Reference

Hosea 9:2

Symbolic / Non-Fermented Wine Total Abstinence Wine vs Strong Drink Distinction

“The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.”

Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.

The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.

They shall not dwell in the Lord’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.

They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Symbolic / Non-Fermented Wine

The verse explicitly mentions "winepress" and "new wine," which in ancient Israelite culture were directly associated with the production of fermented alcoholic beverages. While "new wine" could refer to unfermented grape juice, the context of the winepress strongly suggests the intention of fermentation for storage and consumption. The verse is speaking of a failure of agricultural output, not a symbolic representation of a spiritual state that might be associated with unfermented juice.

Total Abstinence

This verse describes a consequence of divine judgment where agricultural produce, including new wine, will fail. It does not command or suggest abstinence from wine, but rather predicts its absence as a form of punishment or scarcity.

Wine vs Strong Drink Distinction

The verse only mentions "wine" and "new wine," making no reference to "strong drink" at all, thus providing no basis for distinguishing between the two.

Symbolic / Non-Fermented Wine

Cross-References

Hosea 2:9Thematic

“Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.”

Joel 1:3Thematic

“Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.”

Amos 4:5Thematic

“And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.”

Hosea 2:12Thematic

“And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.”