Wine in the Bible

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Ecclesiastes 9:7: “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.”

First came Noah…. In addition to the rescue of every animal, Noah is really a farmer. He plants a vineyard and becomes intoxicated from his fruit of the vine. Then there is Jesus, who often used wine imagery in his teachings. In fact, both Testaments speak often of the consumption of wine as a way of life in ancient Israel.
We know that these ancient people made wine from grapes and any number of other fermentable fruits. It’s the most commonly mentioned alcoholic beverage in any of the texts and is associated with all things good – and a few not so good. There are 10 different words that refer to various wines in the Torah. And in the early Greek Testament, there are five words for wine. Interestingly, the Biblical Hebrew words for wine are used interchangeably between fermented (alcohol) and juice (non-alcoholic). Tirosh refers to grapes in any state of fermenting and is a sweet wine or juice that’s been newly made. There is Chomets, a vinegar used for cooking, but which is also intoxicating. The most common word for wine in the bible is Yayin.
The use of wine, most often described as a bounty of a harvest, a sign of God’s good will and favor upon people is reflected in the texts along with the natural tension of what can happen when you imbibe irresponsibly. Drunkenness in all texts is certainly frowned upon. Wine is used often in rituals of thanksgiving, blessings and anointments. The first public miracle of Jesus was at a wedding in Canaan when he turned water into wine.
The texts also describe the medicinal uses of wine. Without a doubt these ancient people understood the dangers of drinking water. Parasites and other impurities in addition to sharing water with livestock and other human waste would have made drinking plain water simply dangerous. But mixing a little hydrating water into wine was a reasonable way to kill off bacteria and parasites and create a somewhat less toxic water. But there are also references to wine being used as an anesthetic and as a cleaning agent for wound care. Jesus tells of spreading wine and oil into a wound of an injured stranger in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and there is no question that Jesus was encouraged to drink wine as an anesthetic prior to the crucifixion.

Psalm 104:14-15: “[The LORD] makes … plants for man to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.”

Read Psalms 104 in both Hebrew and in in English