Portion

Gunnel Ekroth considers the important role that decisions by lot played in Greek society:

“This was not an infrequent phenomenon in Greek society and was encountered not only at sacrifices, but also when land was parcelled out at colonial undertakings as well as at the selection of political magistrates. The widespread use of division by lot can be said to form part of ancient Greek mentality, reflecting a conception of equality among the members of a certain level of society or a grouping. But, this notion can also derive from the view of man’s voluntary subjection to the will of the gods, providing him with a fate or a destiny one had to accept but which was impossible to control. The labelling of the meat portions as moira, the basic meaning of which is ‘share,’ not only when it refers to fate, but also a piece of land, a share of the booty, as well as portions of meat at a sacrifice, links them to the idea of an allotted share and destiny. The notion covers the concept of due order determining all shares, including that of fate and death. One is given what one is entitled to” (“Meat, man and god,” 282).

The range of the Hebrew cheleq corresponds almost completely with that of moira. It refers to portions of meat (Genesis 14:24), including sacrificial food (Leviticus 6:17); to war booty (Numbers 31:36); to an allotted portion of land (Deuteronomy 12:12; 18:1; Joshua 19:9; 22:25, 27).

And it expands into a description of one’s “lot in life” (Job 20:29; Psalm 17:14). David is glad to sing that, like the Levites, his portion is Yahweh himself (Psalm 119:57).

The overlap is remarkably strong and comprehensive, and suggests that Greeks and Hebrews shared a mentality that connected land, war spoils, and sacrifice with the wider experience of inequality of condition in life, and both set all that in a religious context.