WG: Wine / Fermented Drink¶
Overview¶
The NT wine concept clusters around the primary word oinos (G3631) with several related terms for specific types of wine or drinking behavior. These words cover the full semantic range from fresh grape juice to strong drink to the metaphorical wine of Babylon's influence.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G3631 | οἶνος | oinos | noun | 25 | The primary word (wine in general) | G3631 |
| G1098 | γλεῦκος | gleukos | noun | 1 | Sweet/new wine (fresh must) | G1098 |
| G3690 | ὄξος | oxos | noun | 6 | Sour wine / vinegar | G3690 |
| G4608 | σίκερα | sikera | noun | 1 | Strong drink (non-grape fermented) | TODO(need G4608 study) |
| G4669 | σμυρνίζω | smyrnizo | verb | 1 | Wine mixed with myrrh (medicinal) | TODO(need G4669 study) |
| G3630 | οἰνοπότης | oinopotes | noun | 2 | Wine-drinker / drunkard | TODO(need G3630 study) |
| G3632 | οἰνοφλυγία | oinophlygia | noun | 1 | Excess of wine / drunkenness | TODO(need G3632 study) |
| G1081 | γέννημα | gennēma | noun | 9 (3 as "fruit of the vine") | "Produce of the vine" — circumlocution used by all Synoptics at Last Supper in place of oinos | G1081 |
Relationships¶
Word Family (oinos cognates)¶
- oinos (G3631), oinopotes (G3630), oinophlygia (G3632) — all share the oinos root
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| oinos (G3631) | sikera (G4608) | 1 | Lk 1:15 — "neither wine nor strong drink" (paired abstinence) |
| oinos (G3631) | smyrnizo (G4669) | 1 | Mk 15:23 — "wine mingled with myrrh" (crucifixion anesthetic) |
No other pairwise co-occurrences among group members. These are semantically related but tend to appear in distinct contexts rather than together.
Shared Hebrew Sources (LXX bridge)¶
| Hebrew Word | Greek Members Mapped | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| יַיִן yayin (H3196) | oinos (115x), sikera (12x) | Primary OT wine word; overwhelmingly → oinos |
| שֵׁכָר shekar (H7941) | sikera (13x), oinos (17x) | OT strong drink; sometimes rendered as oinos instead of sikera |
| עָסִיס asis (H6071) | gleukos (conceptual) | Fresh grape-juice as just trodden out (5v); closest OT parallel to gleukos; no direct LXX bridge |
| שָׁתָה shathah (H8354) | oinos (41x), sikera (8x) | "to drink" — verb co-occurring in wine/strong drink contexts |
Roles in the Concept¶
- General wine: oinos (G3631) — covers fermented grape wine in all contexts (literal, parabolic, apocalyptic)
- Fresh wine: gleukos (G1098) — sweet new wine, possibly unfermented or lightly fermented (Acts 2:13)
- Sour wine: oxos (G3690) — cheap vinegar-wine; offered at the cross (Mat 27:48, Jhn 19:29-30)
- Strong drink: sikera (G4608) — fermented beverages other than grape wine (Lk 1:15 only)
- Medicinal wine: smyrnizo (G4669) — wine drugged with myrrh as analgesic (Mk 15:23 only)
- Drunkard label: oinopotes (G3630) — accusation of being a wine-drinker (Mat 11:19, Lk 7:34)
- Drunken excess: oinophlygia (G3632) — state of wine-debauchery (1Pe 4:3)
- Produce of the vine: gennēma (G1081) — the vine's generated yield; chosen by all three Synoptics over oinos for Jesus' Last Supper cup-saying (Mat 26:29, Mar 14:25, Luk 22:18), matching the Jewish Passover berakhah borei peri ha-gafen
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Luk 1:15 — oinos + sikera: "shall drink neither wine nor strong drink" (John the Baptist's Nazirite-like abstinence)
- Mar 15:23 — oinos + smyrnizo: "wine mingled with myrrh" (offered to Jesus at crucifixion, refused)
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-13