Bible Dictionaries

Holman Bible Dictionary

Bottle

Word used often in the KJV to translate several Hebrew and Greek words. Modern versions often translate these words as “skin” or “wineskin.” Although glass and glass bottles were known in ancient times, ancient “bottles” were almost always made of animal skins since they were easier to carry than earthenware vessels. In Psalm 33:7 many modern scholars and translators emend the Hebrew text by adding an unhyprohynounced Hebrew letter (aleph) to read “bottle” or “jars” (NIV, NRSV), but the traditional reading “heap” following the Hebrew text finds support in the parallel statement of Exodus 15:8 .