“Your word was my delight and the joy of my heart”
Jeremiah 15:16
Duns Scotus Bible Centre
Vineyards
Vineyards in the Bible are often referred to as being hedged. Protection is important when the vines are flowering. The flowers of the grape are greenish......
In ancient Israel, natural springs were limited in number and location. Consequently, cisterns were cut into bedrock for collecting rain runoff-this was perhaps the most common access to water. However, cisterns as well as other sources of water were most often contaminated and therefore not suitable for drinking. Consequently, wine was the commonly consumed beverage in the biblical world.
The bible uses nine different names for wine-attesting to its wide use. The most common word is yayin-used over 140 times in the bible. The next most common word, appearing 38 times, is tiros which is sometimes translated "wine" but often translated "new wine" meaning newly fermented wine. Asis is used to refer to unfermented juice of the grape.
Vineyards require several years before yielding grapes of high quality. Generally, only stable societies can successfully engage in viticulture. "Vine cultivation is done not from seeds but from plant cuttings and shoots, and grapevines were manipulated in several ways. The vines could be draped over a trellis, or trained to climb trees, or allowed to trail on the ground, or worked in a vineyard. To plant a vineyard was a sign of permanent settlement". Thus biblical statements regarding vineyards can represent prosperity and permanence (Jeremiah 32:15; Ezekiel 28:26).
Vineyards in the Bible are often referred to as being hedged. Protection is important when the vines are flowering. The flowers of the grape are greenish and inconspicuous. But they are very fragrant. It is likely that the "blossoming vine" mentioned in Song of Solomon 2 is the grape. It is at the flowering stage that the grape is especially vulnerable to damage. If the flowers don't develop, there will be no fruit.
Foxes are common in the Middle East where at least three different species occur. One species is so secretive that its presence in Israel was discovered only a few years ago! These sly creatures are usually nocturnal in their behavior. In parts of Galilee it is possible to hear them at night-their haunting howls coming from the forests and vineyards. Foxes are slight animals about the size of a small dog. Their agility is mentioned in Nehemiah 3 where Tobiah with sarcasm suggests that the lightest animal would break down the wall. They can climb up even the smallest vines and are still considered a menace in vineyards by modern farmers.
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The bible uses nine different names for wine-attesting to its wide use. |
The character of the grapevine is to spread and climb. For example, Joseph was likened to a fruitful vine (Genesis 49:22). The image is used in a negative sense of Israel (Hosea 10:1). In Bible days, grapes were usually not grown on trellises as they are today. Rather, a large rootstock was allowed to develop and from this the branches would spread across the ground. Many vineyards of this type are still found near Hebron (Numbers 13:23).
In August, just as the grapes were beginning to ripen. The rains had stopped in April so the surrounding hills were dry and brown. The dry hills set the deep green of vines in relief. Some of the vines we examined were more than a century old with large gnarled stems contrasting with the delicate, well tended branches. If left unprotected, they are subject to being ravaged by animals (Psalm 80:13, Song of Solomon 2:15).
Figs and grapes are often mentioned together (IKings 4:25). The fruits of both develop about the same time in mid-summer. The grape harvest and the winepress are often associated with judgment as in Genesis 49:11 and Revelation 14:18-20.
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The grape harvest and the winepress are often associated |