Hebrew word · H6598

פַּת־בָּג

patbag

choice

A loanword from Old Persian, usually reconstructed as *patibaga, "portion, allotment". It means the share of provisions assigned from the royal stores to people attached to the court. It occurs only in Daniel (1:5, 8, 13, 15, 16; 11:26).

Appears 8 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

portion of food for king, delicacies

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Daniel 1:8

Range of meaning

A loanword from Old Persian, usually reconstructed as *patibaga, "portion, allotment". It means the share of provisions assigned from the royal stores to people attached to the court. It occurs only in Daniel (1:5, 8, 13, 15, 16; 11:26).

Against the English

KJV "the portion of the king's meat" and YLT "the king's portion of food" keep the idea of an allotment. WEB says "delicacies" and NASB "choice food", which stress luxury. BSB and ESV say "the king's food" and NIV "the royal food", which are clear but flatter.

How it drifted

"Delicacies" or "rich food" can make it sound as if Daniel turned down luxury for health or modesty. The word is about who allots the food, not mainly about how rich it is.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 11:26 is the clearest parallel: "those who eat his patbag will break him". Eating the king's allotment means belonging to his household and owing him loyalty. Babylonian ration tablets from Nebuchadnezzar's palace list oil and food allotments for foreign dependents, among them "Yaukin, king of Judah" (Jehoiachin; compare 2 Kgs 25:29–30).

Where it appears

Daniel · 8

  1. Daniel 1:5 מִפַּת־ בַּ֤ג some of [the] deli-, -caci[es] of

    The king assigned them daily provisions of the royal food and wine. They were to be trained for three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service.

  2. Daniel 1:8 בְּפַתְבַּ֥ג with [the] delicaci[es] of

    But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself.

    Here: A Persian loanword for the fixed share of food allotted from the royal table (v. 5). It is not just "food". It is the king's provision, given out by the king.

  3. Daniel 1:13 פַּתְבַּ֣ג [the] delicaci[es] of

    Then compare our appearances with those of the young men who are eating the royal food, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

  4. Daniel 1:15 פַּתְבַּ֥ג [the] delicaci[es] of

    And at the end of ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.

  5. Daniel 1:16 פַּתְבָּגָ֔ם delicaci[es] their

    So the steward continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and he gave them vegetables instead.

  6. Daniel 11:26 פַת־ בָּג֛וֹ <of> deli-, -cacies his

    Those who eat from his provisions will seek to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.