Wine

Fermented grape juice. Workers put grapes into the winepress and then walked and stamped on the grapes to press out the juice. The grape juice flowed through a hole near the bottom of the winepress into a smaller vat. Then the juice was made into wine. In Bible times, it was used as a drink, a medicine, and a disinfectant. Wine was also poured out as a special drink offering to God, a symbol of gratitude or willingness to change.

In the Bible, wine is spoken of both as a blessing and as a curse. Isaac blessed his son, wishing him plenty in grain and wine. But the prophet Hosea said wine takes away understanding. Jewish priests were commanded not to drink wine when they were on duty, and Nazirites were never to drink wine. In Old Testament times, wine was not mixed with water, but during the time of Jesus it was. The apostle Paul told Christians not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit.