{
  "id": "dict_006033",
  "term": "Wine and strong drink",
  "slug": "wine-and-strong-drink",
  "letter": "W",
  "entry_type": "ethical_topic",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A biblical topic covering alcoholic drink, its lawful use, and Scripture’s repeated warnings against drunkenness and misuse.",
  "simple_one_line": "Scripture permits careful use of wine in some settings but strongly condemns drunkenness and self-destructive abuse.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical teaching on alcoholic drink, including both permitted use and clear warnings against drunkenness.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Abstinence",
    "Addiction",
    "Drunkenness",
    "Self-control",
    "Conscience"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Nazirite",
    "Priests",
    "Temperance",
    "Table fellowship",
    "Eucharistic wine"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "“Wine and strong drink” is a Bible topic about alcoholic beverages and the moral, spiritual, and practical issues connected with their use. Scripture distinguishes between legitimate use in ordinary life and the serious sin and harm of drunkenness.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "The Bible does not present all use of wine as sinful, but it consistently condemns drunkenness, loss of self-control, and misuse that harms others or violates conscience.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Wine is mentioned positively in some ordinary and festive settings.",
    "Strong drink can denote a more intoxicating beverage.",
    "Scripture repeatedly warns against drunkenness, mockery, and ruin.",
    "Certain people and situations in the OT had stricter restrictions.",
    "Christians differ on abstinence versus moderate use, but all must pursue holiness, wisdom, and love."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "In the Bible, wine is a common beverage, and “strong drink” generally refers to a more intoxicating drink. Scripture consistently condemns drunkenness, addiction, and the misuse of alcohol, while also showing that fermented drink could be used legitimately in daily life and, in some cases, in religious or medicinal contexts. Christian application therefore requires wisdom, self-control, love for others, and obedience to any specific biblical prohibitions.",
  "description_academic_full": "“Wine and strong drink” in Scripture refers broadly to alcoholic beverages and the moral questions surrounding their use. The Bible does not treat every use of such drink as sinful, since wine appears in ordinary meals, festive settings, some ceremonial contexts in the Old Testament, and limited medicinal use; however, Scripture repeatedly and clearly condemns drunkenness, lack of self-control, and the ruin that alcohol abuse brings. Certain people were forbidden from drinking in particular circumstances, such as priests during tabernacle service and Nazirites during the period of their vow. For Christians, the safest summary is that the Bible forbids drunkenness and any use of alcohol that leads to sin, harms others, or violates conscience, while questions about total abstinence versus moderate use have been understood differently among faithful evangelicals and should be handled with sobriety, wisdom, and love.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Wine and related beverages appear throughout Scripture as part of daily life, hospitality, celebration, and some religious and medical settings. At the same time, the Bible strongly warns that alcohol can dull judgment, lead to shame, and destroy lives. The biblical pattern is therefore neither blanket approval nor blanket condemnation, but moral discernment under God’s word.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient world, fermented drinks were common because they were culturally normal and often safer than untreated water. Scripture addresses that reality without idealizing it, and it also speaks to the social damage caused by excess, especially among leaders, rulers, and those entrusted with responsibility.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Israel and later Jewish life, wine was a regular part of meals and feasts, yet holiness regulations and vow language sometimes required abstention. The Old Testament distinguishes ordinary use from consecrated or restricted use, showing that the moral issue is not merely the drink itself but how, when, and by whom it is used.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Lev 10:9",
    "Num 6:1-4",
    "Deut 14:26",
    "Prov 20:1",
    "Prov 23:29-35",
    "Isa 5:11",
    "Eph 5:18"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Deut 29:6",
    "Ps 104:14-15",
    "Prov 31:4-7",
    "Luke 7:33-34",
    "John 2:1-11",
    "Rom 14:13-21",
    "1 Tim 5:23"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew terms commonly translated “wine” and “strong drink” include yayin and shekar; related Greek usage includes oinos. These terms can cover ordinary fermented drink, though context determines emphasis and moral force.",
  "theological_significance": "This topic bears on holiness, self-control, wisdom, conscience, stewardship of the body, and love for neighbor. Scripture’s teaching guards believers from both legalism and license.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The Bible treats alcohol as a morally neutral created substance that becomes spiritually dangerous through misuse. The ethical question is therefore not simply what the substance is, but whether its use is wise, lawful, restrained, and edifying in a given context.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not assume every biblical mention of wine refers to identical content or strength, and do not flatten the biblical witness into either total abstinence or careless permissiveness. Also avoid building doctrine from isolated narrative examples without the clearer teaching passages on drunkenness and self-control.",
  "major_views_note": "Among evangelical Christians, some practice total abstinence as a wisdom principle, while others allow moderate use with restraint. All faithful views agree that drunkenness is sinful and that believers must act in love, purity, and self-control.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Scripture clearly forbids drunkenness, addiction, and any alcohol use that leads to sin, harms others, or violates conscience. Scripture does not require believers to call every use of wine sinful. Any application must remain subject to the authority of Scripture and the call to holiness.",
  "practical_significance": "Believers should think carefully about conscience, family history, personal weakness, leadership responsibility, and the effect of their choices on others. In many situations, wisdom may lead some Christians to abstain entirely, while others may choose restrained use with gratitude and caution.",
  "meta_description": "Biblical teaching on wine and strong drink: lawful use, drunkenness, conscience, and the call to self-control.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/wine-and-strong-drink/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/wine-and-strong-drink.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}