Topic reference
What does the Bible say about alcohol?
Does the word appear in the Bible?
The word "alcohol" appears in the Bible.
Words translated 'wine' and 'strong drink' appear more than 200 times across the Old and New Testaments. The Bible does not have a single category corresponding to the modern English word 'alcohol' as a chemical or beverage class. References range from positive (wine as a gift in Psalm 104, Jesus making wine at Cana) to warnings against drunkenness (Proverbs 20:1, Ephesians 5:18) to specific prohibitions for particular roles (priests on duty, those under Nazirite vow).
Every relevant passage
Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 appears within Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, in a section addressing conduct (Eph. 5:1–21). The verse contrasts drunkenness with being filled with the Spirit. The wider passage addresses sexual immorality, foolish speech, and walking 'as children of light.' The verse addresses drunkenness specifically rather than the consumption of alcohol generally.
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by them is not wise.
A standalone wisdom proverb. The Hebrew word for 'wine' (yayin) and the term for 'strong drink' (shekar) appear together — shekar is a separate fermented beverage, possibly from grain or dates. The proverb addresses intoxication.
1 Timothy 5:23
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
Paul's instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23. The verse is set within practical pastoral instructions. Paul advises Timothy to drink some wine for medicinal reasons. The phrase 'a little wine' indicates moderation in this context.
John 2:1-11
Now Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother said to Him, 'They have no more wine.' […] Jesus said, 'Fill the jars with water,' and they filled them to the brim. […] When the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine, not knowing where it was from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom aside and said, 'Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the best until now.' This, the first of His signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.
The miracle at the wedding at Cana is the first sign attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John. The text describes Jesus producing a substantial quantity of wine — six stone water jars, each holding 'twenty to thirty gallons' (John 2:6) — at a wedding celebration.
Psalm 104:14-15
He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.
Part of a hymn in Psalm 104 describing creation. Wine appears within a list of agricultural products provided for human use, paired with bread and oil.
Numbers 6:1-4
Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. All the days of his separation, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.'
The Nazirite vow (Numbers 6) is a temporary or lifelong vow of separation that includes abstention from grape products. The text presents it as a special vow undertaken by individuals, not a general rule for all Israelites.
Leviticus 10:9
You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
A specific instruction to Aaron and his sons (priests) addressing their conduct when entering the Tent of Meeting (the tabernacle). The prohibition is occupation-specific — for priests in active service — not a general law for all Israelites.
Genesis 9:20-21
Now Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. But when he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent.
The first mention of wine in the Bible. The narrative describes Noah's drunkenness and its aftermath without explicit comment on the act of drinking; the surrounding chapter focuses on the resulting actions of his sons.
Original language
Original language
Several distinct Hebrew and Greek words are translated 'wine' or 'strong drink' in English Bibles. In Hebrew: יַיִן (yayin, the most common term, fermented grape wine, c. 140 occurrences); תִּירוֹשׁ (tirosh, often 'new wine,' may refer to wine in early stages of fermentation); שֵׁכָר (shekar, 'strong drink,' a separate fermented beverage, possibly from grain, dates, or pomegranates). In Greek: οἶνος (oinos, the standard NT term, c. 34 occurrences); γλεῦκος (gleukos, 'sweet wine' or 'new wine,' once at Acts 2:13). The texts do not consistently distinguish between fermented and unfermented in their vocabulary; the surrounding context usually indicates which is meant.
What the text does not say
Passages commonly cited in this discussion that, in full context, are about something else.
- Numbers 6 (Nazirite vow)
The Nazirite vow is a special, voluntary vow of separation, not a general rule for all readers. The same chapter specifies a procedure for ending the vow, after which grape products are again permitted (Numbers 6:20).
- Leviticus 10:9 (priests on duty)
The prohibition on wine for priests is occupation-specific — when entering the Tent of Meeting — not a general law for all Israelites.
- Proverbs 31:4-7
Proverbs 31:4–7 advises kings against wine while ruling and immediately follows by recommending strong drink for 'one who is perishing' and wine for 'those in bitter distress.' The instructions in this passage are role-specific.
What we are showing you
This page lists Bible passages commonly cited in discussions of alcohol. Each is presented with a factual context note. We do not draw conclusions about whether drinking, abstaining, or any pattern of consumption is permitted, prohibited, or recommended.
Three things to know about the texts
First, the Bible does not have a single category corresponding to the modern English word “alcohol.” It uses several distinct words — yayin, tirosh, shekar in Hebrew; oinos, gleukos in Greek — without consistently distinguishing between fermented and unfermented in vocabulary alone.
Second, the references are not uniform in tone. Wine appears as a gift in creation (Psalm 104), as part of celebrations including a wedding miracle (John 2), and as the subject of warnings against drunkenness (Proverbs 20:1, Ephesians 5:18). Some prohibitions are role-specific (priests on duty in Leviticus 10) or vow-specific (Nazirite vow in Numbers 6).
Third, the warning passages most often address drunkenness (μέθη / methē in Greek) rather than consumption itself. Ephesians 5:18 — “Do not get drunk on wine” — is structured as a contrast between drunkenness and being filled with the Spirit, not between drinking and abstaining.