A wineskin is a container traditionally made from animal skin, used in ancient times for storing and transporting wine. The use of wineskins is mentioned several times in the Bible, serving both practical and metaphorical purposes.

Biblical References:

1. Genesis 21:14 · The earliest mention of a wineskin in the Bible is found in the account of Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham gives Hagar a skin of water as she departs into the wilderness: "Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar's shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba."

2. Joshua 9:4 · The Gibeonites used old wineskins to deceive Joshua and the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them: "they acted with cunning and went as a delegation. They took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and old wineskins, cracked and mended."

3. Job 32:19 · The imagery of a wineskin is used metaphorically to describe the pressure of unspoken words: "Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; it is about to burst like a new wineskin."

4. Matthew 9:17 · Jesus uses the metaphor of wineskins to illustrate the incompatibility of old and new covenants: "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will spill and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Cultural and Historical Context:

Wineskins were typically made from the hides of goats or sheep. The skin would be cleaned, tanned, and sewn together, with the openings sealed to prevent leakage. The elasticity and strength of the animal skin made it an ideal material for holding wine, which would ferment and expand. New wineskins were necessary for new wine because they could stretch to accommodate the fermentation process, whereas old wineskins, having already been stretched, would likely burst.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

In biblical symbolism, wineskins often represent the vessels of spiritual truth and the necessity of renewal. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 9:17 highlights the transformative nature of His message and the need for a new framework to contain the new covenant. The metaphor underscores the importance of being receptive to spiritual renewal and the dangers of clinging to outdated traditions that cannot accommodate the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit.

The use of wineskins in Scripture serves as a reminder of the adaptability required in the life of faith. Just as new wine requires new wineskins, believers are called to be open to the new things God is doing, ensuring that their spiritual "containers" are flexible and ready to receive His ongoing revelation and grace.779. askos -- a leather bottle, wineskin
... a leather bottle, wineskin. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: askos
Phonetic Spelling: (as-kos') Short Definition: a wine-skin Definition: a wine ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/779.htm - 6k4997. nod -- a skin bottle, skin
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition a skin bottle, skin NASB Word
Usage bottle (2), jug (1), wineskin (1), wineskins (2). bottle. ...
/hebrew/4997.htm - 6k

The Controversy Concerning Fasting
... They have their value. As the wineskin retains the wine, so are feelings and
aspirations aided, and even preserved, by suitable external forms. ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 2 18 the controversy concerning.htm

Wineskin (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Wineskin (3 Occurrences). Psalms 119:83 For I have become
like a wineskin in the smoke. I don't forget your statutes. ...
/w/wineskin.htm - 7k

Vapor (6 Occurrences)
... and vapor" (Psalm 148:8); elsewhere, "smoke": "The smoke of the land went up as
the smoke of a furnace" (Genesis 19:28); "I am become like a wineskin in the ...
/v/vapor.htm - 11k

Wine-servants (2 Occurrences)
Wine-servants. Wine-servant, Wine-servants. Wineskin . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(BBE). Wine-servant, Wine-servants. Wineskin . Reference Bible.
/w/wine-servants.htm - 7k

Wine-skins (7 Occurrences)
... The reference to "a wineskin in the smoke" in Psalm 119:83 is generally explained
on the supposition of its being hung there for mellowing purposes, but this ...
/w/wine-skins.htm - 10k

Wineskins (7 Occurrences)
... The reference to "a wineskin in the smoke" in Psalm 119:83 is generally explained
on the supposition of its being hung there for mellowing purposes, but this ...
/w/wineskins.htm - 10k

Wine-skin (2 Occurrences)
Wine-skin. Wineskin, Wine-skin. Wineskins . Multi-Version Concordance ... (See JPS
ASV BBE). Wineskin, Wine-skin. Wineskins . Reference Bible.
/w/wine-skin.htm - 6k

Devils (48 Occurrences)
... The word 'obh is supposed to mean "one who has a familiar spirit," from its
root-significance of hollow and its primary meaning of wineskin. ...
/d/devils.htm - 31k

Demons (54 Occurrences)
... The word 'obh is supposed to mean "one who has a familiar spirit," from its
root-significance of hollow and its primary meaning of wineskin. ...
/d/demons.htm - 34k

Skin (115 Occurrences)
... the Revised Version (British and American) has rendered the Greek askos in the New
Testament by "wineskin" (Matthew 9:17 Mark 2:22 Luke 5:37) with the marginal ...
/s/skin.htm - 44k

Communion (8 Occurrences)
... The word 'obh is supposed to mean "one who has a familiar spirit," from its
root-significance of hollow and its primary meaning of wineskin. ...
/c/communion.htm - 30k

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