Matthew 9:17 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Matthew 9:17
Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
to throw (in various applications · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person plural
new
νέονneon
G3501
"new" · adjective — accusative singular masculine
wine
οἶνονoinon
G3631
"wine" (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular masculine
into
εἰςeis
G1519
to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
old
παλαιούς·palaious
G3820
antique · adjective — accusative plural masculine
bottles
ἀσκοὺςaskous
G779
a leathern (or skin) bag used as a bottle · noun — accusative plural masculine
else
μήmē
G3361
(adverb) not · particle — negative
the bottles
ἀσκοί,askoi
G779
a leathern (or skin) bag used as a bottle · noun — nominative plural masculine
break
ῥήγνυνταιrhēgnuntai
G4486
G2608 (κατάγνυμι) being its intensive (with the preposi… · verb — present passive indicative, 3rd person plural
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
the wine
οἶνοςoinos
G3631
"wine" (literally or figuratively) · noun — nominative singular masculine
runneth out
ἐκχεῖταιekcheitai
G1632
to pour forth · verb — present passive indicative, 3rd person singular
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
the bottles
ἀσκοὶaskoi
G779
a leathern (or skin) bag used as a bottle · noun — nominative plural masculine
perish
ἀπόλλυνται.apolluntai
G622
to destroy fully (reflexively · verb — present passive indicative, 3rd person plural
but
ἀλλὰalla
G235
properly · conjunction
they put
βάλλουσινballousin
G906
to throw (in various applications · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person plural
new
νέονneon
G3501
"new" · adjective — accusative singular masculine
wine
οἶνονoinon
G3631
"wine" (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular masculine
into
εἰςeis
G1519
to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
new
καινούς,kainous
G2537
new · adjective — accusative plural masculine
bottles
ἀσκοὺςaskous
G779
a leathern (or skin) bag used as a bottle · noun — accusative plural masculine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
both
ἀμφότεροιamphoteroi
G297
(in plural) both · adjective — nominative plural masculine
are preserved
συντηροῦνται.¶suntērountai
G4933
to keep closely together · verb — present passive indicative, 3rd person plural
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Joshua 9:4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and ren…
Job 32:19 Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles.
Psalms 119:83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Matthew 9:14-17
The objections which were made against Christ and his disciples gave occasion to some of the most profitable of his discourses; thus are the interests of truth often served, even by the opposition it meets with from gainsayers, and thus the wisdom of Christ brings good out of evil. This is the third instance of it in this chapter; his discourse of his power to forgive sin, and his readiness to receive sinners, was occasioned by the cavils of the scribes and Pharisees; so here, from a reflection upon the conduct of his family, arose a discourse concerning his tenderness for it. Observe,
I. The objection which the disciples of John made against Christ's disciples, for not fasting so often as t…
But go ye and learn what that meaneth-- (Hos 6:6),
I will have mercy, and not sacrifice--that is, the one rather than the other. "Sacrifice," the chief part of the ceremonial law, is here put for a religion of literal adherence to mere rules; while "mercy" expresses such compassion for the fallen as seeks to lift them up. The duty of keeping aloof from the polluted, in the sense of "having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness," is obvious enough; but to understand this as prohibiting such intercourse with them as is necessary to their recovery, is to abuse it. This was what these pharisaical religionists did, and this is what our Lord here exposes.
for I am not come to cal…
Neither do men put new wine into old bottles,.... As in the former parable, our Lord exposes the folly of the Scribes and Pharisees, in their zealous attachment to the traditions of the elders; so in this, he gives a reason why he did not call these persons by his Gospel, who were settled upon the old principle of self-righteousness, but sinners, whom he renews by his Spirit and grace: for by "old bottles" are meant, the Scribes and Pharisees. The allusion is to bottles, made of the skins of beasts, which in time decayed, waxed old, and became unfit for use: such were the wine bottles, old and rent, the Gibeonites brought with them, and showed to Joshua, Joshua 9:4 and to which the Psalmist…
The Church Fathers
After two comparisons made, that of the wedding, and that of the undressed cloth, He adds a third concerning wine skins; Neither do men put new wine into old skins. By the old skins He means His disciples, who were not yet perfectly renewed. The new wine is the fulness of the Holy Spirit, and the depths of the heavenly mysteries, which His disciples could not then bear; but after the resurrection they became as new skins, and were filled with new wine when they received the Holy Spirit into their hearts. Whence also some said, These men are full of new wine. (Acts 2:13.)
Now this our Redeemer Himself shewed aforetime in His luminous teaching, saying, "No man poureth new wine into old bottles, lest the wine burst the skins, and the wine be poured out, and the skins be destroyed; but they pour new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." So long as sin liveth or is wrought in thee by deed or in thought, or a carnal wish belonging to the world ariseth in thee, thou art still an old vessel, and thou art not able to receive the new wine of the wisdom of Christ. Make new thyself then by the dismissal of thy passions, and thou shalt be able to take within thee immediately the new wine of the doctrine of Christ. Forsake everything, even as the Apostles forsook everything, and then thou mayest seek boldly to be set to rule over the treasures of the spirit.
And for this reason it is especially meet that every one who becometh a disciple of Christ should, from his earliest age, lay the foundation of his instruction in such a way that all his subsequent growth may receive goodly habits, and that the world may not exhaust the power of his soul and body, after which he may draw nigh to this service like an old and worn out vessel; but, according to what is said by our Lord, "Let us put new wine into new bottles, and both will be preserved". And thus in the beginning of our youth, when as yet our foundation is new, and while our strength is yet in us, and our freshness hath not been made old by sin, let us put within ourselves the new wine of the doctrine of Christ, that we may be able to endure the fervour of the love of the doctrine of Christ, so that while we preserve it we may ourselves be preserved through it from all evil things, more especially when the power of our soul hath not been violated and carried off by the work of the service of profane things.
Dictionary and topics
Bottle — A vessel made of skins for holding wine (Josh. 9:4. 13; 1 Sam. 16:20; Matt. 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37, 38), or milk (Judg. 4:19), or water (Gen. 21:14, 15, 19), or strong drink (Hab. 2:15).…
Custom — A tax imposed by the Romans. The tax-gatherers were termed publicans (q.v.), who had their stations at the gates of cities, and in the public highways, and at the place set apart for that purpose,…
Bottle · Ma — Ma
Bottles · Made of skins: When old, unfit for holding new wine — Made of skins: When old, unfit for holding new wine
Capernaum · Miracles of Jesus performed at — Miracles of Jesus performed at
Judaism · .To make room for the Gospel — .To make room for the Gospel
Parables · Parables of christ: New wine and old bottles — Parables of christ: New wine and old bottles
Wine · In skins (R. V.) — In skins (R. V.)
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Matthew 9:14-17
Matthew 9:14-17
Mark 2:18-22
Luke 5:33-39
14. Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, For what reason do we and the Pharisees fast often, while thy disciples do not fast? 15. And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridegroom [521] mourn, so long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 16. And no man putteth a piece of fresh cloth on an old garment: for that which fills up takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17. Nor do they put new wine into old bottles; otherwise the bottles burst, and the wine is spilt, and the bottles are lost: but they put new wine i…
These riddle-like parables contrast the new covenant that Jesus has established (26:26-29) with the old covenant, especially in relation to such rituals as fasting. Jesus consummates, but does not abolish, the law (5:17-20; see Gal 2:21; 5:4). Yet the new covenant requires new practices.
