Bible Verses About Wine. In the Bible, wine has a particularly complicated and perhaps paradoxical role as a potent representation of both heavenly favor and human excess. Positively, wine is praised as an essential component of God’s provision and the joy of life; it frequently coexists with grain and oil as a symbol of wealth, a bountiful harvest, and divine favor (Psalm 104:15).
It was an essential part of everyday meals, cultural festivities, and important religious holidays; most famously, Christ consecrated it at the Last Supper to represent His blood of the new covenant. Studying Bible passages about wine means confronting a material that was intricately integrated into ancient Israel’s social, ritual, and economic structures.
But when it comes to cautioning against the abuse of wine, the scriptures are just as watchful. Prophets and wisdom literature, particularly the book of Proverbs, provide harsh warnings about the perils of intoxication, emphasizing how excessive consumption results in poverty, mocking, moral decay, and poor judgment (Proverbs 20:1, 23:29-35).
This dichotomy—wine being a blessing when used in moderation but a curse when misused—reflects a major biblical theme: the moral obligation that comes with accepting God’s good gifts. Rarely is the substance itself the main focus, but rather the discipline of the spirit and the condition of the heart.
The biblical view of wine ultimately leads the reader to a position of sober judgment and spiritual discretion, going beyond simple endorsement or prohibition. From the solemn discipline of the Nazarite vow to the ceremonial delight of a wedding feast at Cana, we may see how God intended for wine to be used by examining the many situations in which it appears. In order to prevent what God meant to be a source of joy from becoming a barrier to holiness or a cause of stumbling for others, these passages exhort believers to practice freedom with self-control.
40 Inspiring Bible Verses About Wine (2026)
1. Psalm 104:15
“Wine that makes the heart glad, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains man’s heart.”
This foundational verse celebrates wine as a gift from God intended to bring joy and gladness to the human heart. It is listed alongside bread and oil as an essential element of God’s benevolent provision that sustains and enriches life.
2. Proverbs 20:1
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
This powerful Proverb issues a stark warning, personifying wine as a deceptive and aggressive influence. It clarifies that indulging in alcohol to the point of being “led astray” is a mark of profound folly, leading to conflict and moral compromise.
3. Isaiah 55:1
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
This prophetic invitation uses the imagery of freely available wine and milk to symbolize the gracious, non-meritorious gift of spiritual life and satisfaction offered by God. It contrasts earthly cost with divine generosity.
4. John 2:9-10
“The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’”
This passage records Christ’s first miracle, where he created the best quality wine to ensure the celebration continued. It affirms that wine is appropriate for times of celebration and highlights Christ’s power to provide abundance and joy.
5. Ephesians 5:18
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”
This New Testament command is a clear prohibition against drunkenness, linking it directly to moral decay (“debauchery”). It provides the spiritual alternative: seeking the fulfillment, control, and joy that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit instead of wine.
6. Genesis 9:20-21
“Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and lay uncovered inside his tent.”
This historical account of Noah provides the first explicit biblical example of the danger and shame associated with drunkenness. It shows that even righteous men can fall into sin when they fail to control their consumption of wine.
7. 1 Timothy 5:23
“Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and frequent illnesses.”
Paul’s pastoral advice to Timothy demonstrates the medicinal and moderate use of wine was accepted within the early church. It grants permission for modest consumption for practical, health-related needs, encouraging balance over strict, unhealthy abstinence.
8. Matthew 26:29
“I tell you, I will not drink again from this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Speaking at the Last Supper, Christ uses the “fruit of the vine” (wine) to symbolize the future celebration and fellowship of the Kingdom of Heaven. This elevates wine from a simple beverage to a sacred symbol of ultimate, eternal joy and restoration.
9. Proverbs 23:29-30
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, those who go to sample mixed drinks.”
This passage vividly lists the physical and emotional consequences of excessive drinking, directly attributing sorrow, conflict, and pain to those who “linger over wine.” It serves as a stern warning against chronic indulgence.
10. Deuteronomy 14:26
“Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.”
This verse permits the purchase of wine and strong drink for celebratory feasting during the tithe offering in Jerusalem. It underscores the acceptance of wine as a means of communal joy and gratitude when consumed in a religious, controlled context.
11. Habakkuk 2:15
“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their nakedness!”
This prophetic declaration issues a “Woe” against those who intentionally lead others into drunkenness for exploitative purposes. It highlights the sin of using alcohol to manipulate and compromise a neighbor, demonstrating the danger wine can pose when malice is involved.
12. Judges 9:13
“But the vine said to them, ‘Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?’”
This verse, part of Jotham’s famous fable, reflects the cultural understanding of wine as a source of cheer and gladness that is valuable enough to be celebrated by both people and, figuratively, the divine. It emphasizes its acknowledged cultural worth.
13. Proverbs 31:4-5
“It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.”
This wisdom from a mother to a king warns against the detrimental effect of strong drink on wise leadership and justice. It shows that leaders must maintain sober judgment to uphold the law and protect the vulnerable, making heavy drinking incompatible with high office.
14. Amos 9:13-14
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. … They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their produce.’”
This prophecy describes the restoration and abundance of the Messianic Age, where the proliferation of vineyards leads to freely enjoying their own wine. Wine here symbolizes God’s ultimate, peaceful blessing and security for His people.
15. Leviticus 10:9
“You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”
This verse issues a strict prohibition against priests consuming wine while on duty in the Tabernacle (or Temple). It underscores the necessity of absolute mental clarity and spiritual sobriety during sacred service to God.
16. Jeremiah 48:33
“Joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful fields and from the land of Moab. I have stopped the wine from flowing from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. The shouting is not the shout of joy.”
This prophetic judgment uses the cessation of wine production and the absence of harvest shouting as a metaphor for the total removal of joy and celebration. Wine’s absence signifies despair, sorrow, and divine displeasure.
17. 1 Timothy 3:3
“not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.”
In listing the qualifications for overseers (elders), Paul specifically requires that they be “not given to drunkenness.” This emphasizes that self-control regarding wine is a foundational requirement for spiritual leadership and moral integrity.
18. Romans 14:21
“It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to stumble.”
This crucial New Testament verse introduces the principle of Christian liberty being subjected to love and conscience. A believer should voluntarily forgo drinking wine, even if permissible, if that act causes a weaker brother or sister to fall into sin.
19. Isaiah 5:11
“Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.”
This is a prophetic “Woe” directed at those who are consumed by constant drinking, making it the central focus of their daily lives. It condemns the lifestyle of continual intoxication that ruins one’s health and spiritual focus.
20. Zechariah 9:15-17
“The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people… They will be adorned with his land, for how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.”
This future vision of blessing links new wine to the flourishing of young women and grain to the vigor of young men. It symbolizes a time of restored, healthy, and abundant provision for the entire community.
21. Judges 13:4
“Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean.”
This command is given to the mother of Samson, instructing her to observe a modified Nazarite vow during her pregnancy. It emphasizes that abstinence from wine was a specific requirement for dedication and holiness under certain covenant obligations.
22. Proverbs 31:6-7
“Give strong drink to the perishing, and wine to those in distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
These verses present a highly contextual view of wine used as a palliative measure for those suffering extreme misery or facing death. It acknowledges a merciful, temporary function of alcohol to dull pain, contrasting sharply with its use for recreational excess.
23. Mark 14:23-24
“Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ he said.”
The wine used at the Last Supper is sanctified by Christ to become the powerful, enduring symbol of His blood and the establishment of the New Covenant. This moment permanently fuses wine with the themes of sacrifice and redemption.
24. Joel 2:24
“The threshing floors will be full of grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.”
This prophetic verse describes agricultural abundance and overflowing wine vats as a physical sign of God’s future blessing, restoration, and reconciliation with His people after a time of hardship.
25. Nehemiah 13:15
“In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of produce.”
This historical account highlights the problem of defiling the Sabbath by engaging in the business of wine production and trade. It demonstrates that economic activity related to wine must yield to religious duty.
26. Hosea 4:11
“Wine and new wine take away the understanding.”
The prophet identifies wine as a powerful spiritual inhibitor, stating that both aged and new wine can actively remove (or steal) one’s mental clarity and judgment, leading the people into spiritual adultery and error.
27. Isaiah 25:6
“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.”
This vision of the future Messianic banquet emphasizes the finest, “aged wine” as a feature of the ultimate divine celebration. It uses the highest quality of earthly delight to illustrate the superior richness of God’s eternal provision.
28. Titus 2:3
“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or enslaved to much wine, but to teach what is good.”
Paul specifically warns older women against being “enslaved to much wine,” indicating that chronic overconsumption was a real danger that damaged their reputation and ability to teach and mentor.
29. 1 Samuel 1:14-15
“Eli said to her, ‘How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.’ ‘Not so, my lord,’ Hannah replied, ‘I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was praying to the Lord.’”
This interaction between Eli and Hannah shows how deep emotional distress can be mistaken for drunkenness and how intense prayer stands in contrast to the escapism sought in strong drink.
30. Ecclesiastes 9:7
“Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.”
This passage encourages a joyful, grateful consumption of wine as part of God’s approved, everyday pleasures in this life. It places the enjoyment of wine firmly within the context of living life fully under God’s sovereignty.
31. Revelation 19:15
“Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the furious wrath of God Almighty.”
This dramatic eschatological verse uses the imagery of treading the winepress—a symbol normally associated with joyful harvest—to represent the furious wrath and judgment of God. The liquid that flows out is not wine, but judgment.
32. Jeremiah 25:15
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: ‘Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.’”
God commands Jeremiah to distribute a cup filled with the “wine of God’s wrath.” This demonstrates wine being used metaphorically to represent the inescapable bitterness, judgment, and destruction decreed by God.
33. Luke 10:34
“He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.”
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, wine is used as a medical treatment (acting as an antiseptic agent) applied to the wounded man. This illustrates a practical, benevolent use of wine in healing and care.
34. Isaiah 65:8
“This is what the Lord says: ‘As when enough juice is still found in a cluster of grapes, people say, “Don’t destroy it, for there is still a blessing in it,” so will I do in behalf of my servants.’”
This verse uses the imagery of the blessing found in the cluster of grapes (the source of wine) to affirm that God will spare a righteous remnant. It connects the potential of the vine to divine preservation.
35. Proverbs 9:5
“‘Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.’”
This is the invitation of Lady Wisdom (personified divine guidance) to the simple and naive. The mixed wine here symbolizes the spiritual richness and sustenance of true understanding and instruction, contrasting with the empty pleasures of folly.
36. Hosea 7:5
“On the day of the feast of our king, the officials become inflamed with wine; the king joins hands with the mockers.”
The prophet laments the moral decay of Israel’s leadership, noting how excessive wine consumption leads to inflamed passions and the king aligning himself with those who mock righteous authority.
37. Matthew 9:17
“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
This parable uses the fermentation process of new wine as a powerful illustration that the radical, new nature of Christ’s Gospel cannot be contained or practiced within the restrictive, old legalistic forms of Judaism.
38. John 15:1
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”
While not directly mentioning wine, this central metaphor uses the vine—the source of the grapes and wine—to represent Christ Himself. All spiritual fruitfulness (the “wine”) and life flow directly from being connected to Him.
39. Romans 13:13
“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.”
Paul admonishes believers to live righteously, specifically listing drunkenness as a behavior belonging to the darkness of the past. It establishes sobriety as a hallmark of life lived in the light of the Gospel.
40. Galatians 5:21
“and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
In this severe warning about the “works of the flesh,” drunkenness is listed as a major sin alongside others that disqualify one from inheriting the Kingdom of God. This underscores the serious spiritual consequences of persistent intoxication.
Conclusion
In the end, the biblical discussion of wine is a potent summons to moral responsibility and spiritual sobriety in dealing with God’s creation. The predominant emphasis on self-control reveals that the Christian life requires watchful discretion, even as wine is recognized as a gift meant to cheer the heart and symbolize covenant joy. The Bible never presents abstinence as a universal demand; instead, it places the onus of maturity on the believer to use freedom without going into dangerous excess or making a brother stumble.
In conclusion, the fact that wine is both a feature of blessing and a focal point of moral caution serves to emphasize the fact that all of God’s gifts necessitate thanks and discernment. At the Last Supper, wine undergoes its ultimate metamorphosis, becoming the sacred emblem of Christ’s blood and permanently associated with ultimate sacrifice and eternal life. This elevation serves as a reminder to stay focused on the higher, spiritual “wine” of the Kingdom—the tremendous, pure joy of redemption that far beyond any worldly delight—while navigating the liberties and perils of this world.
