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×)H1818 1. blood (physical substance) (327×)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×)H1320 1. body, physical being (207×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)
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…