Bible Dictionary
Entertain
To entertain in biblical usage commonly refers to receiving guests at a feast or banquet. Such meals accompanied festivals, sacrifices, weddings, family occasions, and other social events; Israelites were warned against feasts connected with idolatry and warned against revelry.
Definition
To entertain, in the biblical setting described here, is to receive guests at a feast or banquet. Such entertainments could be public, religious, domestic, social, or associated with important family occasions.
Biblical Usage
Feasts accompanied festivals, offerings, alliances, weddings, births, sheep-shearing, vintage, and funerals. Guests were invited and assigned places, and special portions could express honor. Israelites were forbidden to join heathen sacrificial feasts and were warned against revelings.
Historical Background
In biblical entertainments, servants invited guests and the host distributed portions. Some feasts were connected with offerings or false-god worship, while apostolic-era Gentile celebrations could include revelry.
Scripture References
Deuteronomy 16:11
Deuteronomy 16:14
1 Samuel 9:13
Genesis 26:30
Genesis 21:8
Genesis 29:22
John 2:1
Matthew 14:6
2 Samuel 13:23
Judges 9:27
2 Samuel 3:35
Jeremiah 16:7
Proverbs 9:3
Matthew 22:3
1 Samuel 9:22
Luke 14:8
Mark 12:39
1 Samuel 1:4
2 Samuel 6:19
Genesis 43:34
Exodus 34:15
1 Corinthians 10:28
Romans 13:13
Galatians 5:21
1 Peter 4:3
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Entertainments, “feasts,” were sometimes connected with a public festival (Deut. 16:11, 14), and accompanied by offerings (1 Sam. 9:13), in token of alliances (Gen. 26:30); sometimes in connection with domestic or social events, as at the weaning of children (Gen. 21:8), at weddings (Gen. 29:22; John 2:1), on birth-days (Matt. 14:6), at the time of sheep-shearing (2 Sam. 13:23), and of vintage (Judg. 9:27), and at funerals (2 Sam. 3:35; Jer. 16:7). The guests were invited by servants (Prov. 9:3; Matt. 22:3), who assigned them their respective places (1 Sam. 9:22; Luke 14:8; Mark 12:39). Like portions were sent by the master to each guest (1 Sam. 1:4; 2 Sam. 6:19), except when special honour was intended, when the portion was increased (Gen. 43:34). The Israelites were forbidden to attend heathenish sacrificial entertainments (Ex. 34:15), because these were in honour of false gods, and because at such feast they would be liable to partake of unclean flesh (1 Cor. 10:28). In the entertainments common in apostolic times among the Gentiles were frequent “revellings,” against which Christians were warned (Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21; 1 Pet. 4:3). (See BANQUET.)