Mesopotamian temples were run as working households for their resident deity, and the naptanu service was the clearest expression of that idea: the god was fed because the god, in the form of the cult statue animated by the mis pi rite, was understood to need food exactly as a living ruler would. Temple archives from cities such as Uruk and Sippar record enormous quantities of grain, livestock, dairy and beer allotted specifically to feed the gods, administered by dedicated temple staff whose entire profession was preparing and presenting these meals on schedule. The food was set out behind a curtain and the god was left, in theory, alone with it, since watching a god eat was considered inappropriate or even dangerous, and the curtain reopened only once the meal's essence had been consumed.
What remained, materially unchanged to any observer but spiritually depleted in Mesopotamian understanding, was then redistributed down a strict hierarchy: first to the king if present, then to senior priests and officials, and finally to ordinary temple staff, so that the god's table fed the entire institution built around the temple in descending order of status. Temple staff assigned to the naptanu service held recognized professional titles passed down within families across generations, treating the role of feeding the god as a hereditary occupation comparable to any other specialized temple craft.