Wine-Press, Wine-Fat

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 8
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Ancient winepress located at “The Garden Tomb” near the Damascus Gate.
These are said to be “trodden,” which signifies that the grapes were placed in a receptacle, and were trodden on by the feet, a pipe conveying the juice into a vessel at the side. Places have been found which apparently were used for this purpose: they are hewn out of a rock with a shallow channel by which the juice could escape (Judg. 6:11; Neh. 13:15; Job 24:11; Isa. 5:2; Isa. 63:2; Mark 12:1; &c). In Egypt the grapes were also pressed in a bag by its being twisted tighter and tighter.
Symbolically the vine-press is used as a figure of the execution of God’s judgments: the people, as grapes, are placed in the press, and there crushed: “and blood came out of the winepress, even unto horses’ bridles, by the space of 1600 furlongs”—about the extent of Palestine (Rev. 14:19-20; Rev. 19:15).