Topical Encyclopedia
A winepress is an ancient apparatus used for extracting juice from grapes to produce wine. It holds significant cultural, agricultural, and spiritual symbolism throughout the Bible. The winepress is mentioned in various contexts, from practical agricultural use to metaphorical representations of divine judgment and blessing.
Agricultural ContextIn biblical times, the winepress was a crucial part of viticulture, the cultivation of grapevines. Typically, a winepress consisted of two main parts: a large, shallow basin where grapes were trodden by foot, and a lower vat where the juice collected. The process of treading grapes was labor-intensive and often a communal activity, reflecting the agrarian lifestyle of ancient Israel.
The winepress is first mentioned in
Genesis 49:11, where Jacob blesses his son Judah, saying, "He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes." This imagery suggests abundance and prosperity, as wine was a staple in the diet and economy of the region.
Symbolism and MetaphorThe winepress is frequently used as a symbol of judgment and wrath in the prophetic literature of the Bible. In
Isaiah 63:3, the Lord declares, "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the nations no one was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My wrath; their blood spattered My garments, and I stained all My clothing." Here, the winepress represents God's judgment upon the nations, with the treading of grapes symbolizing the execution of divine justice.
Similarly, in the Book of Revelation, the winepress is a powerful image of the final judgment.
Revelation 14:19-20 states, "So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia." This vivid imagery underscores the severity and completeness of God's judgment.
Blessing and AbundanceConversely, the winepress also symbolizes blessing and abundance. In
Proverbs 3:9-10, the promise of prosperity is linked to honoring the Lord: "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine." The overflowing winepress signifies God's provision and the blessings that come from faithful stewardship and obedience.
In the New Testament, Jesus uses the imagery of the vineyard and winepress in His parables. In
Matthew 21:33, He tells the Parable of the Tenants: "There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower." This parable, while ultimately a message of judgment against those who reject God's messengers, also reflects the care and provision of God for His people.
Cultural and Religious SignificanceThe winepress, as part of the winemaking process, was integral to the religious and social life of ancient Israel. Wine was used in various religious ceremonies and offerings, as seen in
Exodus 29:40, where wine is part of the drink offering accompanying the daily sacrifices. The presence of wine in religious rituals underscores its importance as a symbol of joy, celebration, and covenantal relationship with God.
In summary, the winepress in the Bible serves as a multifaceted symbol, representing both the blessings of abundance and the severity of divine judgment. Its presence in Scripture reflects the agricultural realities of ancient Israel while also conveying profound spiritual truths.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
WinepressFrom the scanty notices contained in the Bible we gather that, the wine-presses of the Jews consisted of two receptacles of vats placed at different elevations, in the upper one of which the grapes were trodden, while the lower one received the expressed juice. The two vats are mentioned together only in (Joel 3:13) "The press is full: the fats overflow" --the upper vat being full of fruit, the lower one overflowing with the must. [WINE] The two vats were usually hewn out of the solid rock. (Isaiah 5:2) margin; (Matthew 21:33) Ancient winepresses, so constructed, are still to he seen in Palestine.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Consisted of two vats or receptacles, (1) a trough (Hebrews gath, Gr. lenos) into which the grapes were thrown and where they were trodden upon and bruised (
Isaiah 16:10;
Lamentations 1:15;
Joel 3:13); and (2) a trough or vat (Hebrews yekebh, Gr. hypolenion) into which the juice ran from the trough above, the gath (
Nehemiah 13:15;
Job 24:11;
Isaiah 63:2, 3;
Haggai 2:16;
Joel 2:24). Wine-presses are found in almost every part of Palestine. They are "the only sure relics we have of the old days of Israel before the Captivity. Between Hebron and Beersheba they are found on all the hill slopes; they abound in southern Judea; they are no less common in the many valleys of Carmel; and they are numerous in Galilee." The "treading of the wine-press" is emblematic of divine judgment (
Isaiah 63:2;
Lamentations 1:15;
Revelation 14:19, 20).
Greek
5276. hupolenion -- a vessel or trough beneath awinepress (to...... a vessel or trough beneath a
winepress (to receive the juice). Part of Speech: Noun,
Neuter Transliteration: hupolenion Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-ol-ay'-nee-on
...3025. lenos -- receiving
... receiving. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: lenos Phonetic Spelling:
(lay-nos') Short Definition: awinepress Definition: a trough, vat,winepress...
3025b. lenos -- a trough, ie a (wine) vat
... 3025a, 3025b. lenos. 3026 . a trough, ie a (wine) vat. Transliteration:
lenos Short Definition:winepress. Word Origin a prim. word...
Strong's Hebrew
6333. puwrah -- boughs... 6332, 6333. puwrah. 6333a . boughs. Transliteration: puwrah Phonetic
Spelling: (poo-raw') Short Definition:
winepress.
winepress...3342. yeqeb -- wine vat
... press (3), wine presses (3), wine vat (6). fats, presses, press-fat,winepress.
From an unused root meaning to excavate; a trough...
1660. gath -- a wine press
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition a wine press NASB Word Usage
wine press (4), wine presses (1).winepress fat. Probably...
Library
TheWinepress and Its Treader
... THEWINEPRESS AND ITS TREADER. 'Wherefore art thou red... the winefat? I have
trodden thewinepress alone.'"Isaiah 63:2, 3. The structure...
The Cross and theWinepress.
... The Cross and theWinepress.... At the foot of thewinepress, in the stone vat, there
was a sort of sieve to stop the skins, which were put on one side....
Psalm LVI.
... Held in awinepress is His Body, that is, His Church. What is, in awinepress?
In pressings. But in awinepress fruitful is the pressing....
In Reply to the Questions as to his Authority, Jesus Gives the...
... represents God], who planted a vineyard [this represents the Hebrew nationality],
and set a hedge about it, and digged a ^b pit for the ^awinepress in it [The...
The Prophets were Sent from one and the Same Father from whom the...
... as follows in His teaching: "There was a certain householder, and he planted a vineyard,
and hedged it round about, and digged in it awinepress, and built a...
The Return of Christ to the Earth Itself.
... out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations:
and He shall rule them with a rod of iron; and He treadeth thewinepress of the...
The War in Heaven.
... out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth thewinepress of the...
The Choice of Gideon was a Figure of Our Lord's Incarnation, The
... as though trained with the rod of truth, laying aside the superfluities of the old
man together with his deeds, are gathered in the Church as in awinepress....
Psalm LXXXIV.
... most closely), nothing is said in its text either of any press, or wine-basket,
or vat, or of any of the instruments or the building of awinepress; nothing of...
On Earthly Things
... [Ps.79(80):13 Vulgate; Joel 3:13]. The press is his altar, because there the fruit
becomes oblation; in the canticle of Isaiah: I dug thewinepress in it....
Thesaurus
Winepress (19 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Winepress (19 Occurrences). Matthew 21:33 "Hear
another parable. There was a man who was a master of a
...Wine-press (11 Occurrences)
Wine-press.Winepress, Wine-press. Winepresses .... Hosea 9:2 The threshing-floor
and thewinepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail her....
Trodden (42 Occurrences)
... Revelation 14:20 Thewinepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out
from thewinepress, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one...
Threshing-floor (36 Occurrences)
... Jordan. (DBY YLT). Exodus 22:29 Thou shalt not delay the fulness of thy
threshing-floor and the outflow of thywinepress. The firstborn...
Threshingfloor (18 Occurrences)
... Numbers 18:27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though
it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of thewinepress....
Threshing (57 Occurrences)
... Numbers 18:27 Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the
grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of thewinepress....
Dug (45 Occurrences)
... There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge
about it, dug awinepress in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers...
Press (57 Occurrences)
... (2) In the Apocrypha (Sirach 33:16) and in the New Testament 21:33; Revelation
14:19, 20 (twice); 19:15) "winepress" is lenos; in Mark 12:1 hupolenion, by...
Floor (69 Occurrences)
... Numbers 18:27 Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the
grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of thewinepress....
1600 (1 Occurrence)
... Revelation 14:20 Thewinepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out
from thewinepress, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one...
Resources
Was Jesus a pacifist? | GotQuestions.orgWhy is Gideon referred to as Jerubbaal? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the meaning of the Parable of the Vineyard? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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