מִשְׁתֶּה45 H4960
A feast or banquet centered on drinking; less commonly, the drink or drinking itself, as opposed to the festive occasion.
Derived from the root שׁתה ('to drink'), מִשְׁתֶּה denotes a drinking feast or banquet — the characteristic ancient Near Eastern celebration where wine flowed freely. It is the standard word for royal and wedding banquets: Pharaoh's birthday feast (Gen 40:20), Laban's wedding feast for Jacob (Gen 29:22), and the elaborate feasts of Esther (Est 1:3; 2:18; 5:4-8). The expression עָשָׂה מִשְׁתֶּה ('make a feast') appears repeatedly. In Daniel 1:5-16, however, the word narrows to mean the king's drink or drinking provisions — what the young exiles were to consume daily — and Spanish 'bebida' and German context confirm this shift from occasion to substance.
Senses
1. feast, banquet — A drinking feast or banquet — a festive social occasion involving eating and especially drinking. The collocation עָשָׂה מִשְׁתֶּה ('make a feast') is the standard biblical formula for hosting a banquet (Gen 19:3; 21:8; 26:30). Spanish 'banquete/festín,' French 'festin/fête,' and German 'Fest/Mahl' consistently render the celebratory occasion. The book of Esther alone accounts for roughly a third of all occurrences, with its elaborate court feasts driving the narrative. Samson's seven-day wedding feast (Judg 14:10-17) and Nabal's sheep-shearing feast (1 Sam 25:36) illustrate the range from joyful to reckless. 41×
AR["الْوَلِيمَةُ-الـ", "وَليمَةً", "وَليمَةٌ", "وَلِيمَةً", "وَلِيمَةٌ", "وَلِيمَةَ"]·ben["ভোজ", "সেই-ভোজ"]·DE["Fest", "Mahl", "[משתה]", "der-Fest", "ein-Festmahl", "ein-Mahl", "ein-feast"]·EN["a-feast", "a-feast-of", "banquet", "feast", "feast-of", "is-a-feast", "the-feast"]·FR["[משתה]", "festin", "fête", "le-fête", "un-fête", "משתה"]·heb["ה-משתה", "משתה"]·HI["भोज"]·ID["perjamuan", "pesta"]·IT["banchetto", "festa", "il-festa", "un-festa"]·jav["pahargyan", "pesta", "pista", "pèsta", "pésta"]·KO["그-잔치가", "잔치를", "잔치와", "잔치이니라", "쟔치가"]·PT["banquete", "banquete-de", "o-banquete"]·RU["пир"]·ES["banquete", "banquete-de", "el-banquete", "un-banquete"]·SW["ana-karamu", "karamu", "kwa"]·TR["ziyafet", "ziyafeti", "ziyafetini", "şölen"]·urd["دعوت", "ضیافت", "ضیافت۔"]
Gen 19:3, Gen 21:8, Gen 26:30, Gen 29:22, Gen 40:20, Judg 14:10, Judg 14:12, Judg 14:17, 1 Sam 25:36, 1 Sam 25:36, 2 Sam 3:20, 1 Kgs 3:15 (+29 more)
2. drink, drinking — The drink itself or the act of drinking, focusing on the beverage rather than the social occasion. In Daniel 1:5, 8, 10, 16 the term refers specifically to the king's drinking provisions — the wine allotment from Nebuchadnezzar's table — which Daniel and his companions refused. Spanish 'bebida' ('drink, beverage') and the pairing with food portions (פַּת־בַּג) in Daniel confirm the concrete, non-festive reading. Ezra 3:7 similarly uses it for drink supplied to laborers, not a celebration. 5×
AR["شَرَابَكُمْ", "شُرْبِهِ", "شُرْبِهِمْ", "وَ-شَرَابًا"]·ben["আর-পানীয়", "তাঁর-পানের", "তাদের-পানের", "তোমাদের-পানীয়"]·DE["[משתיהם]", "[משתיו]", "[משתיכם]", "und-von-trank"]·EN["and-drink", "his-banquet", "their-drink", "your-drink"]·FR["et-festin", "festin"]·heb["ו-משתה", "משתיהם", "משתיו", "משתיכם"]·HI["उनके-पेय", "उसके-पेय", "और-पानी", "तुम्हारे-पेय"]·ID["dan-minuman", "minuman-mereka", "minumanmu", "minumannya"]·IT["[משתיהם]", "[משתיו]", "[משתיכם]", "e-banchetto"]·jav["lan-unjukan", "unjukanipun"]·KO["그들의-음료의", "그리고-마실것", "그의-음료의", "너희의-음료를"]·PT["bebida-deles", "bebida-sua", "bebida-vossa", "e-bebida"]·RU["и-питьё", "питья-его", "питья-их", "питьё-ваше"]·ES["su-bebida", "vuestra-bebida", "y-bebida"]·SW["kinywaji-chenu", "na-kinywaji", "ya-kinywaji-chake", "ya-kinywaji-chao"]·TR["içeceklerini", "içeceğinizi", "içtiğinin", "ve-icecek"]·urd["اس-کے-پینے-کی", "ان-کے-پینے-کی", "اور-پینا", "تمہارے-پینے"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
מִשְׁתֶּה45 n.m. Gn 21:8 1. feast; 2. drink;—abs. מ׳ Gn 19:3 +; cstr. מִשְׁתֵּה 1 S 25:36 +; sf. מִשְׁתָּיו Dn 1:5 + (Ges§ 93 ss), etc.;— 1. feast, banquet (occasion for drinking, drinking-bout), 1 S 25:36(×2); Is 5:12; Je 51:39 (fig.), Jb 1:5; Est 2:18; 5:14; 8:17; 9:19; lasting seven days Ju 14:12, 17 (wedding-feast, cf. Gn 29:22, and v. BenzArch. 143; Ency. Bib. 2949 NowArch. i. 163); עָשָׂה…