How does Matthew 27:34 fulfill Old Testament prophecy? The Gospel Text Matthew 27:34 : “they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.” A few minutes later the soldiers raise sour wine again (Matthew 27:48); John records Jesus’ declaration “I am thirsty” immediately before that second draught (John 19:28). The Core Prophecy—Psalm 69:21 Psalm 69:21 : “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Written by David c. 1000 BC, the psalm is overtly Messianic; the New Testament cites it at least six times (John 2:17; 15:25; Acts 1:20; Romans 11:9-10; 15:3; Matthew 27:34). The Dead Sea Scroll 4QPsᵃ (before 150 BC) contains the verse essentially identical to today’s Hebrew text, proving no late Christian editing. Gall (Heb. rosh) = a bitter substance/poison. Vinegar (Heb. ḥomets) = soured wine. Roman executioners customarily carried posca (cheap sour wine) for themselves and for the crucified. The psalm envisions the exact combination: bitterness + vinegar offered to the Sufferer. Supplementary Prophetic Strands a. Psalm 22:15 : “My strength is dried up like a potsherd … my tongue sticks to my palate.” The thirst motif underlies the vinegar episode. b. Isaiah 53:7, 10 portrays the silent, voluntary Sufferer accepting affliction in full consciousness. Jesus’ refusal of the stupefying drink (myrrh/gall) keeps the prophecy’s integrity. c. Lamentations 3:15, 19 links bitter gall with the suffering of the righteous man representing the nation. d. Proverbs 31:6 says, “Give strong drink to him who is perishing,” forming the cultural backdrop that makes the soldiers’ offer expected yet still prophetic. Reconciling “Gall” (Matthew) and “Myrrh” (Mark 15:23) Mark specifies “wine mixed with myrrh.” Myrrh is extremely bitter; the LXX of Psalm 69:21 uses cholē (gall / bile), a generic term for bitterness. Matthew cites the prophecy’s vocabulary (“gall”) to drive the connection; Mark supplies the pharmacological detail (“myrrh”) the Romans actually used as an analgesic. Both highlight bitterness and the intent to dull pain—the very scenario Psalm 69:21 foretold. Dual Offerings, Dual Fulfillments 1st cup: wine + gall/myrrh (Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23) • Purpose: narcotic. • Jesus tastes, then refuses—He will drink the Father’s wrath undiluted (John 18:11). 2nd cup: sour wine on a sponge (Matthew 27:48; John 19:29-30). • Purpose: prolong life/cruel sport. • Jesus receives it after declaring thirst, directly fulfilling Psalm 69:21, then announces “It is finished.” The literary structure amplifies prophecy: refusal of anesthesia shows voluntary atonement; acceptance of vinegar moments before death matches the psalm verbatim. The Messianic Framework of Psalm 69 Internal indicators that Psalm 69 transcends David’s personal experience: • v. 4 “They hate me without cause” quoted of Jesus (John 15:25). • v. 9 “Zeal for Your house has consumed me” fulfilled at the cleansing of the Temple (John 2:17). • v. 25 cited of Judas’ field (Acts 1:20). The New Testament writers, independently and repeatedly, treat Psalm 69 as predictive of Messiah. Matthew’s allusion to v. 21 is therefore part of a recognized chain, not an isolated proof-text. Historical Plausibility a. Roman medical papyri (e.g., P.Oxy. 1384) describe myrrh-laced wine as an analgesic. b. Jewish tradition permitted narcotic drink for the condemned (b. Sanhedrin 43a), typically supplied by charitable women of Jerusalem—precisely what Mark records. These external data validate Matthew’s narrative while inadvertently anchoring it to David’s foresight. Theological Significance • Voluntary Suffering: Refusal of sedation fulfills Isaiah 53’s depiction of Messiah consciously bearing sin. • Perfect Obedience: Jesus had vowed not to “drink again of this fruit of the vine” until the Kingdom (Matthew 26:29). He honors that promise until the very moment the atonement is accomplished. • Atonement Completed: Once every jot of prophecy is satisfied—including the vinegar—Jesus proclaims “It is finished,” declares His work complete, and yields His spirit (John 19:30; Luke 23:46). Answer to the Question Matthew 27:34 fulfills Old Testament prophecy by actualizing Psalm 69:21’s prediction that the righteous sufferer would be offered bitter vinegar in his ordeal. The episode integrates further prophetic elements—voluntary, lucid suffering (Isaiah 53), thirst of the afflicted (Psalm 22), cultural expectations (Proverbs 31)—all converging in Jesus’ crucifixion. The fulfillment is textually secure, historically plausible, and theologically indispensable, demonstrating once more that “all Scripture is God-breathed” and centered on the Messiah who “bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Pt 2:24). |
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