Vines or grapevines are plants cultivated for the production of grapes, raisins, and wine. A vineyard is a cultivated area of grapevines.
Scripture mentions grapevines in both literal and figurative senses. Grapevines probably originated in the Ararat region (Genesis 9:20). The vine was also cultivated in ancient Egypt, where tomb murals depict wine-making. The Canaanites provided wine for Abraham (14:18). Moses described the vineyards in the promised land (Deuteronomy 6:11).
Why Were Grapevines Important in Bible Times?
Excellent grapes from the valleys and plains provided fruit and wine to enhance the bland diet of the Hebrews (Numbers 13:20, 24; Judges 14:5; 15:5). Wine was an important product that people bought and sold. This trade was very active during the time of Israel's last kings (compare Ezekiel 27:18). It continued to be important later when the Greeks and Romans ruled over the land. For the Hebrews, an ideal picture of life was of a man peacefully in one place, cultivating his plot of land, and sitting under his vine (1 Kings 4:25).
Growing and Harvesting Grapes
A protective hedge or fence surrounded the typical vineyard. At harvest time, guards would stay in a watchtower to guard the crop from thieves (Job 24:18; Isaiah 1:8; Mark 12:1). The vines were planted in rows in the enclosed area. As the plants grew, the tendrils were trained along supports to raise the fruit-bearing branches off the ground (Ezekiel 17:6). Vinedressers pruned and tended the vines (Leviticus 25:3; Isaiah 61:5; Joel 3:10; John 15:2). At harvest time the mature fruit was picked and taken to the winepresses (Hosea 9:2). The treading of the grapes was a celebratory occasion (Isaiah 16:10; Jeremiah 25:30). The fermenting juice was collected in new goatskin bags or large pottery jars (Matthew 9:17).
The Role of Vineyards in Daily Life
Grape harvest workers could be exempted from military service, showing its economic importance. Taxes and debts were often paid with wine instead of money. The law provided for the poor to glean in the vineyards as in the wheat fields, collecting any grapes or grain that were left behind after harvest (Leviticus 19:9–10). Vines that did not produce fruit were used for producing charcoal (Ezekiel 15:4; John 15:6).
Jesus's Teaching About Vines and Wine
Jesus frequently used the vineyard as a background for his parables (Matthew 20:1–16; 21:28–43; Mark 12:1–11; Luke 13:6–9; 20:9–18). Wine-making methods were commonly known and understood. Jesus's story of placing new wine in old wineskins was easily recognizable for New Testament listeners (Matthew 9:17). In a symbolic sense, Christ described himself as the true vine, and his blood became the sacramental wine of communion (John 15:1–11).