{"id":166,"date":"2026-03-28T02:00:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T01:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/?p=166"},"modified":"2026-03-28T02:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T01:14:36","slug":"does-the-bible-support-moderate-drinking-of-alcohol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/?p=166","title":{"rendered":"Does the Bible Support Moderate Drinking of Alcohol?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recommendation: Read \u201c<\/em>Is It Acceptable for Christians to Smoke or Consume Drugs?<\/em><\/a>\u201d before starting this study.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All sorts of wine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why does wine play such a prominent role in the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Deuteronomy 8:7-8 \u2013 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of<\/strong> wheat, and barley, and vines<\/strong> {gephen<\/em>}, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: The Levant has long offered\u2014and still offers\u2014some of the best conditions for vineyards and grape production.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does \u201cwine\u201d always mean alcoholic wine?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nehemiah 5:18 \u2013 Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>}: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: No\u2014there were different types of \u201cwine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 65:8 \u2013 Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine <\/strong>{tiyrowsh<\/em>} is found in the cluster<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proverbs 3:10 \u2013 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with<\/strong> new wine <\/strong>{tiyrowsh<\/em>}.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: The word \u201ctiyrowsh\u201d meant \u201cgrape juice,\u201d is often translated as \u201cnew wine,\u201d and is related to \u201cyarash,\u201d meaning \u201cto squeeze out,\u201d implying freshly pressed juice. References to \u201cclusters\u201d and \u201cpresses\u201d point to wine presses, where cleaned feet crushed grapes to extract fresh juice. See Numbers 18:12; Deuteronomy 7:13; 11:14; Joel 1:10; 2:19, 24; Hosea 9:2; and Micah 6:15, where the term is often translated simply as \u201cwine,\u201d without \u201cnew.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about when \u201cwine\u201d is mentioned without saying it is \u201cnew\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 16:10 \u2013 And 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<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>} in their presses<\/strong>; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah 48:33 \u2013 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab, and I have caused wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>} to fail from the winepresses<\/strong>: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 19:15 \u2013 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress<\/strong> {press of the wine; oinos<\/em>} of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: Still, in these cases the word must be studied in context to determine whether it refers to alcoholic or non-alcoholic wine. In the above verses the words \u201cyayin\u201d or \u201coinos\u201d, which are often assumed to only mean alcoholic wine, refer to non-alcoholic wine. When grapes are trodden in the press, what comes out is grape juice. It has not substantially fermented yet\u2014fermentation typically takes days, and the juice is not left in the press long enough for this to occur\u2014and is therefore non-alcoholic. The Bible also refers to this unfermented product as \u201cwine,\u201d since anything derived from the vine and made from grapes could be called \u201cwine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah 40:10,12 \u2013 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>}, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken. \/ 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<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>} and summer fruits very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numbers 6:4 \u2013 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree <\/strong>{yayin<\/em>}, from the kernels even to the husk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: Even grapes and the plants themselves were sometimes referred to as \u201cwine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamentations 2:11-12 \u2013 Mine 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<\/strong> in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>}? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers’ bosom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: Unless we want to believe that the Israelites gave alcoholic wine to their babies and children, this is a clear example of \u201cwine\u201d being used for a non-alcoholic beverage.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What types of \u201cwine\u201d existed in ancient Israel?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Proverbs 23:30-31 \u2013 They that tarry long at the wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>}; they that go to seek mixed wine <\/strong>{mamcak<\/em>}. Look not thou upon the wine <\/strong>{yayin<\/em>} when it is red<\/strong>, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: \u201cYayin\u201d primarily referred to alcoholic wine, but, as noted earlier, it was also used for non-alcoholic grape juice. More broadly, the term denoted grape-based beverages regardless of alcohol content\u2014which, at the time, could not be measured precisely. Historians and Jewish scholars also note a third category: wine diluted with water in various ratios (e.g., 3:1, 8:1, and sometimes even up to 20:1). Grape juice was almost certainly diluted as well. Thus, at least four drinks could be called \u201cyayin\u201d: (1) pure alcoholic wine, (2) diluted alcoholic wine, (3) pure grape juice, and (4) diluted grape juice. The same applies to the Greek word \u201coinos.\u201d Hosea 4:11 may even suggest mixing old with new wine. Moreover, not all beverages were purely grape-based. The term \u201cmamcak\u201d (\u201cmixed wine\u201d) referred to various mixtures, and \u201cshekar,\u201d ** often translated \u201cstrong drink,\u201d referred to non-grape-based beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. *<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were very few truly non-alcoholic beverages in the ancient world. Even drinks like fresh grape juice contained a small amount of alcohol, since fermentation begins shortly after the grapes are picked. However, this minimal alcohol content would have little effect unless the beverage underwent a longer, deliberate fermentation, was consumed in extremely large quantities, or was insufficiently diluted.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People in the ancient world used several methods to prevent drinks from fermenting. One involved placing fresh grape juice in sealed containers under cold water, which preserved it from fermenting for a considerable time. Another involved boiling grape juice into a high-sugar, syrup-like concentrate (see sapa\/defrutum in the writings of Columella and Pliny) that could be stored without fermenting and later mixed with water to make non-alcoholic drinks (the term \u201cshekar\u201d was quite possibly used for this kind of syrup).<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there biblical evidence that wine was diluted with water?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Proverbs 9:1-2,5 \u2013 Wisdom<\/strong> hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine <\/strong>{yayin<\/em>}; she hath also furnished her table. \/ [5] Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine <\/strong>{yayin<\/em>} which I have mingled<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 1:22 \u2013 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine <\/strong>{cobe<\/em>} mixed with water<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 14:10 \u2013 The same shall drink of the wine<\/strong> {oinos<\/em>} of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture<\/strong> into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: According to Proverbs 9, it is wise to mingle wine (i.e., dilute it with water), which supports the points made above. The alcohol content of wine in antiquity is often estimated at around 5-10%, with a maximum of 12% (by comparison, some modern wines reach up to 20%). When diluted at water to wine ratios of 3:1, 8:1, and 20:1, the resulting alcohol levels would be no higher than 3%, 1.33%, and 0.57%, respectively. Thus, diluted wine in ancient Israel could be roughly 4\u20137 times\u2014and in some cases 21\u201335 times\u2014lower in alcohol than undiluted modern wine. *<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The widespread practice of diluting wine also helps explain why the same term was used for beverages with varying alcohol levels, from unfermented juice to fully fermented wine. Where, after all, would one draw the line between \u201calcoholic\u201d and \u201cnon-alcoholic\u201d? People then could not measure alcohol content precisely and did not have completely alcohol-free beverages like those available today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why was wine diluted with water?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1 Timothy 5:23 \u2013 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine <\/strong>{oinos}<\/em> for thy stomach’s sake<\/strong> and thine often infirmities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: It appears Timothy practiced total abstinence and drank only water, which was not ideal for his stomach in the region where he lived. Water in the ancient world was often polluted or contaminated. Historians note that people commonly added small amounts of wine to water to reduce contamination, which may explain why Paul recommends that Timothy drink wine. Additionally, the compounds and nutrients in grapes can be beneficial to health. Note that, in this case, the Bible endorses alcohol for medicinal rather than recreational use (see also Luke 10:34).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In summary, even grape juice\u2014if not properly preserved, which was difficult in antiquity\u2014could contain small amounts of alcohol due to rapid fermentation. Water was often disinfected with wine to make it safer to drink. Thus, people in the ancient world had limited options and drank (diluted) wine without getting drunk. Today, however, alcoholic beverages can be completely avoided; there is no necessity to risk impaired judgment, self-control, or spiritual well-being by consuming alcohol.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wine is a mocker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When does the Bible first mention wine?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Read Genesis 9:20-25<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: The first mention of wine in the Bible depicts a tragic scene: Noah drunk\u2014the very man who, when sober, fulfilled God\u2019s purpose by building the ark.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What wisdom does the Bible offer about drinking alcohol?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Proverbs 20:1 \u2013 Wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>} is a mocker, strong drink<\/strong> {shekar<\/em>} is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proverbs 23:29-35 \u2013 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine <\/strong>{yayin<\/em>}; they that go to seek mixed wine <\/strong>{mamcak<\/em>}. Look not thou upon the wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>} when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent<\/strong>, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 5:22 \u2013 Woe unto them<\/strong>that are mighty to drink wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>}, and men of strength to mingle strong drink<\/strong> {shekar<\/em>} \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: See also Jeremiah 25:27; 51:39, 57; ch. 35 Proverbs 4:17; and Galatians 5:19\u201321. These passages use strong language to warn about the dangers of wine, mixed wine (blends or mixtures that enhance intoxicating effects), and other alcoholic drinks, urging readers to avoid them. Contemporary research increasingly shows how harmful alcohol consumption can be. It directly affects the brain\u2014and thus cognitive function\u2014the liver, overall metabolism, sleep quality, the cardiovascular system, and stress levels, and it is also linked to various cancers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does the Bible say about recreational drinking with other people?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Habakkuk 2:15 \u2013 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink<\/strong>, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken<\/strong> also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romans 14:13,21 \u2013 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. \/ It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine <\/strong>{oinos<\/em>}, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is facilitating others\u2019 drinking condemned?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Read Genesis 19:30-38<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Samuel 11:12-13 \u2013 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk<\/strong>: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: Intoxication isn\u2019t just a byproduct of socializing; it is often used to cloud another person\u2019s judgment and exploit their vulnerability for selfish ends. The question we should ask is this: if alcohol has such effects\u2014making us susceptible to poor decisions and abuse\u2014does this drink come from God?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t the Bible also say good things about wine?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 104:15 \u2013 And wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>} that maketh glad the heart of man<\/strong>, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judges 9:13 \u2013 And the vine <\/strong>{gephen<\/em>} said unto them, Should I leave my wine<\/strong> {tiyrowsh<\/em>}, which cheereth God and man<\/strong>, and go to be promoted over the trees?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: In passages where the Bible speaks positively about wine, it is either clearly grape juice (\u201ctiyrowsh\u201d) or likely minimally fermented wine. The rationale is that Scripture generally speaks negatively about alcoholic wine; therefore, when it speaks positively, it must be referring to a different kind of \u201cwine.\u201d Otherwise, a contradiction would arise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a clear line between moderate drinking and drunkenness?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Habakkuk 2:5 \u2013 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine<\/strong> {yayin<\/em>}, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied<\/strong>, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read again Proverbs 20:1; 23:31-32<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remark: There is no clear boundary between moderate drinking and drunkenness. Alcohol \u201cdeceives\u201d\u2014you don\u2019t know where the red line is\u2014and it \u201cbites like a snake,\u201d often noticed only when it\u2019s too late. One can drink a little and not become drunk, but the line is frequently crossed. There are no clearly defined limits and no guarantees against excessive use. Once alcohol is consumed, it impairs mental capacities, including the ability to resist temptation, making it progressively harder to stop. In ancient times, alcoholic wine was often used to dilute and partially disinfect drinking water, resulting in a much lower alcohol concentration and making severe intoxication less likely. Nowadays it is easier to get drunk than ever before. Total abstinence is the best option.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Footnotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

* Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 10.426a\u2013e; Plutarch, Moralia \u201cTable Talk\u201d 3.9 (653E\u2013F); Mishnah Pesahim 10.7; Pliny the Elder, Natural History 14.61\u201365; Homer, Odyssey 9.208\u2013209, 9.345\u2013349\u2014each attests that wine was ordinarily mixed with water, giving ratios and disapproving of unmixed wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

** Question: In Deuteronomy 14:26<\/strong> God allowed Israelites to buy wine and strong drink. If wine (yayin\/oinos) was sometimes non-alcoholic, then \u201cstrong drink\u201d (shekar) must surely refer to strong alcoholic beverages?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer: The word shekar, often translated \u201cstrong drink,\u201d could in some contexts refer to non-alcoholic preparations. See the following four arguments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cShekar\u201d was very likely non-alcoholic in Deuteronomy 14:26<\/strong>, since the festival involved priests, families, and children\u2014participants who would not be encouraged to drink intoxicants (and priests were forbidden to drink alcohol; see Leviticus 10:8\u201311<\/strong>). Another instance where \u201cshekar\u201d can be understood non-alcoholically is Numbers 28:7<\/strong>, where it is presented as a drink offering to God\u2014who would not receive something corrupt or fermented as a symbol of sin (cf. Exodus 12:15<\/strong>; Matthew 16:6<\/strong>; 1 Corinthians 5:6\u20138<\/strong>). Wine (yayin) was also offered (Exodus 29:40<\/strong>), and, as argued above, there is substantial evidence that \u201cyayin\u201d could often be non-alcoholic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Translating shekar as \u201cstrong\u201d is partially interpretive. It can also be understood along the semantic line of \u201cfilling\u201d or \u201csatisfying,\u201d related to the verb sh\u0101kar, \u201cto be filled\/sated\u201d (cf. Haggai 1:6<\/strong>). Furthermore, a third semantic line connects shekar to sweetness: it shares a proto-Semitic root (*skr) with the Hebrew\/Aramaic \u201csukkar\u201d (“sugar”), pointing toward an underlying sense of something sweet or sugar-like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Even if rendered as \u201cstrong drink,\u201d the \u201cstrength\u201d or potency could refer\u2014as discussed in point 2 above\u2014to richness or sweetness rather than alcohol content. In many instances, in light of the explanations in the points above, it was most certainly a non-alcoholic syrup (see sapa\/defrutum in the writings of Columella and Pliny), produced by boiling down fruit juice\u2014like concentrated must\u2014as described in various historical sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. In ancient times, there were no \u201cstrong drinks\u201d in the modern sense, since true distillation was not yet in use and yeast-based fermentation typically tops out around 15% alcohol. Therefore, translating shekar\u2014in tandem with yayin in the same sentence\u2014as \u201cstrong drink\u201d can be misleading if it implies vastly higher alcohol strength. Both wine and other fermented beverages generally reached similar upper limits. A more suitable rendering in context could be \u201cwine and other (fermented) beverages,\u201d with \u201cother\u201d rather than \u201cstrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommendation: Read \u201c<\/em>Can Followers of Jesus Drink Alcohol?<\/em><\/a>\u201d after finishing this study.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recommendation: Read \u201cIs It Acceptable for Christians to Smoke or Consume Drugs?\u201d before starting this study. All sorts of wine Why does wine play such a prominent role in the Bible? Deuteronomy 8:7-8 \u2013 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","tag-diet-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":179,"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scriptureqna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}