Matthew 27:34 they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

◄ Matthew 27:34 ►

New International Version
There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

New Living Translation
The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.

English Standard Version
they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

Berean Standard Bible
they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

Berean Literal Bible
they gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall; and having tasted, He was not willing to drink it.

King James Bible
They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

New King James Version
they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

New American Standard Bible
they gave Him wine mixed with bile to drink; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink it.

NASB 1995
they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

NASB 1977
they gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

Legacy Standard Bible
they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He did not want to drink.

Amplified Bible
they offered Him wine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

Christian Standard Bible
they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
they gave Him wine mixed with gall to drink. But when He tasted it, He would not drink it.

American Standard Version
they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink.

Contemporary English Version
There they gave Jesus some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain. But when Jesus tasted what it was, he refused to drink it.

English Revised Version
they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They gave him a drink of wine mixed with a drug called gall. When he tasted it, he refused to drink it.

Good News Translation
There they offered Jesus wine mixed with a bitter substance; but after tasting it, he would not drink it.

International Standard Version
they offered him a drink of wine mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it.

Majority Standard Bible
they offered Him sour wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

NET Bible
and offered Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink. But after tasting it, he would not drink it.

New Heart English Bible
They gave him wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.

Webster's Bible Translation
They gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall: and when he had tasted of it, he would not drink.

Weymouth New Testament
Here they gave Him a mixture of wine and gall to drink, but having tasted it He refused to drink it.

World English Bible
they gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink, and having tasted, He would not drink.

Berean Literal Bible
they gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall; and having tasted, He was not willing to drink it.

Young's Literal Translation
they gave him to drink vinegar mixed with gall, and having tasted, he would not drink.

Smith's Literal Translation
They gave him vinegar to drink. (mingled with bile: and having tasted, he would not drink.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall. And when he had tasted, he would not drink.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they gave him wine to drink, mixed with gall. And when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.

New American Bible
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.

New Revised Standard Version
they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And they gave him to drink vinegar mixed with gall; and he tasted it, but he would not drink.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they gave him vinegar to drink that was mixed with gall, and he tasted and he did not want to drink it.

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall; and when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.

Godbey New Testament
And they gave Him vinegar mingled with gall to drink: and tasting, He was not willing to drink it.

Haweis New Testament
they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and having tasted it, he refused to drink.

Mace New Testament
they gave him a mixture of wine and gall: but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.

Weymouth New Testament
Here they gave Him a mixture of wine and gall to drink, but having tasted it He refused to drink it.

Worrell New Testament
they gave Him to drink wine mingled with gall; and, having tasted it, He would not drink.

Worsley New Testament
the place of a skull, they gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: but when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Crucifixion
…33And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, 34they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. 35When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Psalm 69:21
They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.

Mark 15:23
There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.

John 19:28-30
After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” / A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. / When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Isaiah 53:3-5
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. / Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. / But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Luke 23:36
The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine.

John 18:11
“Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”

Psalm 22:15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.

Matthew 20:22-23
“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. / “You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”

Hebrews 2:9
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

Isaiah 51:17
Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes men stagger.

Jeremiah 25:15
This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.

Revelation 14:10
he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

Psalm 75:8
For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Treasury of Scripture

They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

Matthew

Matthew 27:34
They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

gave.

Matthew 27:48
And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

Psalm 69:21
They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Mark 15:23
And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

vinegar.

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Bitter Drink Gall Jesus Mingled Mixed Mixture Offered Refused Sour Tasted Tasting Thereof Unwilling Vinegar Wine

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Bitter Drink Gall Jesus Mingled Mixed Mixture Offered Refused Sour Tasted Tasting Thereof Unwilling Vinegar Wine

Matthew 27

1. Jesus is delivered bound to Pilate.
3. Judas hangs himself.
19. Pilate, admonished of his wife,
20. and being urged by the multitude, washes his hands, and releases Barabbas.
27. Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns;
33. crucified;
39. reviled;
50. dies, and is buried;
62. his tomb is sealed and watched.

Berean Study Bible

There they offered Him
This phrase sets the scene at Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion. The offering of wine mixed with gall was a customary act, intended as a gesture of mercy to dull the pain of those being crucified. The Greek word for "offered" (ἐδίδουν) implies a continuous action, suggesting that this was a deliberate and repeated gesture by the Roman soldiers. Historically, this reflects the Roman practice of offering a sedative to those condemned to crucifixion, highlighting the brutal reality of Roman execution methods.

wine to drink
The "wine" here is not the celebratory drink of a wedding feast but a cheap, sour wine, often consumed by soldiers and the lower classes. The Greek word for wine (οἶνος) in this context indicates a diluted or vinegary substance, not the fine wine of a banquet. This detail underscores the humiliation and suffering of Jesus, as He is offered a drink that symbolizes the bitterness of His impending death.

mixed with gall
The term "gall" (χολή) refers to a bitter substance, possibly derived from a plant like myrrh or a bitter herb. In the Old Testament, gall is often associated with bitterness and suffering (see Psalm 69:21). The mixture of wine and gall was intended to act as a narcotic, dulling the senses. This act, though seemingly merciful, also fulfills the prophecy of the suffering servant, who would be given gall for food and vinegar for thirst.

but after tasting it
The act of "tasting" (γεύομαι) implies a deliberate choice by Jesus. He does not immediately refuse the drink but first tastes it, indicating His awareness and full consciousness of the situation. This moment reflects Jesus' willingness to fully experience the suffering of the cross without any alleviation, emphasizing His obedience and sacrifice.

He refused to drink it
Jesus' refusal (οὐκ ἤθελεν πιεῖν) is a powerful testament to His resolve and commitment to fulfill His mission. By rejecting the wine mixed with gall, Jesus chooses to face the full extent of human suffering and divine wrath without mitigation. This decision highlights His role as the suffering servant, willingly enduring the cross for the salvation of humanity. His refusal is a profound act of obedience to the Father's will, underscoring the depth of His love and sacrifice.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(34) Vinegar to drink mingled with gall.--In Mark 15:23, "wine mingled with myrrh." The animal secretion known as "gall" is clearly out of the question, and the meaning of the word is determined by its use in the Greek version of the Old Testament, where it stands for the "wormwood" of Proverbs 5:4, for the poisonous herb joined with "wormwood" in Deuteronomy 29:18. It was clearly something at once nauseous and narcotic, given by the merciful to dull the pain of execution, and mixed with the sour wine of the country and with myrrh to make it drinkable. It may have been hemlock, or even poppy-juice, but there are no materials for deciding. It is probable that the offer came from the more pitiful of the women mentioned by St. Luke (Luke 23:27) as following our Lord and lamenting. Such acts were among the received "works of mercy" of the time and place. The "tasting" implied a recognition of the kindly purpose of the act, but a recognition only. In the refusal to do more than taste we trace the resolute purpose to drink the cup which His Father had given Him to the last drop, and not to dull either the sense of suffering nor the clearness of His communion with His Father with the slumberous potion. The same draught was, we may believe, offered to the two criminals who were crucified with Him.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 34-44. - The Crucifixion and the mockery. (Mark 15:23-32; Luke 23:32-43; John 19:18-24.) Verse 34. - Vinegar...mingled with gall (χολῆς). Instead of "vinegar" (ὄξος) very many manuscripts, followed by Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, and others, read here, as in Mark, "wine" (οϊνον). Dederunt ei viaum bibere (Vulgate). Doubtless the two words represent the same fluid, a wine of a sharp and acrid taste. The received reading in our text is supposed to be derived from Psalm 69:21, "They gave me gall for my meats, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." "Gall" here signifies some bitter ingredient (St. Mark calls it "myrrh"), which was infused in the wine to impart a narcotic quality. It was the custom to offer this draught to criminals about to undergo crucifixion, either as an anodyne or to give them adventitious strength to bear their sufferings. The beverage is said to have been prepared by some benevolent ladies in Jerusalem, and to have been owed to a gloss on Proverbs 31:6, 7, "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul; let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more." This was not an additional insult offered to Jesus, as some have opined, but a usual act of kindliness. When he had tasted thereof, he would not (οὐκ ἤθελε) drink. He accepted the kindly offer so far as to put his lips to the cup, but, recognizing its stupefying qualities, he refused to drink it. He willed to endure all the coming pains without mitigation; he would meet all with the powers of mind and body undarkened; he would have his senses and his self-consciousness unimpaired to the end.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

they offered
ἔδωκαν (edōkan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1325: To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give.

Him
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

wine
οἶνον (oinon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3631: Wine. A primary word (yayin); 'wine'.

to drink,
πιεῖν (piein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 4095: To drink, imbibe. A prolonged form of pio, which poo occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses; to imbibe.

mixed
μεμιγμένον (memigmenon)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3396: To mix, mingle. A primary verb; to mix.

with
μετὰ (meta)
Preposition
Strong's 3326: (a) gen: with, in company with, (b) acc: (1) behind, beyond, after, of place, (2) after, of time, with nouns, neut. of adjectives.

gall;
χολῆς (cholēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5521: Gall, bitter herbs. Feminine of an equivalent perhaps akin to the same as Chloe; 'gall' or bile, i.e. poison or an anodyne.

but
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

after tasting [it],
γευσάμενος (geusamenos)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1089: (a) I taste, (b) I experience. A primary verb; to taste; by implication, to eat; figuratively, to experience.

He refused
ἠθέλησεν (ēthelēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

to drink [it].
πιεῖν (piein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 4095: To drink, imbibe. A prolonged form of pio, which poo occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses; to imbibe.

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NT Gospels: Matthew 27:34 They gave him sour wine to drink (Matt. Mat Mt)