9:17a–e
Neither do men 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: This verse is also an extended metaphor. This metaphor teaches the same thing as the metaphor in 9:16. It teaches that Jesus’ new teaching cannot fit with the old Jewish customs.
man carrying a wineskin
In this metaphor Jesus used an illustration from wine making. The Jews made wine in a container that was a whole goat skin whose legs had been tied shut. (See the illustration above.) After they poured the grape juice into the skin, they then tied shut the neck. When the wine fermented, it expanded. A new skin stretches to hold the wine. But an old skin is brittle and does not stretch. An old skin would break or split and all the wine would spill out.
Jesus compared his teaching to new wine and new wineskins. Jewish traditions were like old wineskins. Jesus’ new teaching was too different to fit into the old traditions of the Jews.
Here are some other ways to translate this extended metaphor:
• Keep the metaphor and add a footnote to explain the meaning. Here is a sample footnote:
In this parable, Jesus compared his teaching to new wine and a new wineskin. He compared the traditions of the Jews to an old wineskin. No one pours new wine into an old wineskin. In the same way, people should not add his teaching to their old customs.
• Add some words of introduction before the metaphor to explain it. For example:
⌊Jesus told another parable to explain that his new teachings cannot fit into the old teachings. He said,⌋ “Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins….”
-or-
⌊Jesus compared his teaching with new wine. He said,⌋ “Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins….”
• Make explicit some of the meaning within the metaphor. For example:
No one pours new wine into old wineskins…. ⌊My teaching is like new wine. It cannot fit into the old customs.⌋
-or-
⌊If my teaching is mixed with the old traditions,⌋ it will be like someone pouring new wine into old wineskins. No one does that. If they do, the skins burst….
9:17a
Neither do men: The word Neither indicates that what follows is similar to 9:16. People do not sew a new patch on an old garment, and they do not pour new wine into old wineskins.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
And no one (NET Bible)
-or-
Also, people never (New Century Version)
-or-
Similarly
new wine: The phrase new wine refers to the juice of grapes that have been recently squeezed. The juice is not yet fermented or is just beginning to ferment.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
• Use your word for an alcoholic drink made from the juice of a fruit.
• Use a phrase to describe what wine is. For example:
fresh juice of grapes ⌊ready to bubble/ferment⌋
-or-
new juice of vine fruit ⌊called grapes⌋ ⌊about to ferment/mature⌋
• Use a local word for an alcoholic drink. For example:
new beer
old wineskins: As mentioned above, a “wineskin” is a container usually made of a whole goat skin. It was used like a pot to store liquids. People tied shut the legs, and after pouring liquid into it, would also tie shut the neck to keep in the liquid. Jews made wine in this type of container.
An old wineskin was one in which wine had already been made. It had already stretched. An old wineskin is stiff and can easily crack.
Here are some other ways to translate old wineskins:
old goatskin containers/bags
-or-
old containers made of skin/leather
-or-
dried leather/skin gourds
9:17b
If they do: This phrase indicates that the following words are a result of doing what was not normally done. In this case, it indicates what would happen if someone did pour new wine into old wineskins.
Here are some other ways to translate this expression:
otherwise (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
If someone were to ⌊pour new wine into old wineskins⌋
the skins will burst: When wine ferments, it creates bubbles that cause the skins to expand. An old skin has already stretched, and so it will break. In some languages, it may be necessary to include some of this implied information. For example:
⌊the wine will ferment and⌋ the containers will burst
-or-
⌊the wine will bubble and⌋ the bags will ⌊expand and⌋ break
9:17c
the wine will spill: This clause refers to the wine pouring out of the torn wineskins.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
the wine will pour out (Good News Translation)
-or-
the juice will come/run out on the ground
the wineskins will be ruined: This clause refers to the wineskins becoming useless.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
the skins are destroyed (English Standard Version)
-or-
the bags will not be good for anything
9:17d
Instead: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between the thing that people do not do (in 9:17a–c) and the thing that they do (in 9:17d). The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction Instead.
Here are some other ways to show this contrast:
No (New International Version)
-or-
But (English Standard Version)
-or-
Rather (God’s Word)
Several English versions do not translate this Greek word and let the context indicate the negative-positive contrast.
new wineskins: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as new wineskins can also be translated as “fresh wineskins.” For example:
fresh wineskins (English Standard Version)
These are wineskins that have not yet been used.
9:17e
and both are preserved: This clause means that both the new wine and the new wineskins remain good and are not ruined.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
and both are saved (God’s Word)
-or-
Then both will continue to be good (New Century Version)
-or-
and nothing will be ruined/lost
© 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.