Question 1

What does "Wine" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Wine" means "alcoholic beverage." The eschatological joy. Wine was the symbol of the age to come -- the great banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb, the day when God would 'destroy the covering cast over all peoples' (Isaiah 25:6-8). 'New wine in new wineskins' was about the bursting, uncontainable joy of God's kingdom arriving.

Question 2

Why did the word "Wine" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

Hebrew yayin ('wine/the blood of the grape/symbol of joy and covenant celebration') was moralized by temperance movements into a symbol of vice. The biblical celebration of wine as God's gift of joy was suppressed by prohibition theology. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by still used but moralized (~1850).

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Wine"?

Accepted Answer

"Wine" was replaced by: "alcohol" (though this chemical category with negative connotations; yayin was the gift of god that 'gladdens the heart'); "grape juice" (though this temperance substitution that removes the fermentation, the gladness, and the covenant symbolism); "vice" (though this moral category; wine in scripture was a sign of god's blessing and future hope).

What Does “Wine” Mean in the Bible?

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