What the Old Testament Says About Wine by Myra Kahn Adams for Town Hall
Thanks for joining our study. Today we will explore what the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) says about wine and next week, the New Testament.
For the record, I am a big fan of Pinot Noir, especially from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. With that established, let’s launch our study with three intertwined trivia questions:
When was wine first mentioned in the Bible? Who was the first person to get drunk? And who planted the first vineyard?
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The following verses provide the answers:
“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent” (Genesis 9:20-21).
A little family drama ensued after Noah’s sons discovered dear old dad in the buff. But we are moving on to the second time the Bible mentions wine in what also happens to be one of my favorite Bible passages:
“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:18-20).
Those verses are noteworthy since it is the first time wine (and bread) are used in a blessing ritual. Furthermore, there is ongoing scholarly debate, with many believing that Melchizedek is the pre-figuration of Jesus. Among the reasons are as “king of Salem” [Jerusalem], Melchizedek foreshadows how Jesus blessed the bread and wine as His body and blood at the Last Supper. (Refer to Vol. 1 and Vol. 50 for further study.)
Our final Genesis wine verse is from a blessing that Isaac gave his son Jacob. But there was a slight problem since Isaac believed he was blessing his son Esau — deceit intentionally arranged by Jacob and his mother, Rebekah — followed by more family drama. And, if you are captivated by this kind of life, death, and family betrayal, Genesis is your book. I digress, but the point is how wine has been established in blessings asking for God’s grace:
