Luke 5:39

New Century Version

No one after drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, ‘The old wine is better.'"

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
No one who drinks old wine wants new wine. They say, ‘The old wine is just fine.'"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Also no man yt drinketh olde wine strayght waye can awaye with newe for he sayeth ye olde is plesauter.

Hebrew Names Version
No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"

International Standard Version
No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine, for he says, 'The old is excellent!'"[fn]

New American Standard Bible
"And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, 'The old is fine.'"

Update Bible Version
And no man having drank old [wine] desires new; for he says, The old is good.

Webster's Bible Translation
No man also having drank old [wine], immediately desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Amplified Bible
"And no one, after drinking old wine, wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is fine.'"

English Standard Version
And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.'"

World English Bible
No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And no man having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new; for he saith, The old is better.

Weymouth's New Testament
Nor does any one after drinking old wine wish for new; for he says, `The old is better.'"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And no man drynkynge the elde, wole anoon the newe; for he seith, The olde is the betere.

English Revised Version
And no man having drunk old wine desireth new: for he saith, The old is good.

Berean Standard Bible
And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"

Contemporary English Version
No one wants new wine after drinking old wine. They say, "The old wine is better."

American Standard Version
And no man having drunk old wine desireth new; for he saith, The old is good.

Bible in Basic English
And no man, having had old wine, has any desire for new, for he says, The old is better.

Complete Jewish Bible
Besides that, after drinking old wine, people don't want new; because they say, ‘The old is good enough.'"

Darby Translation
And no one having drunk old wine [straightway] wishes for new, for he says, The old is better.

Etheridge Translation
And no man, drinking old wine, immediately asketh new: for he saith, The old is softer.

Murdock Translation
And no one drinketh old wine, and immediately calleth for new; for he saith, The old is the delicious.

King James Version (1611)
No man also hauing drunke olde wine, straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

New Living Translation
But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,' they say."

New Life Bible
No one wants new wine after drinking old wine. He says, ‘The old wine is better.'"

New Revised Standard
And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.'"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Also no man that drinketh olde wine, straightway desireth newe: for he sayth, The olde is more profitable.

George Lamsa Translation
And no man drinks old wine, and immediately wants new wine; for he says, The old is delicious.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
No one, having drunk old, desireth new; for he saith, The old, is, mellow.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And no man drinking old hath presently a mind to new: for he saith: The old is better.

Revised Standard Version
And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
No man also that drinketh olde wyne, strayghtway can awaye with newe: For he sayth, the olde is better.

Good News Translation
And you don't want new wine after drinking old wine. ‘The old is better,' you say."

Christian Standard Bible®
And no one, after drinking old wine, wants new, because he says, ‘The old is better.’”

King James Version
No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Lexham English Bible
And no one after drinking old wine wants new, because he says, ‘The old is just fine!'"

Literal Translation
And no one drinking old wine immediately desires new; for he says, The old is better.

Young's Literal Translation
and no one having drunk old [wine], doth immediately wish new, for he saith, The old is better.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And there is no man that drynketh the olde, and wolde straight waye haue the new, for he sayeth: the olde is pleasaunter.

Mace New Testament (1729)
so no-body that has been drinking old wine, will immediately call for new: for 'tis his maxim, "the old is best."

New English Translation
No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is good enough.'"

New King James Version
39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately [fn] desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.' " [fn]

Simplified Cowboy Version
So you see, nobody wants anything new, they just want to stay in the old ways. You can have the new, but you can't put it in the old way of thinking."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough."'

Legacy Standard Bible
And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.'"

Contextual Overview

²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax collector's booth. Jesus said to him, "Follow me!" ²⁸ So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. ²⁹ Then Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus at his house. Many tax collectors and other people were eating there, too. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the men who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to Jesus' followers, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" ³¹ Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to invite good people but sinners to change their hearts and lives." ³³ They said to Jesus, "John's followers often fast for a certain time and pray, just as the Pharisees do. But your followers eat and drink all the time." ³⁴ Jesus said to them, "You cannot make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is still with them. ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast." ³⁶ Jesus told them this story: "No one takes cloth off a new coat to cover a hole in an old coat. Otherwise, he ruins the new coat, and the cloth from the new coat will not be the same as the old cloth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Jeremiah 6:16, Mark 7:7-13, Romans 4:11, Romans 4:12, Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:2, Hebrews 11:39

Reciprocal: Isaiah 25:6 - of wines

Gill's Notes on the Bible

No man also having drunk old wine,.... "Wine", though not in the text, is rightly supplied by our translators, as it is by the Syriac and Persic versions:

straightway desireth new; new wine: for he saith, the old is better; old wine is more grateful, more generous, and more reviving to the spirits, than new wine is. This is a proverbial expression, and which Luke only records; which may be applied to natural men, who having drunk the old wine of their carnal lusts and pleasures, do not desire the new wine of the Gospel, and of the grace of God, and of spiritual things, but prefer their old sins and lusts unto them: carnal lusts may be signified by old wine, both for the antiquity of them, being as old as men themselves, and therefore called the old man, and for the gratefulness of them to them; and who may be said to drink of them, as they do drink iniquity like water; which is expressive of their great desire and thirst after it, and delight in it: now whilst they are such, they cannot desire the new wine of the Gospel, which is insipid and ungrateful to them; nor the grace of God, to which their carnal minds are enmity; nor any thing that is evangelical and spiritual, at least, not straightway, or immediately; not until they are regenerated by the Spirit of God, and their taste is changed, but will prefer their old lusts and former course of life unto them: or it may be accommodated to legalists, and men of a "pharisaical spirit", to whom spiritual and evangelical things are very disagreeable: Scribes and Pharisees, who have drank of the old wine of the law, and the traditions of the elders, do not desire the new wine of the Gospel, but prefer the former to it: the ceremonial law may be expressed by old wine, being originally instituted of God, and acceptable to him; and one part of which lay in libations of wine, and was of long standing, but now waxen old, and ready to vanish away; and likewise the traditions of the elders, which were highly pleasing to the Pharisees, and which pretended to great antiquity: and of these they might be said to drink, being inured to them from their youth, and therefore could not like the new dispensation of the Gospel, neither its doctrines, nor its ordinances; but preferred their old laws and traditions to them: or rather this proverb, as used by Christ here, may be considered as intimating the reason why the disciples did not give into the practices of the Pharisees, because they had drank of the old wine of the Gospel; which, as upon some account it may be called new, because of the new dispensation, fresh discovery and clearer revelation of it; in other respects it may be said to be old, being what was prepared and ordained before the world began; and what Adam drank of, in the first hint and promise of the Messiah; and after him Noah, the preacher of righteousness; and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom the Gospel was preached before; and even Moses, who wrote and testified of Christ; and David, and Solomon, and Isaiah, and all the prophets of the former dispensation: and now the disciples having more largely drank of it, under the ministry of Christ, could not easily desire the new wine of the fastings and prayers of the Pharisees, and John's disciples; for the old wine of the Gospel was much better in their esteem, more grateful to the taste, more refreshing to their spirits, and more salutary and healthful, being the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Old wine, with the Jews h was wine of three years old, and was always by them preferred to new: so they descant on those words in

Deuteronomy 15:16 "because he is well with thee i, (i.e. the servant,)"

"with thee in food, with thee in drink; for thou shalt not eat bread of fine flour, and he eat bread of bran; or thou drink, יין ישן, "old wine", and he drink, יין הדש, "new wine".''

And sometimes they use this distinction of old and new wine proverbially and parabolically, as here k.

"Rabbi Jose bar Juda, a man of a village in Babylon, used to say, he that learns of young men, to what is he like? to him that eateth unripe grapes, and drinks wine out of the fat: but he; that learns of old men, to what is he like? to him that eats ripe grapes, and drinks, יין ישן, "old wine"''

signifying, that the knowledge of old men is more solid, and mature, and unmixed, and free from dregs of ignorance, than that of young men: though it follows, that

"Ribbi had used to say, do not look upon the tankard, but on what is in it; for sometimes there is a new tankard full of old wine, and an old one in which there is not so much as new in it:''

signifying, that sometimes young men are full of wisdom and knowledge, when old men are entirely devoid of them.

h T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 51. 1. & Gloss. in ib. & Bava Bathra, fol. 98. 1. & Maimon. Hilch. Mecira, c. 17. sect. 6. i T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 22. 1. k Pirke Abot, c. 4. sect. 20.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage illustrated in the notes at Matthew 9:14-17.

Luke 5:39

Having drunk old wine ... - Wine increases its strength and flavor, and its mildness and mellowness, by age, and the old is therefore preferable. They who had tasted such mild and mellow wine would not readily drink the comparatively sour and astringent juice of the grape as it came from the press. The meaning of this proverb in this place seems to be this: You Pharisees wish to draw my disciples to the “austere” and “rigid” duties of the ceremonial law - to fasting and painful rites; but they have come under a milder system. They have tasted the gentle and tender blessings of the gospel; they have no “relish” for your stern and harsh requirements. To insist now on their observing them would be like telling a man who had tasted of good, ripe, and mild wine to partake of that which is sour and unpalatable. At the proper time all the sterner duties of religion will be properly regarded; but “at present,” to teach them to fast when they see “no occasion” for it - when they are full of joy at the presence of their Master - would be like putting a piece of new cloth on an old garment, or new wine into old bottles, or drinking unpleasant wine after one had tasted that which was more pleasant. It would be ill-timed, inappropriate, and incongruous.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 5:39. The old is better. — χρηστοτερος - Is more agreeable to the taste or palate. Herodotus, the scholiast on Aristophanes, and Homer, use the word in this sense. See Raphelius. The old wine, among the rabbins, was the wine of three leaves; that is, wine three years old; because, from the time that the vine had produced that wine, it had put forth its leaves three times. See Lightfoot.

1. THE miraculous draught of fishes - the cleansing of the leper-the healing of the paralytic person - the calling of Levi - and the parable of the old and new bottles, and the old and new wine - all related in this chapter, make it not only very entertaining, but highly instructive. There are few chapters in the New Testament from which a preacher of the Gospel can derive more lessons of instruction; and the reader would naturally expect a more particular explanation of its several parts, had not this been anticipated in the notes and observations on Matthew 9:0, Matthew 9:1ff to which chapter it will be well to refer.

2. The conduct as well as the preaching of our Lord is highly edifying. His manner of teaching made every thing he spoke interesting and impressive. He had many prejudices to remove, and he used admirable address in order to meet and take them out of the way. There is as much to be observed in the manner of speaking the truth, as in the truth itself, in order to make it effectual to the salvation of them who hear it. A harsh, unfeeling method of preaching the promises of the Gospel, and a smiling manner of producing the terrors of the Lord, are equally reprehensible. Some preachers are always severe and magisterial: others are always mild and insinuating: neither of these can do God's work; and it would take two such to make one PREACHER.