The modern Hebrew Bible, which generally follows the Masoretic Text, uses several words to represent alcoholic beverages: The Hebrew Bible was largely written in Biblical Hebrew, with portions in Biblical Aramaic, and has an important Ancient Greek translation called the Septuagint. Hence, the meanings of the words used for alcoholic beverages in each of these languages has bearing on alcohol in the Bible. While some deuterocanonical books may have been originally written in Hebrew or the Aramaic language, some were written in Greek. Some of these words have overlapping meaning, particularly the words in the Hebrew language compared to the words in Koine Greek, the language of both the Septuagint and the New Testament. Its consumption is prescribed for religious rites or medicinal uses in some places.īiblical literature uses several words in its original languages to refer to different types of alcoholic beverages. Wine is used symbolically, in both positive and negative terms. Drunkenness is discouraged and not infrequently portrayed, and some biblical persons abstained from alcohol. The original versions of the books of the Bible use several different words for alcoholic beverages: at least 10 in Hebrew, and five in Greek. The relationships between Judaism and alcohol and Christianity and alcohol have generally maintained this same tension, though some modern Christian sects, particularly American Protestant groups around the time of Prohibition, have rejected alcohol as evil. Many Christians abstain from alcohol, citing, among other verses, 1 Corinthians 10:21, which states, 'You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.' Others think biblical literature displays an ambivalence toward drinks that can be intoxicating, considering them both a blessing from God that brings joy and merriment and potentially dangerous beverages that can be sinfully abused. Rabbinic teachers wrote acceptance criteria on consumability of ancient alcoholic beverages after significant dilution with water, but prohibited undiluted wine. The low alcoholic content was due to the limitations of fermentation and nonexistence of distillation methods in the ancient world. However, the alcoholic content of ancient alcoholic beverages were significantly lower than modern alcoholic beverages.

Additionally, the inhabitants of ancient Israel drank beer, and wines made from fruits other than grapes, and references to these appear in scripture.

Wine is the most common alcoholic beverage mentioned in biblical literature, where it is a source of symbolism, and was an important part of daily life in biblical times. In the New Testament, Jesus miraculously made copious amounts of wine at the wedding at Cana ( John 2). Alcoholic beverages appear in the Hebrew Bible, after Noah planted a vineyard and became inebriated.

Wine beer whiskey original