Drink

The standard drinks of the ancient Hebrews included water, wine, grape juice, milk, and shekar (strong drink fermented from grain or fruit). Water was the basic necessity, drawn from wells, cisterns, and rivers. Wine (yayin) was the primary fermented beverage, produced from grapes and consumed at meals, religious feasts, and celebrations; it also served medicinal purposes (1 Tim. 5:23). Milk from cattle, sheep, and goats was a dietary staple, particularly in the patriarchal period. Beer or barley-based drinks may also have been consumed, though the specific term varies.

The theological dimensions of drink in Scripture extend from the water of the Exodus wilderness (Exod. 17:1–7) to Jesus's transformation of water into wine at Cana (John 2:1–11) and his declaration to the Samaritan woman of "living water" that springs up to eternal life (John 4:10–14). The cup of the Lord's Supper, using the fruit of the vine, became the primary drinking rite of the new covenant community (1 Cor. 11:25–26). The drink of judgment—the cup of God's wrath—runs alongside this as a sustained counterpoint throughout the prophets and Revelation.