Wine: Admonitions Against the Use of

“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.

…he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.

Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

He who loves pleasure will become poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes? …

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,

…lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice.

Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.

Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,

They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.

Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.

The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD, because of His holy words.

“Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them to one of the chambers of the house of the LORD to offer them a drink of wine.” …

The words of Jonadab son of Rechab have been carried out. He commanded his sons not to drink wine, and they have not drunk it to this very day because they have obeyed the command of their forefather. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you have not obeyed Me!

Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites: “This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the command of your forefather Jonadab and have kept all his commandments and have done all that he charged you to do,

…this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rechab will never fail to have a man to stand before Me.’”

No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.

…to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.

…for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good.