with vast delight.

DEVOURED, participle passive Eaten; swallowed with greediness; consumed; destroyed; wasted; slain.

DEVOURER, noun One who devours; he or that which eats, consumes or destroys; he that preys on.

DEVOURING, participle present tense Eating greedily; consuming; wasting; destroying; annihilating.

DEVOURINGLY, adverb In a devouring manner.