Wine Press
“Gath, the wine press or wine vat; yeqeb refers to the receiving vat”
Summary
The wine press consisted of two rock-cut vats at different elevations where grapes were trodden to extract their juice, serving also as a powerful symbol of divine judgment.
☩Construction and Use
Wine presses consisted of two receptacles placed at different elevations—the upper vat where grapes were trodden, and the lower vat that received the expressed juice. Both vats were usually hewn out of solid rock, with a channel connecting them. The grapes were placed in the upper vat (about eight feet square and four feet high), then trodden by workers with bare feet. Ancient wine presses cut from rock are still visible in Palestine today.
☩The Vintage Season
The grape harvest in September was a time of great joy and celebration. The treading was accompanied by singing, musical instruments, and shouts of encouragement as workers jumped on the grapes. Their garments were stained with the red juice. The abundance of the vintage symbolized God's blessing, while empty presses signified His judgment. Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press to hide it from the Midianites when the angel appeared to him.
☩Symbol of Judgment
The treading of the wine press became a vivid image of divine judgment. Isaiah pictures a lone figure treading the wine press of God's wrath, His garments splattered with the blood of nations—a prophecy fulfilled in Christ's solitary suffering, and to be consummated in final judgment. Revelation describes the wine press of God's fury being trodden outside the city, with blood flowing as high as horses' bridles.
Related Verses12 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Winepress," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 2.Chad Brand, Charles Draper, and Archie England (ed.), "Winepress," in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Holman Bible Publishers, 2003).
- 3.Richard Watson, "Wine Press," in A Biblical and Theological Dictionary (John Mason, 1831).