Mess of pottage

The phrase "mess of pottage" means something of little value. It is associated with the exchange by Esau of his birthright for a meal of lentil stew. (A pottage is a type of soup.)

The phrase "mess of pottage" is not itself Biblical. It first appeared in a chapter heading (but not the actual text) of the 1560 Geneva Bible.

Miles Smith used the same phrase in "The Translators to the Reader," the lengthy preface to the 1611 King James Bible. Few printings of the King James Bible include this lengthy preface today, but it can be found in older printings.