When did praying (saying grace) at meals begin?

Question

I need information on when saying grace started. The actual saying of a prayer at mealtimes. I have found Deuteronomy 8:10 but I need more verses to explain God's purpose or reasoning for us to pray at meal times. I am doing a children's sermon and would like to find some examples to encourage the children to say some sort of prayer daily thanking God for all he does. Mealtime or bedtime is a perfect reminder for children to remember to also thank God for all he has done for us.

Answer 1

IMy first thought was that Jesus "said the blessing" just before he broke the bread at the Last Supper, but when you mentioned Deuteronomy, I saw that you were well ahead of me.

Answer 2

Food poisoning was prevalent during Biblical days as the main type of food preservation was salt, and that was available mainly for the wealthy. Dishes were never washed as there was no soap and hot water. The wooden dishes were merely wiped clean. Many people died from Hepatitis, or other food borne illnesses. Back then, the Priests and Rabbis served as today's Board of Health. They had no idea who the culprit was so they prayed before meals.

Answer 3

I think this might have happenned more than 200,000 years or even farther back in time ago after a great hunt by early humans.

They might not even have a written language like ours but maybe using drawings or certain voice 0r small vocabulary to express joy and thank God or nature or the Sun God or the Volcanos if you called them the earliest of all God or Gods.

Answer 4

Exact dates would probably be difficult. It seems, however - that the tradition of giving thanks before eating was established by Jesus - a fact often refered to in the New Tetsament. ie: see Luke 22:19

Answer 5

Sumeria approximately 3400 BCE is the earliest reference.

Answer 6

I pray during the day, say blessings before every food i eat and after i eat, i say the shema before bed, etc....