Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

WINE

Several types of wine and other fruit beverages were consumed regularly in the ancient Near Eastern world. These included Heb. yayin, the most common term for wine; tîrôš, “new or sweet wine”; šēḵār, “strong drink”; ḥemer, “wine (red?)”; ʿāsîs, “sweet wine”; and Gk. oínos, a generic word for wine. Study of the philology and etymology of Heb. yayin and Gk. oínos suggests common origin with cuneiform uiian, hieroglyphic uianas, and Mycenaean Gk. woi-ne-wei. All biblical forms were capable of producing intoxication (Hos. 4:11; Joel 1:5).

The origins of wine production are to be dated to the Neolithic period in the upper Mediterranean basin. The earliest wine-treading installations discovered in Israel date to the Chalcolithic period (4000-3500 b.c.). The Levant was known for its abundance of wine during the Middle Bronze Age, where according to the annals of Sinuhe, “Figs were in it, and grapes. It had more wine than water” (ANET, 19). Wine was traded by Solomon along with wheat, barley, and olive oil in securing lumber and other products and services for building the Jerusalem temple (2 Chr. 2:8-10).

Wine was processed from the vineyards in late summer and early fall as the grapes ripened. The production took place in eight stages: (1) producing a first must, (2) treading the grapes by foot in hewn stone vats, (3) pressing the remaining grape skins and stalks, (4) straining the must, (5) adding water to the pressed skins to make inferior wine, (6) producing concentrated must by boiling, (7) first fermentation, (8) second fermentation. Painted murals from Egypt depict the ancient process of treading, fermenting, and pouring wine into storage jars (ANEP, 345). Excavations at Gibeon and nearby el-Burj have evidenced hewn bell-shaped subterranean vaults used for the storage of wine during its various stages of production. A year-round temperature was maintained between 17-19° C. (63-67° F.) for quality control. Storage jars capable of holding 2-10 l. (.5-2.6 gal.) were used in the fermentation and long-term storage stages.

The produce of the vineyard was viewed by ancient peoples as a special gift from their deities (ANET, 48, 214). In the Bible wine was viewed as a gift from God (Deut. 7:13; 11:14) that was to be used in celebration of his goodness accompanying various sacrifices in the cult (Num. 15:5, 7), as well in communal ceremonies of marriage and the Feast of Passover (John 2:1-11; Luke 22:14-20). The drink offering of wine accompanied the various daily, monthly, and annual sacrifices of the festival calendar (Num. 28–29). New wine was among the agricultural products brought as firstfruit offerings for the priest and Levites (Num. 18:12). But the priests were not to consume wine or strong drink in the service of the cult, lest they discharge their service improperly (Lev. 10:9; Isa. 28:7). Likewise the Nazirite was to abstain from all produce of the vineyard during the period of consecration (Num. 6:1-4). The tithe of new wine was to be consumed in the central worship place in a rite of communal celebration by the people (Deut. 12:15-18).

Numerous metaphors using wine reflect upon the goodness of life. One who fears the Lord will have a wife like a fruitful vine (Ps. 128:3). God provides the wine that gladdens the heart (Ps. 104:15), but he withholds it as a form of judgment (Isa. 16:10; 24:7-13). Drinking wine and eating bread were symbols of peace and prosperity (2 Kgs. 18:31-32; Prov. 3:10). Israel’s restoration from judgment and captivity is envisioned as a time of abundant produce from the vineyards (Jer. 31:12; Joel 2:19, 24; Amos 9:13-14).

Excess consumption of wine leading to drunkenness is condemned summarily in the Bible. Abuse of wine evidences a lack of wisdom (Prov. 20:1), which can lead to mindless confusion (23:30-35), violence (4:17), or poverty (21:17; 23:20-21). Drunkenness leads to dissipation (Eph. 5:18), arrogance (Hab. 2:5), and abuse of the poor (Amos 6:6). The devastating effects of drunkenness from wine are a common metaphor for God’s judgment (Jer. 25:15; Rev. 18:3). Hence, leaders in the Church are to be those who do not indulge in much wine (1 Tim. 3:3, 8; Titus 1:7; 2:3).

Bibliography. O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel (Winona Lake, 1987); R. Frankel, The History of the Processing of Wine and Oil in Galilee in the Period of the Bible, the Mishnah, and the Talmud (diss., Tel Aviv, 1984); Wine and Oil Production in Antiquity in Israel and Other Mediterranean Countries. JSOT/ASORMS 10 (Sheffield, 1999); J. B. Pritchard, Gibeon, Where the Sun Stood Still (Princeton, 1962); A. F. Rainey, “Wine from the Royal Vineyards,” BASOR 245 (1982): 57-62; J. M. Renfrew, Palaeoethnobotany: The Prehistoric Food Plants of the Near East and Europe (New York, 1973).

R. Dennis Cole

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

WINE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)