Explore › Topics › Feasts and Banquets
Everyday life
Feasts and Banquets in the Bible
44 passages of the Berean Standard Bible, line by line, from Nave’s Topical Bible.
Customs
- Joseph’s brothers are seated by age, firstborn to youngestGen 43:33
The verses
Gen 43:33They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.
- Benjamin’s portion is five times larger than the othersGen 43:34
The verses
Gen 43:34When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.
- Samuel seats Saul in the place of honor among thirty guests1 Sam 9:22–24
The verses
1 Sam 9:22–24Then Samuel took Saul and his servant, brought them into the hall, and seated them in the place of honor among those who were invited—about thirty in all. And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.” So the cook picked up the leg and what was attached to it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “Here is what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat, for it has been kept for you for this occasion, from the time I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul dined with Samuel that day.
- Do not take the place of honor at a wedding banquetLuke 14:8–10
The verses
Luke 14:8–10“When you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not sit in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited. Then the host who invited both of you will come and tell you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ And in humiliation, you will have to take the last place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you.
- Guests reclined on couchesAmos 6:4, John 13:23–25
The verses
Amos 6:4You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.
John 13:23–25One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side. So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about. Leaning back against Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?”
- Diners dipped into one bowlMatt 26:23
The verses
Matt 26:23Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me.
- A master of the banquet tastes the wineJohn 2:8–10
The verses
John 2:8–10“Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!”
- Lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine at feastsIsa 5:12, Amos 6:5
- Music and dancing at the feast for the returning sonLuke 15:23–25
The verses
Luke 15:23–25Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile the older son was in the field, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
- Samson poses a riddle at his seven-day wedding feastJudg 14:10–12
The verses
Judg 14:10–12Then his father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as was customary for the bridegroom. And when the Philistines saw him, they selected thirty men to accompany him. “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
- Queen Vashti gives a separate banquet for the womenEsth 1:9
The verses
Esth 1:9Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
- A feast is prepared for laughterEccl 10:19
The verses
Eccl 10:19A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
- Invited guests make excuses (a parable)Luke 14:16–20
The verses
Luke 14:16–20But Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests. When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’
- Send portions to those who have nothing preparedNeh 8:10–12
The verses
Neh 8:10–12Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.” Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
- Job’s sons take turns holding feasts and invite their sistersJob 1:4–5
The verses
Job 1:4–5Job’s sons would take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
Occasions
- Pharaoh holds a feast on his birthdayGen 40:20
The verses
Gen 40:20On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
- Herod’s birthday banquet for the leading men of GalileeMark 6:21
The verses
Mark 6:21On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
- Abraham’s great feast on the day Isaac is weanedGen 21:8
The verses
Gen 21:8So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
- Isaac and Abimelech seal a covenant with a feastGen 26:28–30
The verses
Gen 26:28–30“We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.” So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
- Jacob and his relatives eat a meal on the mountainGen 31:54
The verses
Gen 31:54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
- David holds a feast for Abner and twenty men2 Sam 3:20
The verses
2 Sam 3:20When Abner and twenty of his men came to David at Hebron, David held a feast for them.
- Adonijah’s feast for those he hoped would make him king1 Kgs 1:25
The verses
1 Kgs 1:25For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
- Three days of eating and drinking at Hebron to make David king1 Chr 12:38–40
The verses
1 Chr 12:38–40All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king. They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.
- Solomon holds a feast for all his servants after his dream1 Kgs 3:15
The verses
1 Kgs 3:15Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.
- Xerxes displays his riches 180 days, then feasts seven daysEsth 1:3–8
The verses
Esth 1:3–8In the third year of his reign, Xerxes held a feast for all his officials and servants. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there, along with the nobles and princes of the provinces. And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness. At the end of this time, in the garden court of the royal palace, the king held a seven-day feast for all the people in the citadel of Susa, from the least to the greatest. Hangings of white and blue linen were fastened with cords of fine white and purple material to silver rings on the marble pillars. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones. Beverages were served in an array of goblets of gold, each with a different design, and the royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty. By order of the king, no limit was placed on the drinking, and every official of his household was to serve each man whatever he desired.
- At Esther’s banquet: “What is your petition?”Esth 5:6
The verses
Esth 5:6And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
- Feasting at the king’s edict and on the days of PurimEsth 8:17, Esth 9:17–19
The verses
Esth 8:17In every province and every city, wherever the king’s edict and decree reached, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many of the people of the land themselves became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
Esth 9:17–19This was done on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested, making it a day of feasting and joy. The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, making it a day of feasting and joy. This is why the rural Jews, who live in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting. It is a holiday for sending gifts to one another.
- Belshazzar’s great feast for his noblesDan 5:1–3
The verses
Dan 5:1–3Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.
- Nabal’s feast fit for a king1 Sam 25:36
The verses
1 Sam 25:36When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light.
- The people sit down to eat and drink before the calfExod 32:6
The verses
Exod 32:6So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.
At the table
- At the New Moon meal David’s place is empty1 Sam 20:5, 1 Sam 20:24–25
The verses
1 Sam 20:5So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now.
1 Sam 20:24–25So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat. He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty.
- Mephibosheth and Barzillai’s sons eat at the king’s table2 Sam 9:10, 1 Kgs 2:7
The verses
2 Sam 9:10You and your sons and servants are to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
1 Kgs 2:7But show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
- 850 prophets eat at Jezebel’s table1 Kgs 18:19
The verses
1 Kgs 18:19Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- Lot prepares a feast and bakes unleavened breadGen 19:3
The verses
Gen 19:3But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
- Levi hosts a great banquet for JesusLuke 5:29
The verses
Luke 5:29Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.
- Pharisees invite Jesus to eat with themLuke 7:36, Luke 14:1
- Perfume poured on Jesus at a dinner in BethanyMark 14:3, John 12:2–3
The verses
Mark 14:3While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head.
John 12:2–3So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Sources
From Nave’s Topical Bible (Orville J. Nave, 1896; public domain): subjects chosen, lines shortened and put into modern words, lines of interpretation left out; each verse checked.
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain