Vinegar In the Bible

Vinegar in the Bible is mentioned five times in the Old Testament, and four times in the Gospels of the New Testament.

People in the Bible were certainly familiar with vinegar. They, just like us, used it as a preservative, condiment, medicine, antibiotic, and a detergent.

Vinegar can be made from just about anything fermented, such as dates, figs, grapes, or rye. Read more details here. References to vinegar in the Bible show us that vinegar was used with food in the Old Testament.


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Vinegar In the Old Testament

(All verses are taken from the New International Version of the Bible.)

Numbers 6:3

. . . he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.

Ruth 2:14

At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar." When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

Psalm 69:21

They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

Proverbs 10:26

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.

Proverbs 25:20

Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

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