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Wine in the Bible – Fermented & Unfermented
One of the most common misconceptions surrounding the word “wine”, as it is used in the bible, is in thinking that it always refers to a fermented beverage. This is somewhat understandable since in our day and age wine exclusively refers to an alcoholic drink. The truth is that the term “wine”, as used in the bible, can refer to a fermented or unfermented beverage depending on the context. It can refer to either the fresh juice of the grape to be enjoyed as a blessing from God or as a beverage warned against by God that can cause intoxication.
Isa 65:8 – “Thus says the LORD, ‘As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, “Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,” so I will act on behalf of My servants in order not to destroy all of them.” This passage clearly describes wine as the fresh juice of the grape as it exists in the cluster and therefore unfermented. This kind of wine is not an intoxicant or a drug, but a blessing from God.
Isa 16:10 – “Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful field; in the vineyards also there will be no cries of joy or jubilant shouting, no treader treads out wine in the presses, for I have made the shouting to cease.” This passage speaks of wine as something treaded out in the presses, directly from the grape, and therefore in a nonalcoholic state. It was a blessing of the Mediterranean world that brought joy because it was a refreshing alternative to water.
Lam 2:11-12 – “My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within; my heart is poured out on the ground because people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, ‘Where is bread and wine?’ as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers’ arms.” The wine spoken of in this passage is one which can be drunk by children and therefore was not an intoxicant.
These, and other verses, show that there was a wine of biblical days that had nothing to do with being an intoxicant or something that would adversely affect judgment. The fresh, unfermented juice of the grape was a sweet, refreshing alternative to water and enjoyed in that culture much like our sweet tea is enjoyed here in the south.
However, the bible also refers to a wine that is a strong drink and intoxicant, and with it are many warnings against its consumption.
Prov 20:1 – “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.” Wine in this fermented form is a depressant that has adverse effects on our mind, our judgment, and our health.
Isa 5:11, 22 – “Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them…Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink”. These verses clearly refer to a wine that we should have nothing to do with as it invokes woe from the Lord Himself.
Since wine of the bible can refer to both fermented and unfermented beverages, we must be careful not to assume alcoholic content in every context where the term “wine” is employed and attempt to use that as justification for drinking alcohol today. This is particularly true when we
consider the fact that wine of today is distilled and much higher in alcoholic content than even the strongest drink of biblical days. When we try to compare wine of biblical days with wine of our day, we are dealing with apples and oranges.
