Wine.
This Is
Appendix 27 From The Companion Bible.
There
are eight Hebrew words translated wine. A careful
observation of their use will tell us all that there is to be known on
the subject.
Yayin,
from the root yayan, to ferment, used of
every sort of wine. The word occurs 142 times, and includes fermented
wine of all kinds.
- The first occurrence is :
-
-
Genesis 9: 21.
"Noah planted a vineyard and drank yayin
and was drunken."
Genesis
14:18.
"Melchizedek... brought forth bread and wine."
-
1
Samuel 25:36,
37.
Nabal drank yayin and "was very drunken."
-
Isaiah 28:1.
"The drunkards of Ephraim ... are overcome (that is
to say, knocked down) with yayin."
-
Jeremiah 23:9.
"I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom yayin
hath overcome".
It
is perfectly certain, therefore, from these passages, that yayin
was fermented, and was intoxicating.
Yayin
was also used for sacred purposes and for blessing :
-
- Genesis 49:
12.
"His (Judah's) eyes shall be red with yayin,
and his teeth white with milk."
Amos 9: 13.
"I will bring again the captivity of my people, and they
shall plant vineyards and drink the yayin therof."
(verse 14
is No. V.)
Ecclesiastes 9: 7.
"Drink thy yayin with a merry heart, for
God now accepteth thy works."
- The Nazarite, at the expiration of his vow, drank yayin.
See Numbers 6:
13
-20.
It was used at the Feasts of Jehovah (Deuteronomy 14:24
-26),
and was poured out as a drink-offering to Jehovah (Exodus 29:40.
Leviticus 23:13.
Numbers 15:5).
-
- Tirosh,
from yarash, to possess = must, or new wine, so called
because it gets possession of the brain. It occurs thirty-four times
in the Old Testament.
-
- Hosea 4:
11.
"Whoredom and yayin and tirosh
take away the heart" (that is to say, they blunt
the feelings, derange the intellect).
Some say that tirosh means grapes,
and is used as solid food, because in Genesis 37:28
we read of "tirosh and corn". We
might as well say that when we speak of "bread and
water", that water is also a solid, because bread is a
solid. On the contrary, "tirosh and corn"
means liquids and solids, by the figure of Synecdoche
(of Genus), Appendix
6.
- Proverbs 3:
10.
"Thy presses shall burst out with tirosh."
Isaiah 62: 8.
"The sons of the stranger shall not drink thy tirosh."
Joel 2: 24.
"The fats (vats) shall overflow with tirosh
and oil."
Micah 6: 15.
"Thou shalt tread ... tirosh, but shalt
not drink yayin."
- Chemer,
from chamar, to ripen. Hence used of strong red
wine. It occurs eight times.
-
- Deuteronomy 32:
14.
"The pure chemer of the grape."
Isaiah 27: 2,
3.
"A vineyard of chemer. I the Lord do
keep it".
Ezra 6: 9.
Cyrus and Artaxerxes commanded that chemer should be
given to the people of Israel for the service of the God of
Heaven.
The Rabbins called it neat wine, because, unmixed
with water, it disturbs the head and brain.
- Shekar
= strong drink (from shakar, to get drunk), a very
intoxicating drink made from barely, honey, or dates.
- Numbers 28:
7.
"In the holy place shalt thou cause the shekar
(strong wine) to be poured unto the Lord for a drink
offering."
Deuteronomy 14: -25,
26.
"Thou ... shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy
God shall choose: and thou shalt bestow that money for whatever
thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for yayin
(wine), or for shekar (strong drink),
or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there
before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine
household".
- 'Asis
(from 'asas, to tread) new or sweet wine
of the vintage year.
- Isaiah 49:
26.
"They shall be drunken with their own blood, as with 'asis
(sweet wine)".
The drinking of this was held out by God as a blessing
conferred by Him. Joel 3: 17,
18.
Amos 9:13.
- Sob'e
any kind of strong intoxicating drink: from sab'a, to drink to
excess, become drunk: occurs twice.
- Isaiah 1:
22.
"Thy silver is become dross, thy sob'e (wine)
mixed with water".
Hosea 4: 18.
"Their sob'e (drinking bout or
carouse) is over" (Authorized Version
their drink is sour (margin, gone). Revised Version
margin their carouse is over).
- Mimsak,
mixed or spiced wine.
- Proverbs 23:
30.
"They that tarry long at the yayin; they
that go seek mimsak (mixed wine)."
Isaiah 65: 11.
"That prepare a table for Fortune, and that fill up
mingled wine (mimsak) unto Destiny" (Revised
Version).
-
- [WBSG NOTE]
Isa 65:11
11 But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain,
that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering
(mimsak)
unto that
number. (KJV)
- Shemarim,
from shamar, to keep, preserve, lay up; hence, old
wine, purified from the lees and racked off.
- Psalm 75:
8.
"But the Shemarim
(dregs), all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out,
and drink them."
Isaiah 25: 6.
"Wines on the lees."
Zephaniah 1: 12.
"I will ... punish the men that are settled on their Shemarim
(lees)".
Jeremiah 48: 11.
"Moab ... hath settled on his lees."
N.B. The word translated "flagons of wine" is 'ashishah
from 'ashash, to press; hence a hardened syrup made of
grapes, a sweet cake of dried grapes or pressed raisins. it occurs in 2
Samuel 6:19.
1
Chronicles 16:3.
Song 2:5.
Hosea 3:1.
With
these data it will be seen that the modern expression, "unfermented
wine", is a contradiction of terms. If it is
wine, it must have fermented. If it has not been fermented, it is not
wine, but a syrup.
Leaven
is sour dough, and not wine. It is that which causes the
fermentation. There can be no leaven after the process of fermentation
has ceased. |