Mess

A mess, in the biblical context, is a portion of food sent to a guest or set before a person at table. The word appears in the KJV in the account of Joseph's dinner with his brothers in Egypt: Joseph sent messes to his brothers from his own table, but Benjamin's mess was five times larger than those of his brothers (Genesis 43:34). The term also appears in 2 Samuel 11:8, where David sends a mess of meat to Uriah the Hittite. The usage reflects ancient Near Eastern practices of honoring a guest or displaying favor by the size and richness of the portion sent from the host's table.