PART ONE

THE BIBLE

CHAPTER I

THE OLD TESTAMENT ITSELF

IF THE English version of the Old Testament represents the original Hebrew correctly, then wine and "strong drink" are, in these Scriptures, sometimes approved and sometimes condemned. Isaiah thinks well of wine when he prophesies (Is. 25.6), "In this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined". He would no more have written thus of wine, if he had thought ill of it, than a white ribboner of today would hold forth an abundance of superior whiskey as a charm of the millenium.

Very different are the words of Proverbs (20.1) about these beverages: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler".

Other passages could be cited for both these sentiments.

There are three possible explanations of this seeming discord. First, the sacred writers really disagreed about wine and "strong drink". Second, where they seem to disagree, they are, in fact, talking of different things. Third, they are

talking of the same thing, but the one is speaking of its proper use and the other of its misuse.

The first supposition,-that the sacred writers contradict each other,—will be rejected by all who believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures, and need not be examined. The second supposition,that where one praises and the other censures wine they are speaking of two entirely different beverages, clearly distinguished in the Hebrew, but confused under one head in our English translation, has been vigorously maintained, and will now be examined in some detail. Let not the reader be frightened off from this examination by its statistical and monotonous appearance, for it is important. Besides, it will be easy and interesting, if you really care to go into the subject.

The English word wine, in the Old Testament, represents eleven Hebrew words; or, if we use the Revised Version, either English or American, eight Hebrew words. The term "strong drink" always represents the same Hebrew word. Of the words for wine two are very common, and it is admitted by all that these two are decisive as to the issue in hand. To them, therefore, we shall confine ourselves. These words are yayin and tirosh. It is contended that yayin stands for fermented wine, and tirosh for unfermented grape-juice, the one alcoholic and the other non-alcoholic; and that the wine which is praised in the Old Testament is tirosh, whereas yayin is condemned and forbidden. If this is so, the Old Testament enjoins total abstinence, and its saints and seers practised it. If this is so, too, the trans