Subject: word for wine in the original text? |
Bible Note: Dear Inmyheart, Following your reasoning on using context to determine the alcoholic content of wine, I offer the following two verses. Gen 9:21 "He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent." Alcoholic. Gen 14:18 "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High." Non-Alcoholic. A simple formula, but does it work? I have my doubts. The Hebrew word for "wine" is "yayin" which from an unused root meaning to effervesce. Webster's defines effervesce as 1. To be in a state of natural ebullition; to bubble and hiss, as fermenting liquors, or any fluid, when some part escapes in a gaseous form. Grape Juice does not go through this type of process (at least not to my knowledge). This is the reason for my first doubt. My second doubt arises from the difficulty that would arise in a society from using the same word to describe two VERY different beveridges. If one uses his imagination a bit, they must concede that your theory (I say theory, because it is yet to be proven as fact) has a serious flaw! Mom says to young Jonah "did you give your little sister the bottle of wine like I told you to?" Think about it. My third doubt arises from the reaction of the headwaiter in John 2 who exclaims "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." Somehow I can't see anyone getting excited about grape juice (except Mr. Welch). Was the host so poor he had to offer only rotton grape juice? Afterall the guy did have servants as well as a headwaiter. But this is just a thought that troubles me. Perhaps you can dispel my doubt's by addressing them with your evidence. God Bless, John |