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Question: I have always grown up being taught that the water Jesus turned into wine was unfermented. I researched online but am confused as it looks like it was fermented (per the internet). What proof is there that the wine was unfermented?

Answer: Thank you for this question, and we have had this type of question several times before so here are some links you can go to that answer your question in detail:

Christ's first miracle was the turning of water into wine at the marriage feast. I was always taught that the wine was unfermented. The wine that Lot's daughters drank was fermented, etc. I guess the bottom line is that I was taught that when it was used in a good way in the Bible it was unfermented, when used in a bad way it was fermented. I believe that Scripture does not contradict itself and that if Jesus turned the water into wine, it must be unfermented, as Jesus knew the Scripture and He would not do anything against it. Can you help? Thanks.

You may also want to read these articles:

Beer and Other Alcoholic Beverages in the Bible

Wine in the Bible

or these other discussion questions:

Is Paul endorsing the consumption of alcoholic beverages when he instructs Timothy to drink wine for his stomach's sake in I Timothy 5:23?

Hello, I was reading your online article about fermented and unfermented wine in the Bible and had a specific question about the passage which I have copied and pasted at the bottom of this message. You said that yayin is unfermented wine or grape juice and then say that Deut. 32:33 tells us that fermented wine is poison. My confusion is Deut. 32:33 uses the Hebrew word yayin to portray that wine was poisonous. It also used specifics here. Saying that Gomorrah's wine was poisonous not that all wine was poisonous. Please help me to understand this interpretation as I am still trying to get a full understanding of whether wine is okay to drink or not. Thank you for your time and consideration. God Bless.

Many people think that the Bible is in agreement with drinking alcohol." this is how you start your tract. This is not really true that the Bible is not talking about alcohol when the word "wine" is used. Look, you say that the term "wine" is unique in the Bible and is what is referred to in all the Scriptures (that it can be fermented or unfermented depending on the context). Here are my arguments against this view...Where you talk about the context, it is very ambiguous. It seems that you are saying that in every place that something good is happening it has to be grape juice, but when it is bad. it is speaking of fermented wine. The Bible is precise and clear, and I can not be in agreement with this kind of interpretation.

Thanks for the question,

Gary T. Panell

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Keywords: fermented, unfermented, alcohol