Strong drink is a biblical term for intoxicating beverage, often distinguished from ordinary wine by greater potency or intoxicating effect. Scripture treats it with caution and repeatedly warns against drunkenness and impaired judgment.
A term for intoxicating drink in the Bible, usually distinct from ordinary wine in emphasis if not always in exact composition.
Strong drink is a biblical expression for intoxicating drink, commonly associated with the Hebrew term shekar and, in the New Testament, Greek sikera. It likely refers to alcoholic beverages other than ordinary wine or to drink notable for greater intoxicating effect. Scripture does not treat strong drink as a neutral topic for moral experimentation. Instead, it repeatedly links such drink with danger, deception, and impaired judgment, while also regulating its use in special covenant contexts. Priests were forbidden strong drink when serving in holy duties, and Nazirites under vow were to abstain from it altogether. Wisdom literature warns that strong drink can mock, deceive, and lead to ruin. At the same time, some passages show it as part of ordinary ancient life, which means the biblical issue is not the mere existence of alcoholic beverages but their misuse. The consistent moral emphasis is sobriety, self-control, and avoidance of drunkenness.
In the Old Testament, strong drink appears alongside wine in passages that distinguish ordinary consumption from dangerous excess. It is restricted for priests in sacred service and for Nazirites under special devotion to the Lord. Wisdom and prophetic texts use it as a warning symbol for folly, moral dullness, and judgment. In the New Testament, the underlying concern remains the same: believers are called to sobriety and Spirit-filled self-control rather than intoxication.
In the ancient Near East, fermented drinks were part of daily life, and biblical language reflects that reality. The term translated strong drink probably covered beverages that were more intoxicating than common table wine, though the exact modern equivalent cannot be assumed with precision. Ancient usage varied by region, ingredients, and strength, so modern readers should avoid reading later alcohol categories back into the text.
Second Temple and broader Jewish usage generally preserved the moral distinction between ordinary enjoyment and intoxication. Strong drink could be seen as permissible in ordinary life, yet inappropriate in consecrated settings and dangerous when it led to loss of self-control. Biblical restrictions for priests and Nazirites reinforced the idea that holiness, discernment, and sobriety belong together.
Commonly linked to Hebrew shekar (שֵׁכָר), a term for intoxicating drink, and Greek sikera (σίκερα) in Luke 1:15. The exact beverage range is not always certain, but the term clearly denotes drink with intoxicating effect.
Strong drink matters because Scripture joins holiness with sobriety. It illustrates the biblical concern for disciplined judgment, priestly fitness, and freedom from anything that clouds moral discernment. The entry also shows that Christian ethics should be formed by biblical commands against drunkenness rather than by mere cultural habit.
The Bible’s concern is not that created substances are inherently evil, but that human beings are accountable for how they use them. Strong drink becomes morally significant when it threatens reason, self-control, and responsibility. Scripture therefore evaluates the fruit of use, not simply the existence of the substance.
Do not assume that biblical strong drink maps neatly onto all modern alcoholic beverages or modern distillation categories. The term is broader than a modern liquor label. Also avoid using freedom passages to diminish the Bible’s clear warnings against intoxication.
Christians differ on whether the safest application is total abstinence or moderate use with strict self-control. All orthodox views should agree, however, that Scripture forbids drunkenness, warns against impairment, and requires believers to act wisely, especially in ministry and leadership.
Scripture condemns drunkenness and does not license intoxication. Special vows and holy office can require stricter abstinence. Any Christian liberty claimed here must remain subject to holiness, conscience, and the command to be filled with the Spirit rather than controlled by drink.
This entry speaks to sobriety, self-control, leadership, and wise conscience. Believers should avoid behavior that dulls judgment, harms witness, or leads others into sin. Where drinking is permitted by conscience, it must still be governed by moderation and love.
