WINE-SKIN
A wineskin was a leather container used to hold liquids, especially wine. In Scripture it can function as an image for what is able—or unable—to contain something new.
At a Glance
A wineskin was a leather container used to hold liquids, especially wine. In Scripture it can function as an image for what is able—or unable—to contain something new.
Description
A wineskin in the Bible was a skin container, usually made from animal hide, used for carrying or storing liquids. The term appears both in ordinary description and in figurative teaching. Most notably, Jesus spoke of putting new wine into fresh wineskins, since fermenting wine would burst old, brittle skins (Matt. 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-39). In context, the image teaches that the newness associated with Jesus’ ministry cannot simply be fitted into older, inflexible forms without tension. Interpreters differ on the exact scope of the comparison, so it is safest to say that the wineskin symbolizes the vessel or framework that must be suited to what it receives, rather than to press every detail beyond the main point.