Wine is Sometimes A Symbol of Joy and Blessing

Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Since the Bible sometimes depicts the use of wine on occasions of merriment and celebration, some have concluded that drinking fermented wine is permissible in God’s sight. Before considering specific Bible passages, we simply must grasp the Bible usage of the term “wine.” Without fail, current English dictionaries define “wine” as a fermented drink—since that is the way the term is now used by English-speaking people. No person who speaks English would understand that the term “wine” refers to anything other than a fermented liquid. However, the English term “wine” has not always been limited in its meaning to an alcoholic beverage. Modern definitions restrict wine to a fermented alcoholic beverage, but historical, theological, and early lexicographical records demonstrate that “wine” was often used to describe the unfermented juice of the grape. For example, the 1754 English dictionary Lingua Britannica Reformata gave the first meaning of “wine” as “the juice of the grape” (Martin, “WIN”). Noah Webster’s 1832 Dictionary of the English Language defined “must” as “New wine; wine pressed from the grape but not fermented” (Webster, “MUS”).

Regardless of English language usage, the word “wine” (Hebrew yayin and Greek oinos), as used in the Bible, is a generic term that refers to the blood of the grape in any of its stages or conditions (cf. Deut. 32:14—“the blood of the grape”). Hebrew lexicons can send mixed signals on this fact, but sufficient indication exists to clarify the generic meaning of yayin. In their Hebrew lexicon, Brown, Driver, and Briggs give as the first meaning of yayin “common drink, for refreshment,” and only mention the notion of “intoxicating” in their third meaning (406). Parkhurst’s Hebrew lexicon has, “Wine, which is made by squeezing the grapes, the expressed juice of grapes” (282, emp. in orig.). Davidson’s Hebrew lexicon links the term with a Semitic verb stem meaning “to tread the grapes” and, thus, yayin means “that which is trodden out” (566).

When we turn to the Bible itself, we learn that “wine” can refer to the juice when it is still within the grape:

But gather wine (yayin) and summer fruit and oil, put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken . . . then all the Jews returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine (yayin) and summer fruit” (Jer. 40:10, 12).

Gladness is taken away, and joy from the plentiful field; in the vineyards there will be no singing, nor will there be shouting; No treaders will tread out wine (yayin) in the presses; I have made their shouting cease (Isa. 16:10).

Joy and gladness are taken from the plentiful field and from the land of Moab; I have caused wine (yayin) to fail from the winepresses; no one will tread with joyous shouting—not joyous shouting! (Jer. 48:33).

In all of these verses, the Israelites are depicted in terms of the jubilant day of celebration (or its absence) when the grapes were harvested from the vineyard and carried to the winepresses to be pressed. No hint of an alcoholic beverage is implied. The Greek Bible (the Septuagint) renders yayin with the term oinos.

Hence, in the Bible, “wine/yayin” is a broad term that can refer to the unfermented “must” as it is squeezed from the grapes in the winepress and flows into the vat (Delitzsch, 6:90). “Must” originates from the Latin word vinum mustum, which means “young wine,” and is defined as follows: “When the grapes are just off the vine and crushed, there is no alcohol in the mixture, as the fermentation process has yet to begin” (Macy’s). Even the word “winepress” clarifies the meaning of “wine.” Its usage is not proleptic—as if anticipating the grape juice’s eventual fermented status. Rather, the term “winepress” is aptly named since it refers specifically to the fresh juice of the grape that comes forth from the squeezed grapes and is designated “wine” at that stage—before and without any fermentation having occurred. The same is true with the expressions “sweet wine” and “new wine.” The word “wine” in such cases is being used to refer to unfermented grape juice.

This fact is borne out by the etymology of the word “wine”—which is nothing more than a transliteration of the Hebrew and Greek: “Most scholars posit a non-Semitic base (possibly Hittite) underlying the Semitic root wyn or yyn. They believe that this gave rise to Hebrew yayin and Greek oinos and other Indo-European cognates (Lat. vinum; German Wein; Engl. ‘wine’)” (Bandstra, 4:1068). Observe, then, that the Hebrew term yayin and the Greek term oinos and the English word wine are simply transliterated terms from an ancient stem. If the Bible sometimes uses the terms yayin and oinos to refer to unfermented grape juice, then one cannot assume that the occurrence of the English word “wine” in the Bible automatically refers to fermented juice.

In light of these observations, consider the following two passages that are used to defend drinking alcoholic beverages as a proper expression of celebration and joy:

Psalm 104:14-15

“He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart” (Psa. 104:14-15).

The grammar of verse 14 informs us that God makes it possible for grass to grow for animals and vegetation to grow for humans. Consequently, humans can engage in farming, which brings forth food for themselves. What is this “vegetation/herbs” that provides food for man? It is wine, oil, and bread. This trilogy of food products consists of grapes, olives, and wheat. Grapes provide wine, olives provide oil, and wheat provides bread. Moses had informed the nation that God would bring them into a good land “a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey” (Deut. 8:8). God had said, “That I will give you the rain for your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil” (Deut. 11:14; cf. 7:13).                                                           The Rabshakeh, speaking on behalf of the King of Assyria, informed the population of Hezekiah’s day that if they would submit, he would “come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive-trees and of honey, that you may live and not die” (2 Kgs. 18:32 ASV). Observe that in each of these cases, no reference is being made to a fermented drink—but rather to the produce that would be grown by the Israelites. Indeed, “It was the glory of the promised land to produce in abundance these three essentials” (Spence and Exell, 398).

The phrase “oil to make his face to shine” may refer literally to the use of oil as a lotion. Besides the religious purpose of anointing kings, priests, and sacred objects, olive oil was used throughout the ancient Near East as the premiere source of fuel for lighting lamps. It was also used in food preparation, medicinally as a balm to heal wounds, and cosmetically for anointing the body for beauty and as perfume. Another possibility is that the phrase refers metaphorically to causing a man’s face “to shine more than oil, i.e., so cheers and invigorates him, that outwardly he appears better than if anointed” (Jamieson, 376). God’s provisions cause his face to shine “with joyful brightness” (Gesenius, 791). Similarly, the phrase “bread which strengtheneth man’s heart” no doubt refers to the solid food that enables the human body to be nourished and sustained in labor. The point, then, is that all three of these divine provisions—the juice of the grape, the oil of the olive, and the bread/grain of the wheat—bring cheer and joy to God’s people whose physical needs are being met by a gracious God.

“Make Glad”?

Does the phrase “maketh glad the heart of man” refer to the physical stimulation that accompanies fermented wine? While alcohol dulls the mind, it is the flesh of the body that is stimulated by alcohol. Making the heart glad refers to a spiritual stimulation—a thrilling of the soul. When Jotham declared his fable of the trees to the men of Shechem from atop Mount Gerizim, the trees urged the vine to reign over them: “But the vine said unto them, ‘Should I cease my new wine, which cheers both God and men, and go to sway over trees?’” (Jd. 9:13, NKJV). The words “new wine” is a rendering of the single word tirosh, which refers to the solid fruit of the vine, i.e., the grape clusters—“vintage-fruit” (Lees, 2:953). In other words, it pleases both God and men for God to provide the grapes filled with luscious juice. The term “cheers”—the same word as used in Psalm 104:15—cannot refer to an intoxicating drink—since God is most certainly not subject to being cheered by a physical stimulant. Nor could the talking vine in the fable produce a fermented drink. Rather, God was pleased with the offerings of the first fruits of the Israelites’ produce (Lev. 23:10-20). Harris notes concerning tirosh: “The word is used thirty-eight times, twenty of these in conjunction with grain and/or oil as the fresh produce of the field” (Harris, et al., 2:969).

The Hebrew lexicons verify this fact. The word rendered “maketh glad” is defined as “cause to rejoice, gladden” (Brown, 970); “to make joyful” (Gesenius, 791); “to cheer, gladden, cause to rejoice” (Davidson, 723); “gladden, make someone merry” (Koehler, et al., 1335). A simple sampling of other verses that use this same term (indicated in italics) clarify its meaning. To be “glad in the LORD” (Psa. 104:34) does not mean to be intoxicated in the LORD. When an Israelite newlywed husband was permitted to refrain from going to war for one year after his wedding in order to “bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken” (Deut. 24:5, NKJV), it was not so he could get her intoxicated.

“Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel. . . My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me” (Prov. 27:9, 11; cf. 15:20). Do ointment and perfume have an intoxicating effect on the body? Does the son make his father’s heart glad by providing him with intoxicating wine? The weeping prophet declared, “Let the man be cursed Who brought news to my father, saying, ‘A male child has been born to you!’ making him very glad” (Jer. 20:15, NKJV). Acquiring a newborn son does not cause a father to be intoxicated. Consider additional verses where the same term occurs:

“Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul” (Psa. 86:4); “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High” (Psa. 46:4); “Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil” (Psa. 90:15); “I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me” (Psa. 30:1). [See additional occurrences of the word in Judges 19:3; 1 Kings 4:20; 2 Chron. 20:27; Ezra 6:22; Neh. 12:43; Psa. 19:8; 92:4; Prov. 10:1; 12:25; 13:9; 29:3; Ecc. 8:15; Isa. 56:7; Hosea 7:3.]

The allegation that “make glad” in Psalm 104:15 carries the notion of inebriation is nonsensical. To be made glad has nothing to do with the condition of the liquid imbibed. God makes people to rejoice, be joyful, and be glad—but most certainly not by enabling them to become intoxicated. Indeed, when Solomon declared: “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry” (Ecc. 10:19), if the word “merry” refers to the “buzz” that alcohol gives to the body, making a person feel euphoric, then that person is experiencing a measure of intoxication—even if minimal. But intoxication is the very thing that the Bible repeatedly labels and decries as “drunkenness.” The words “laughter” and “merry” have nothing to do with the intake of an intoxicating beverage—even as church dinners are joyful and cause the members to be merry in the midst of a complete absence of intoxicating beverages. One is made to rejoice because of the provisions that God makes for His people. To attribute inebriating qualities to such provisions is prejudicial and presumptuous.

To summarize, Psalm 104:14-15 is stating that God’s provisions enable humans to be made happy, to be gladdened, and to rejoice. To assume that grapes/wine make a person “glad” by causing him to become tipsy is a classic case of reading into a passage one’s own preconceived ideas. The provision that God makes for his people—whether it is the delicious foods that we are permitted to enjoy, or the lotions that enable us to care for our bodies, or the variety of innocent liquids that we regularly consume—causes us to rejoice and be deeply gladdened by his gracious allocations.

Proverbs 3:10

Let us turn to another verse that has been set forth to justify the use of alcoholic beverages:

“Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Prov. 3:9-10).

Interestingly, the words “new wine” in this verse translate the single Hebrew word tirosh—not yayin. The general meaning of this term pertains to the fruit rather than the juice. For example, Micah predicted: “Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine (tirosh), but shalt not drink wine (yayin)” (Mic. 6:15). Observe that the preceding verb “tread” must be supplied prior to “sweet wine.” Many English translations recognize this grammatical necessity and insert “tread” before it, including the ESV, ISV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, NCB, et al. Others insert “trample” (EHV) or “crush” (ERV, ICB, MEV, NABRE, NOG, NCV, NIV, WEB). Several English translations render tirosh as “grapes” in this verse (CSB, CEB, CEV, ERV, EHV, ESV, HCSB, ICB, ISV, LSB, LEB, MEV, NABRE, NASB1995, NCB, NCV, NET, NIRV, NIV, NLV, NRSV, RSV, WEB, et al.). Micah was referring to the pressing of olives and the treading of grape clusters. Tirosh in this verse refers to the grapes “as yielding wine” (Brown, et al., 440).

Similarly, Isaiah insisted “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine (tirosh—grapes) is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it” (Isa. 65:8). Isaiah was not referring to the juice in the grapes, but to the ripening fruit that makes up the cluster on the vine. This single cluster contained within it a blessing, which symbolized the certainty of the coming Messiah—even though God would destroy most of the descendants of Abraham for their incessant disobedience. A comparable allusion is given by the prophet Joel. Due to a severe locust plague inflicted by God’s judgment upon the nation, their fields were wasted, the land mourned, the grain was ruined, the tirosh had dried up, and the olive oil had failed (Joel 1:10). Yet, if they would repent, “The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine (tirosh) and oil” (Joel 2:24, NKJV). Once again, the allusion is to the abundance of fruit that would fill-to-overflowing the presses.

Observe, further, that the tirosh of Proverbs 3:9-10 also refers to the freshly picked clusters of grapes—not the expressed juice that would be forthcoming. Solomon was referring to the abundance of produce that would result from the Israelites’ labors if they would put the LORD first in their lives. Not only would their barns be jam-packed to the rafters with wheat, but their winepresses would also be crammed with the grape clusters, piled up, and hanging over the sides. The Hebrew verb rendered “burst” actually means “to overflow, abound with” (Davidson, 634). We speak of “an overflow crowd.” In fact, the verse cannot mean “burst out” since, as Hebrew scholar Gesenius noted, “neither can the vat of a winepress, nor yet the winepress itself burst with plenty of new wine, which a cask or wine skin alone can” (691; cf. Spence and Exell, 58). Hence, the verse is referring to the quantity of grapes that demonstrate the bountiful harvest which God provided.

Conclusion

Yes, wine is a symbol of joy in the Bible. However, it maintains that status in its pristine, unfermented state—even as olive oil and wheat are causes of gladness and joy in and of themselves. They constitute the blessings of God given by him for the happiness of mankind—who causes it to rain on the just and the unjust. Suggesting that “wine” in such a context refers to an intoxicating drink destroys the beautiful portrait of God as provider of man’s basic needs—which does not include alcoholic beverages.

References

Bandstra, B.L. (1979), “Wine,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. Geoffrey             Bromiley (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 4:1068.

Brown, Francis, S.R. Driver, and Charles B. Briggs (1906), A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old

Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2004 reprint).

Davidson, Benjamin (1848), The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan, 1970 reprint).

Delitzsch, F. (1976 reprint), Commentary on the Old Testament: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of

            Solomon, ed. C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).

Gesenius, William (1847), Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI:

Baker, 1979 reprint).

1. Laird Harris (1980), tirosh in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris,

Gleason Archer, Jr. and Bruce Waltke (Chicago, IL: Moody).

Jamieson, Robert, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown (no date), A Commentary on the Old and New

Testaments (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).

Koehler, Ludwig, et al. (1994-2000), The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament

(Leiden: E.J. Brill).

Lees, F.R. (1845), Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, ed. John Kitto (Edinburgh: Adam & Charles Black).

Macy’s Wine Shop (2026), “What is Grape Must?”, macyswineshop.com.

Martin, Benjamin (1754), Lingua Britannica Reformata (London: C. Hitch, et al.).

Parkhurst, John (1799), A Hebrew and English Lexicon (London: F. Davis).

Spence, H.D.M. and Joseph Exell (1958 reprint), “The Psalms,” The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).

Webster, Noah (1831), A Dictionary of the English Language (London: Black, Young, and Young).