Answers about…
strong drinks in the Bible

“Strong drink” in the Bible primarily translates the Hebrew word shekar (שֵׁכָר), which appears about 23 times in the Old Testament (and its Greek equivalent sikera once in the New Testament, in Luke 1:15).

The word shekar comes from a root meaning “to be or become drunk” (shakar), indicating an intoxicating beverage. It is frequently paired with yayin (wine, usually from grapes) in phrases like “wine and strong drink,” serving as a comprehensive reference to alcoholic drinks or as a distinct category alongside grape wine.

Shekar broadly denotes any fermented/intoxicating drink, not limited to one type. Early uses may have overlapped with wine, but it later referred more to non-grape intoxicants. It could encompass:

• Fermented beverages from grains (e.g., barley-based drinks akin to beer or ale)

• Drinks from other fruits (dates/palm, pomegranates, figs, raisins, apples/cider)

  Dates, for example, have double the sugar of grapes, so they potentially ferment stronger alcohol. Palm sap can also be tapped and fermented.

• Honey-based or mixed drinks (mead-like or spiced)

• Possibly “old wine” or aged/stronger fermented grape products in some interpretations

Strong drinks appeared in drink offerings (Numbers 28:7) and as a medicinal aid for the dying or distressed (Proverbs 31:6–7).

Deuteronomy 14:26 allowed the Israelites to use tithe money to buy “wine or strong drink” for joyful feasting before the Lord.

Isaiah and others condemn excess leading to drunkenness, poor judgment, and social harm. Moderation is praised (e.g., Psalm 104:15: wine gladdens the heart), but abuse is condemned as folly or debauchery (Ephesians 5:18). “Whoever is led astray by it is not wise (Proverbs 20:1).

Distilled spirits

The “strong drinks” made in Biblical times were not distilled spirits, such as liquor or whiskey, since distillation was unknown in those times emerging centuries later, around the 1st millennium AD or later in the West. All alcohol came from natural fermentation, typically yielding 3–12% alcohol by volume (ABV) depending on the base and process—stronger than some modern session beers but weaker than distilled spirits.

Barred from strong drinks

• Priests on duty (Leviticus 10:9)

  See: Abihu and Nadab (sons of High Priest Aaron)—the origin of prohibition of wine and strong drinks for priests on duty

• Nazirites (Numbers 6:3; Judges 13)

• Rechabites abstained entirely as a fidelity test (Jeremiah 35)

• John the Baptist (Luke 1:15)

The Bible neither mandates total abstinence (except for specific groups) nor unrestricted use. It promotes wisdom, self-control, and avoiding stumbling others (Romans 14). Excess links to foolishness, spiritual dulling, poverty, and violence.