Wine : A Recollection of Definition

Today Most people assume that the word “wine” can refer only to fermented, intoxicating grape juice, or to the fermented juice of any fruit used as beverage.

“ Wine. 1. the alcoholic fermented juice of fresh grape used as a beverage.  2.the alcoholic usually fermented juice of a plant product ( as a fruit ) used as a beverage. 3. something that invigorates or intoxicates. 4. a dark red. “

2010,  Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

However, past usage of the English word “wine” does not restrict to fermented juice of grape.  

Older dictionaries suggested that the word “wine” have a dual meaning, as fermented and unfermented grape juice.

“ Wine, a liquor ( anything that is liquid ) made of the juice of grape or other fruits.”

“ Must, sweet wine, newly pressed from the grape. “

1708,  Dictionarium Anglo-Britannicum.

“ Wine. 1. the juice of the grape. 2. a liquor extracted from other fruits besides the grape.  3. the vapours of wine, as wine disturbs his reason. “

1748, Lingua Britannica Reformata

“ Wine. Nature wine is such as it comes from the grape, without any mixture or sophistication.  Adulterated wine is that wherein some drug is added to give it strength, fineness, flavor, briskness, or some other qualification.”

1759, New Universal English Dictionary of Words and of Arts and Sciences

“ Wine. 1. The fermented juice of grapes. 2. The juice of certain fruits, prepared with sugar, spirits, &c. “

“ Must. [ L. mustum; Heb. to ferment ] New wine; wine pressed from the grape but not fermented.”

1828, American Dictionary of the English Language

“ Wine. The expressed juice of grapes, esp. when fermented; a beverage or liquor prepared from grapes by squeezing out their juice, and ( usually ) allowing it to ferment.”

1895, Webster’s International Dictionary of the English Language

“ Must. Wine or juice pressed form grapes but not fermented.”

1971, New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language

The old English dual-definitions of the word “wine” suggest that when the King James Version of the Bible was translated ( 1604 – 1611 ), its translators must have understood the “wine” to refer to both fermented and unfermented wine.

In view of this fact, the KJV’s uniform translation of the Hebrew “yayin” and Greek “onios” as “wine” was an acceptable translation at that time.

Today, however, when “wine” has assumed the sole meaning of fermented grape juice, modern translations Bible should indicate whether the text is dealing with fermented or unfermented grape juice.

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The original versions of the books of the Bible use several different words for alcoholic beverages : at least 10 in Hebrew, and 5 in Greek.

Hebrew words for “wine” :

yayin ,  ין = “wine”.  Equivalent to Greek “gleukos”, “katoinousthai”, “ oinopotes”, “oinos”, “sumposion”

tirosh , תירוש = “must”, “new wine”, “sweet wine”, it can represent juice at any stage in the fermentation process ; in some places it ‘represents rather wine made from the first drippings of the juice before the winepress was trodden.  As such it would be particularly potent’.  It can certainly be alcoholic.   Equivalent to Greek “methusma, “onios”.

shekar, שכר = “strong drink”, denotes any inebriating drink with about 7-10% alcoholic content, hot hard liquor, because there is no evidence of distilled liquor in ancient times.  Equivalent to Greek “methê”, “oinos” ,”sikera”.

chemar, חמר = “wine”, derived from the root “hamar”, meaning ‘to boil up’.  Equivalent to Greek “methê”, “oinos”.

‘asis , סיס = “sweet wine”, “new wine”.  Equivalent to Greek “ glukasmos”, “methê”, “oinos”, “nama”, “neos”, .

 chomets, חמץ = “vinegar”. Which was made from wine or other fermented beverage and used as a condiment, or when mixed with water, a slightly intoxicating drink.  Equivalent to Greek “omphaz”, “oxos”.

shemar ( plural : shemarim ) , שמר = “lees”, “dregs of wine”, wine that has been kept on the lees, and therefore old wine.  Equivalent to Greek “onios”, “trugias”.

sobhe , סבא =  “drink”, “wine”, “liquor”.  Equivalent to Greek “oinos”

mamsak & mesekh , ממסך = “mixed-drink”, “mixed-wine”, “drink-offering”, a mixture of wine and water with spices that increase its stimulating properties.  Equivalent to Greek “kerasma”

mezeg , מזג =  “mixture”, “mie\xed-wine”.  Equivalent to Greek “karma”.

Greek words for “wine” :

oinos , οίνος  = “wine”.  Equivalent to Hebrew “ tirosh”, “chemar”, “ shekar”, “sobhe”, “ shemarim”, “ ‘asis”.

gleukos , γλευκος = “sweet wine”, “new wine”. which was intoxication.

sikera , σίκερα = derived from Hebrew “shekar”.

oxos , όξος = “vinegar”, “sour wine”, when mixed with water, it was a common, cheap drink of the poor and of the Roman army.

methusma , μέθυσμα = an intoxication drink.l

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Hebrew word “yayin” as fermented wine, in Old Testament :

Genesis 9:20-23.   “ ²¹And he drank of the wine [ H:yayin ],  and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. ”

Genesis 19:30-34.  “ ³³And they made their father drink wine [ H:yayin ] that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.”

2 Samuel 13:23-29. “ ²⁸Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine[ H:yayin ],   and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant. ”

Esther 1:10-12. “ ¹⁰On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine  [ H:yayin ],  …”

Proverb 20:1.  “¹Wine  [ H:yayin ] is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. ”

Hebrew word “yayin” as must, a newly pressed from the grape, in Old Testament :

Isaiah 16:10.   “ ¹⁰And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine [ H:yayin ] in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. “

Jeremiah 40:11-12.  “^{1 2}Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine [ H:yayin ], and summer fruits very much.”

Nehemiah 13:15.  “ ¹⁵In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine [ H:yayin ]?, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.  ”

Lamentations 2:11-12.  “ ¹¹Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.  ¹²They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine [ H:yayin ]? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom. ”

Greek word “oinos” as fermented wine, in New Testament :

Ephesians 5:18.  “ ¹⁸And be not drunk with wine [ G:oinos ], wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; ...”

Greek word “oinos” as unfermented grape juice, translated from Hebrew word “tirosh” and “yayin” to Greek word “oinos”  in Septuagint, a Greek translation of Old Testament.  :

Psalm 4:7.  “ ⁷Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine [ H:tirosh translated into G:oinos ] increased.“

Proverb 3:9-10.  “ ¹¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. [ H:tirosh translated into G:oinos ].”

Isaiah 16:10.   “ ¹⁰And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine [ H:yayin translated into G:oinos ] in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. ¹⁰ “

Isaiah 65:8.  “  ⁸Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine [ H:tirosh translated into G:oinos ]  is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. ”

Joel 1:10-12  .  “ ¹⁰The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine [ H:tirosh translated into G:oinos ] is dried up, the oil languisheth.”

Joel 2:23-24.  “ ²⁴And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine [ H:tirosh translated into G:oinos ] and oil.”

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Reference :

1. Samuel Bacchiocchi, 2001, Wine in the Bible : A Biblical Study on the Use of Alcoholic Beverages.

2. 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary.  http://1828.mshaffer.com

3. Wikipedia

4. BibleGateway.com

Ingrafted Branches of Olives

Bible says …

In Romans 11:16-21, the apostle Paul ( 5 – 67 AD ) talks about grafting of olive.

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“if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." ²⁰Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.” ²²Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. ²³And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

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What is Grafting ?

Grafting is a propagation technique of inserting a shoot from a desirable source ( scion ) into another tree ( stock ) of which is to support and nourish it. The two unite and become one tree. ( www.biology-online.org )

.A successful grafting requires a vascular cambium connection taken place between the stock and scion.

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Purpose of Grafting

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Grafting is very important in domestication of agricultural crops.

Planting of crop from seed takes longer time to mature. Often, plants planted from seed do not produce same desired quality of fruit.

.Thus, grafting of desired scion on rooted stock result in faster yield of expected crop quality. The rootstock continues to provide nutrient from the soil through vascular xylem.

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History of Grafting

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The exact origin of grafting of plants is unknown. The practice of grafting should have occurred independently, though no necessary the same time, in several parts of the world.

The earliest grating is believed to have originated from observation of the natural union of twig of closely growing trees.

The Chinese were thought to have practiced grafting as early as 2000 B.C.., but no records to support the claim. The earliest documented record was 《汜胜之书》, published in sometime between 32 BC – 7 AD , by 汜胜之, of Han Dynasty, which documented technique of grafting in gourd cultivation.

Greek philosopher Aristotle ( 354-322 BC ) and Theophrastus ( 371 – 287 BC ) wrote about grafting too. Theophrastus wrote Enquiry into Plants, and On the Cause of Plants, about his observations on plants physiology.

Roman naturalist Gaius Plinius Sedundus ( 23 – 79 AD) wrote on his encyclopedic work, Naturalis Historia, of grafting.

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Commentary

The Wiersbe Bible Commentary : The Complete New Testament

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The olive tree ( Rom 11:16b-24). This is a symbol of the nation of Israel ( Jer 11:16-17; Hos 14:4-6 ). Please keep in mind that Paul was not discussing the relationship of individual believers to God, but the place of Israel in the plan of God. The roots of the tree support the tree; again, this was a symbol of the patriarch who founded the nation. God made His covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He cannot deny them or change them. Thus it is God’s promise to Abraham that sustains Israel even today.

Many of the Jewish people did not believe. Paul pictured them as branches broken off the tree. But he saw an amazing thing taking place : other branches were grafted into the tree to share in the life of the tree. These branches were the Gentiles. In Romans 11:24, Paul described this “grafting in” as “contrary to nature.” Usually a cultivated branch is grafted into a wild tree and shares its life without producing its poor fruit. But in this case, it was the ‘wild branch’ ( the Gentiles ) that was grafted into the good tree ! “Salvation is of the Jews” ( John 4:22 )

To say that the olive tree, with its natural and grafted branches, is a picture of the church would be a great mistake. In the church, ‘there is no difference”; believers are “all one in Christ Jesus” ( Gal.3:28 ). God does not look on the member of Christ’s body and se them as Jews or Gentiles. The olive tree illustrates the relationship between Jew and Gentiles in the program of God. The ‘breaking off of the branch” is the equivalent of “the fall” (Rom 11:11 ), “the diminishing” ( Rom 11:12 ), and the “casting away” ( Rom 11:15 ). To read into this illustration the matter of eternal destiny f the individual believer is to abuse the truth Paul was seeking to communicate.

Paul warned the Gentiles that they were obligated to Israel, and therefore they dared not boast of their new spiritual position ( Rom 11:18-21 ). The Gentiles entered into God’s plan because of faith, and not because of anything good they had done. Paul was discussing the Gentiles collectively, and not the individual experience of one believer or another.

It is worth noting that, according to Bible prophecy, the professing Gentile church will be “cut off” because of apostasy. First Timothy 4 and 2 Timothy 3, along with 2 Thessalonians 2, all indicate that professing church in the last days will depart from the faith. There is no hope for the apostate church, but there is hope for apostate Israel ! Why ? Because of the roots of the olive tree. God will keep His promises to the patriarchs, but God will break off the Gentiles because of their unbelief.

No mater how far Israel may stray from the truth of God, the roots are still good. God is still the “God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” ( Ex 3:6; Matt 22:23 ). He will keep His promises to these patriarchs. This means that the olive tree will flourish again !

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Bible says :

Jesus used mustard seed as he taught about Kingdom of God, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it ? It is a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that birds of the air can perch in its shade.” ( Mark 4:30-32, Bible - New International Version )

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The parable is also mentioned in Matthew 13:31-32, and Luke 13:18-29.

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Jesus in another occasion used mustard seed to describe how even a small faith can do great wanders. ( Matthew 17:19-21 & Luke 17:6, Bible – New International Version )

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Despite numerous times of reading the Parable of Mustard Seed, I have not idea of how small a mustard seed is, or how big mustard plants can grows.

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Some may say it is not necessary to know much about mustard seed, as long as we understand the essence of the parable. But, how to understand Jesus word without knowing what he says ?

So, I did a little bit of searching.

Mustard is …

Mustard refers to several plant species in the genera Sinapis and Brassica, whose small seeds are used as a spice and made into a yellowish paste condiment, or pressed to make mustard oil, and the edible leaves can be eaten as greens. ( www.en.wikipedia.org )

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There are several known Sinapis and Brassica growing wild in Holy Land : Brassica napus, Brassica nigra, Brassica tournefortii, Sinapis alba and Sinapis arvensis. ( www.wildflowers.co.il ) . It is theorized that Brassica nigra is the one mentioned by Jesus, considering its cultivation history, uses in culinary and uses in daily life.

Mustard is … 

Mustard is cultivated in ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman for use as spice. The exact uses of mustard can only be speculated as it was no detailed documented. We can only assume that the seeds are used as spice or medicine, while the leaves maybe eaten as greens.

Today, mustard is a popular condiment, made from seeds of Sinapis hirta, Brassica juncea or Brassica nigra. The seeds are ground with water or vinegar or wine to create a thick paste ranging in colour fro bright yellow to dark brown. ( www.saskmustard.ca )

Mustard is a popular condiment to hotdogs, burgers, and sandwiches.

Mustard is … the smallest seed ? the biggest tree ?

Mustard seed is about 1 – 2 mm in diameter. (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/seedid ) It is botanically not the smallest seed, but in Jesus’ culture, mustard seed is the smallest among the plants familiar to them. In fact, it is often used to describe something small during the time.

Mustard is an annual shrub, a small tree that is, capable grow up to 8 feet in height, ( http://www.eol.org ) which is the tallest among other herbs in a Jewish’s garden.

Interpretation …

The mustard seed represents the Gospel, starting very small but growing to reach millions throughout the world who will inherit the kingdom.

The birds’ of the air in this parable probably come from the Greek word “orneon,” signifying “to perceive, to hear.” The tree offers a refuge for His faithful to rest in Him.

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By the Rivers of Babylon, 1978 (song)

¹By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
²We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
³For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
⁴How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
⁵If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
⁶If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
⁷Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
⁸O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
⁹Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.


.Bible · King James Version

By The Rivers of Babylon, 2009, by Barefoot Truth

to Sow or not to Sow

Cast your bread upon the waters,

for after many days you will find it again.

Give portions to seven, yes to eight,

for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

If clouds are full of water,

they pour rain upon the earth.

Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,

in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

Whoever watches the wind will not plant;

whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things.
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Sow your seed in the morning,

and at evening let not your hands be idle,

for you do not know which will succeed,

whether this or that,

or whether both will do equally well.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Sunrises

⁴³Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

⁴⁴But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

⁴⁵That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust .

⁴⁶For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

⁴⁷And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

⁴⁸Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5 ( King James Version )

James vs Confusius

Confusius says :

见义不为，无勇也

（ 论语 · 卷二 · 为政第二 ）

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James says :

人若知道行善，却不去行，这就是他的罪了

( 圣经 · 雅各书 4:17 )