Meals. SeeDiXE; Repast; Sii'; and the article following.
Meal-time (^3^ rV,eth o'AW, the season of eat- ing, Ruth ii, 14). That the Hebrews took their princi- pal meal {cana, supper) in the latter part of the after- noon or towards evening, follows as well from the cir- cumstance that banquets and convivial entertaniments generally (perhaps always) occurred near the close of the day (sometimes being continued far into the night, Josephus, Life, 44), as from the custom still prevalent in the East (Wellsted, Trar. i, 113; the Persians sup about six or seven o'clock), a usage to which the Es- senes were an exception (Josephus, War, ii, 8. 5). Sec Feast. The agricultural and laboring portion of the community, however, probably took their i)rincipal meal at noon (1 Kings xx, 10). See Dine. In the forenoon a slight repast was partaken (breakfast, iipiffrov, comp. Luke xiv, 12; John xxi, 22). Among the later Jews, it was usual for the deejily religious not to taste any- thing before the hour of morning prayer (comp. Acts ii, 15; see Lightfoot, J/or. //eh. ad loc. ; the passage in Be- rac/i. fol. xxvii, 2, quoted by Kuiniil, refers to the bless- ing before eating, see Geniar. /iab. vi, 1, 1) ; on the Sab- bath, the synagogue worship led to the rule of not eat- ing before the sixth hour, or noon. Before eacli meal, persons were accustomed, especially in later limes, care- fully to wash (.Matt, xv, 2; Lukexi.aS; :Markvi.2; see ] the" younger BuxtorTs J)iss,rt. philol.theol.\x3\*7 sq.), like the ancient (ireeks (l/lad. x-. 577; Odyss.i. 130 sq.; iv, 210 s(|.; Aristoph. I'esp. 1210) and the modern Ori- entals (Niebuhr, /ieschr. j). 54 ; Shaw. Trav. \\ 2o2), and 1 also to "say grace" (HS'^a, the blessing, ivXoyin, (i'xc- \ piffWa; Matt, xiv, 19; xv, .30; xxvi, 20; Luke ix. 10; I John vi. 1 1 ; comp. Tim. iv, 3 ; see the (iemara. AV rac/>. p.27«; and the rabbinical tract, V^frm7K<M,ii.0-l«; also I Hmnbl l)e precum ante et post cibum uj>.Jud. tt Chria-
MEAL-TIME
Han. antiquitafe, Lips. 1764). While eating, the Hebrews originally sat (Gen. xxvii, 19 ; Hengstenberg, Mos. p. 3G, incorrectly infers their recumbency at table from Gen. xviii, 4; comp. Judg. xix, 6; 1 Sam. xx, 5, 24; 1 Kings xiii, 20), like the Greeks in the heroic period {Iliad, X, 578; Odyss. i, 144; xv, 134; Athen. viii, 303; xi, 459), and the Eomans anciently (Serv. ad ^i:n. vii, 176 ; Varro, Ling. Lat. 1, p. 236 Bip. ; see Becker, Char- ikl. i, 425), and in this posture are the early Egyptians represented on the monuments (Wilkinson," ii, 201). In later times the practice of reclining {uvaKtiaSiaL, Kara-. Ktltj^ai, KaTaKXtvtaB'at, see the Mishna, Berach. vi, 6) on cushions or divans (n^i^ri ; kXIvui, Xen. Cyrop. viii, 8, 16; Ka-aKXifiara, Josephus, Ant. xv, 9, 3; comp. A. Baccius, Be conviv. antiq. ii, 1 sq., in Gronov. Thesaur. ix), at iirst only in special entertainments (Amos vi, 4; comp. ii, 8 ; Matt, ix, 10 ; xxvi, 7 ; Mark vi, 22 ; xiv, 3 \ Luke V, 29; vii, 37; xiv, 10; Johnxii, 2; xiii, 23, etc.),' but eventuaUy in common life (Luke xvii. 7), without any particular invitation to that effect (Terent. Heau- tonf. i, 1, 72 ; Plant. Tmcul. ii, 14, 16 ; Martial, iii, 50, 3 • comp. Plat. Conrir. p. 213), and universallv (see H. Mer- curialis. Diss, de accubitu tridinio, in h\i Ars gymnast. p. 75 sq.). See Accubatiox. Every such divan or dmner-bed accommodated (according to Roman fashion) three persons (triclinium [Plin. xxxvii,6],a prevalent form of luxury [Plin. xxxiii, 52 ; Josephus, A nt. xv, 9, 3 • Philo,ii,4/8], introduced from the Babvlonians,who use'd a carpet or tapestry over it [Plin. viii, 74], whence the terms descriptive of spreading it [sternere, Cic. Mur. 36 • Macrob. Sat. ii, 9 ; arpcjvvljuv, Xen. Cyroj). viii, 3, 6 \ which explains the avdyuiov ioTpui^kvov of Mark xiv' lo; see generally Ciacon. Be tridinio, Amst. 16991)' sometimes as many as five, who leaned upon the left arm' the feet being stretched out behind. Each one on the right touched with the bade of his head the breast of his left neighbor, whence the phrase ■' to lie in one's bosom" iavaKua^ai iv Tip k6\tz<i), John xiii, 23; xxi, 20) as being the place of the spouse (among the Jew's, how- ever, wives ate sitting, which the Romans generally held to be the most becoming attitude, Isidor. 6>/w xx 11- comp.Sueton.6ya«c/.32; Val.Max. ii, 1,2; the''^'sit'tinc^ at the leet" in Luke x, 39, was not an act of participa- tion m the meal), a friend, or a favorite (Plin. Ep iv 22 ; see Kype, Observ. i, 402 ; comp. Talra. Babvl. Beradi vii, 2, o) ; the place of honor being in tho midcUe of the three (Talm. Hieros. Taanith, Ixviii, 1 ; comp. Potter, A rchoBol. 11, 661). The tables (comp. 1 Sam. xx, 29 • 2 Sam. IX, 7, 11; 1 Kings x, 5; Ezek. xxxix, 20; Luke xxii,21 ; Acts xvi,34, etc.) were probably, as still in the East (Mariti, Trav. p.' 283; Shaw, Trav.'p. 202; Mayr Hdadcsale, i, 51 ; Robinson, Researches, ii, 726) low (among modern Orientals consisting of a round' skin Isujra-] or reed-mat, Rtlppel, J %,,»;,. ii, 85, spread on the floor in the middle of the room, Arvieux, Voyaqe iii 2o/ ; Pococke, East, i, 292 ; Harmar, Observ. ii, 453, or on a stool and furnished with rings on the edge, so that Ku!'_^'^ ".?^ '5 '^.''y^^ ^"J^'ed together, and hung up on mats, or upon cloths