Reference: Entertain
Easton
Entertainments, "feasts," were sometimes connected with a public festival (De 16:11,14), and accompanied by offerings (1Sa 9:13), in token of alliances (Ge 26:30); sometimes in connection with domestic or social events, as at the weaning of children (Ge 21:8), at weddings (Ge 29:22; Joh 2:1), on birth-days (Mt 14:6), at the time of sheep-shearing (2Sa 13:23), and of vintage (Jg 9:27), and at funerals (2Sa 3:35; Jer 16:7).
The guests were invited by servants (Pr 9:3; Mt 22:3), who assigned them their respective places (1Sa 9:22; Lu 14:8; Mr 12:39). Like portions were sent by the master to each guest (1Sa 1:4; 2Sa 6:19), except when special honour was intended, when the portion was increased (Ge 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 (1Co 10:28).
In the entertainments common in apostolic times among the Gentiles were frequent "revellings," against which Christians were warned (Ro 13:13; Ga 5:21; 1Pe 4:3). (See Banquet.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
And he had portions carried to them from before him. And Benjamin's portion was five times greater than the portions of them all. And they drank, and made merry with him.
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and then, when they go a whoring after their gods, and sacrifice unto their gods, thou be invited, and eat of their sacrifice,
and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy bondman, and thy handmaid, and the Levite that is in thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are in thy midst in the place that Jehovah thy God will choose to cause his name to dwell there.
And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy bondman, and thy handmaid, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in thy gates.
And they went out into the field, and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank and reviled Abim'elech.
And it came to pass on the day that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters portions;
As soon as ye come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people eat not until he has come, because he blesses the sacrifice; afterwards they eat that are invited. And now go up; for this very day shall ye find him.
And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the chamber, and gave them a place at the head of them that were invited; and they were about thirty persons.
And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread or aught else till the sun be down!
And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-Hazor, which is beside Ephraim; and Absalom invited all the king's sons.
she hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the summits of the high places of the city,
Nor shall they break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall they give them the cup of consolations to drink for their father or for their mother.
But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod;
and sent his bondmen to call the persons invited to the wedding feast, and they would not come.
When thou art invited by any one to a wedding, do not lay thyself down in the first place at table, lest perhaps a more honourable than thou be invited by him,
And on the third day a marriage took place in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
As in the day, let us walk becomingly; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and lasciviousness, not in strife and emulation.
But if any one say to you, This is offered to holy purposes, do not eat, for his sake that pointed it out, and conscience sake;
envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revels, and things like these; as to which I tell you beforehand, even as I also have said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit God's kingdom.