Topical Bible: Wine was Kept in Bottles

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In biblical times, wine was a significant part of daily life and religious practices. The storage and preservation of wine were essential to maintain its quality and availability. The term "bottles" in the Bible often refers to containers made from animal skins, known as wineskins, rather than the glass bottles we are familiar with today.

Biblical References:

1. Job 32:19 : "Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; it is about to burst like a new wineskin." This verse illustrates the use of wineskins as containers for wine. The imagery of a wineskin ready to burst emphasizes the pressure and fermentation process occurring within, highlighting the need for proper storage.

2. Matthew 9:17 : "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will spill and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Jesus uses this analogy to teach about the incompatibility of old and new covenants, but it also provides insight into the practical aspects of wine storage. New wine, still fermenting, would expand and require flexible, new wineskins to prevent bursting.

3. Joshua 9:4 : "they acted with deception and gathered provisions, taking worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and old wineskins that were cracked and mended." This passage describes the Gibeonites' ruse to make their journey appear long and arduous. The mention of old, mended wineskins indicates their common use and the wear they endured over time.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Israel, wine was a staple beverage, often consumed daily. The production of wine involved harvesting grapes, crushing them, and allowing the juice to ferment. The resulting wine was stored in wineskins, which were made from the hides of goats or sheep. These skins were sewn together and sealed to hold liquids securely.

Wineskins were preferred for their portability and flexibility. As the wine fermented, it released gases, causing the wineskin to expand. New wineskins were necessary for new wine because they could stretch without breaking. Old wineskins, having already been stretched, were brittle and prone to bursting if reused for new wine.

Symbolism and Theological Implications:

The use of wineskins in biblical narratives often carries symbolic meaning. In the New Testament, Jesus' parable of the wineskins (Matthew 9:17) serves as a metaphor for the transformative nature of His teachings and the new covenant. The new wine represents the gospel, which cannot be contained within the old structures of the law and tradition.

The imagery of wine and wineskins also appears in prophetic and poetic literature, symbolizing abundance, joy, and divine blessing. Wine is frequently associated with celebration and covenantal promises, as seen in the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11) and the Last Supper (Matthew 26:27-29).

Practical Considerations:

The preservation of wine in wineskins required careful attention. Wineskins needed to be kept in cool, dark places to prevent spoilage. The process of making and maintaining wineskins was a skilled craft, ensuring that the containers were watertight and durable.

In summary, the biblical references to wine being kept in bottles, or wineskins, reflect both the practical aspects of ancient winemaking and the rich symbolic meanings associated with wine in Scripture. These containers were integral to daily life and spiritual teachings, illustrating the interplay between the physical and the divine in biblical narratives.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Samuel 25:18
Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Habakkuk 2:15
Woe to him that gives his neighbor drink, that put your bottle to him, and make him drunken also, that you may look on their nakedness!
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Parable of the New Patch on the Old Garment, and of the New ...
... had to be new; the wine required new bottles. ... case of the Apostles, the new wine
of Christianity ... this obviously false interpretation should have kept so long ...
/.../section 138 the parable of.htm

Book vii. On the Useful or the Ordinary
... form of the human body; in the gospel: one ought to put new wine in new bottles. ...
key of knowledge; you will not enter by it, and you will be kept from those ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/book vii on the useful.htm

Now, and Then
... than that which is used in the manufacture of common bottles, so that ... the ruler of
the feast did to the bridegroom, "thou has kept the good wine until now ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/now and then.htm

Jewish Homes
... of the broken tables of the law were kept in the ... those who ate unripe grapes and
drank of new wine, R. Jehudah taught, "Look not at the bottles, but at ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 6 jewish homes.htm

Ruth the Gleaner.
... As the binders were women she kept near them; and ... thirsty, she might drink from the
water-bottles from which ... come and share their bread and light wine, and he ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/ruth the gleaner.htm

The Kingdom of God: Its Values
... stuff on an old garment, or to put fermenting wine in old and brittle skin bottles. ...
and with that vision of perfect humanity before him, he kept its calm ...
/.../rauschenbusch/the social principles of jesus/chapter iv the kingdom of.htm

The Comforts Belonging to Mourners
... man to murmur when God stops the bottles of heaven in ... shall think with themselves
that they are kept from a ... He will lead them into the wine cellar, and display ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/11 the comforts belonging to.htm

The Burning of Hus.
... sang; and the rumbling carts from the country-side bore bottles of wine, cheeses,
butter ... its members were those who had been baptized and who kept true to ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter ii the burning of.htm

The History of Saul
... for us both day and night all the time that we kept our flocks there ... hied her and
took two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bottles of wine, five wethers ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the history of saul.htm

The Waterpots at Cana
... must be fed, for often open house is kept. ... with a miracle of liberality, turning
water into wine. ... who gives lavishly, without counting the cups and bottles. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 26 1880/the waterpots at cana.htm