SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:17
Ni echan vino nuevo en odres viejos; de otra manera los odres se rompen, y el vino se derrama, y se pierden los odres; mas echan el vino nuevo en odres nuevos, y lo uno y lo otro se conserva juntamente.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 9:17
Verse 17. New wine into old bottles] It is still the custom, in the eastern countries, to make their bottles of goat skins: if these happened to be old, and new wine were put into them, the violence of the fermentation must necessarily burst them; and therefore newly made bottles were employed for the purpose of putting that wine in which had not yet gone through its state of fermentation. The institutes of Christ, and those of the Pharisees, could never be brought to accord: an attempt to combine the two systems would be as absurd as it would be destructive. The old covenant made way for the new, which was its completion and its end; but with that old covenant the new cannot be incorporated. Christian prudence requires that the weak, and newly converted, should be managed with care and tenderness. To impose such duties and mortifications as are not absolutely necessary to salvation, before God has properly prepared the heart by his grace for them, is a conduct as absurd and ruinous as putting a piece of raw, unscoured cloth on an old garment; it is, in a word, requiring the person to do the work of a man, while as yet he is but a little child. Preachers of the Gospel, and especially those who are instruments in God's hand of many conversions, have need of much heavenly wisdom, that they may know to watch over, guide, and advise those who are brought to a sense of their sin and danger. How many auspicious beginnings have been ruined by men's proceeding too hastily, endeavouring to make their own designs take place, and to have the honour of that success themselves which is due only to God.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 17. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles , etc.] As in the former parable, our Lord exposes the folly of the Scribes and Pharisees, in their zealous attachment to the traditions of the elders; so in this, he gives a reason why he did not call these persons by his Gospel, who were settled upon the old principle of self-righteousness, but sinners, whom he renews by his Spirit and grace: for by old bottles are meant, the Scribes and Pharisees. The allusion is to bottles, made of the skins of beasts, which in time decayed, waxed old, and became unfit for use: such were the wine bottles, old and rent, the Gibeonites brought with them, and showed to Joshua, ( Joshua 9:4,13) and to which the Psalmist compares himself, ( <19B983> Psalm 119:83) and which the Misnic doctors call twtmj , and their commentators say, were rw[ l tdwn , bottles made of skin, or leather, and so might be rent. Of the use of new and old bottles, take the following hint out of the Talmud f572 . The bottles of the Gentiles, if scraped and ydj , new, they are free for use; if yny , old, they are forbidden.
Now the Scribes and Pharisees may be signified by these old bottles, being natural men, no other than as they were born; having never been regenerated, and renewed in the spirit of their minds; in whom the old man was predominant, were mere formal professors of religion, and selfrighteous persons: and by new wine is meant, either the love and favour of God compared to wine, that is neat and clean, because free from hypocrisy in him, or motives in the creature; to generous wine, for its cheering and reviving effects; and to new wine, not but that it is very ancient, even from everlasting, but, because newly manifested, in the effectual calling and conversion: or the Gospel is signified by wine, for its purity, good flavour, and pleasant taste; for its generous effects, in reviving drooping spirits, refreshing weary persons, and comforting distressed minds; and by new wine, not that it is a new doctrine, an upstart notion, for it is an ancient Gospel, but because newly and more clearly revealed by Christ and his apostles: or the blessings of grace which spring from the love of God, and are manifested in the Gospel, such as pardon of sin, reconciliation and atonement, justifying and sanctifying grace, spiritual joy and peace, and the like. Now as the new wine is not put into old bottles, else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish : so the love of God, the Gospel of the grace of God, and the blessings of it, are not received and retained, nor can they be, by natural men, by selfrighteous persons: they do not suit and agree with their old carnal hearts and principles; they slight and reject them, and let them run out, which proves their greater condemnation. But they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved . By new bottles are meant sinners, whom Christ calls by his grace, and the Spirit regenerates and renews, who are made new creatures in Christ; who have new hearts, and new spirits, and new principles of light, life, love, faith, and holiness, implanted in them; who have new eyes to see with, new ears to hear with, new feet to walk with, to and in Christ, new hands to work and handle with, and who live a new life and conversation. Now to such as these, the love of God is manifested and shed abroad in their hearts; by these, the Gospel of Christ is truly received and valued, and these enjoy the spiritual blessings of it; and so both the doctrine of the Gospel, and the grace of God, are preserved entire, and these persons saved in the day of Christ.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-17 - John was at this time in prison; his circumstances, his character, an the nature of the message he was sent to deliver, led those who wer peculiarly attached to him, to keep frequent fasts. Christ referre them to John's testimony of him, Joh 3:29. Though there is no doub that Jesus and his disciples lived in a spare and frugal manner, it would be improper for his disciples to fast while they had the comfor of his presence. When he is with them, all is well. The presence of the sun makes day, and its absence produces night. Our Lord furthe reminded them of common rules of prudence. It was not usual to take piece of rough woolen cloth, which had never been prepared, to join to an old garment, for it would not join well with the soft, old garment but would tear it further, and the rent would be made worse. Nor woul men put new wine into old leathern bottles, which were going to decay and would be liable to burst from the fermenting of the wine; but putting the new wine into strong, new, skin bottles, both would be preserved. Great caution and prudence are necessary, that youn converts may not receive gloomy and forbidding ideas of the service of our Lord; but duties are to be urged as they are able to bear them.
Greek Textus Receptus
ουδε 3761 ADV βαλλουσιν 906 5719 V-PAI-3P οινον 3631 N-ASM νεον 3501 A-ASM εις 1519 PREP ασκους 779 N-APM παλαιους 3820 A-APM ει 1487 COND δε 1161 CONJ μηγε 3361 PRT-N ρηγνυνται 4486 5743 V-PPI-3P οι 3588 T-NPM ασκοι 779 N-NPM και 2532 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM οινος 3631 N-NSM εκχειται 1632 5743 V-PPI-3S και 2532 CONJ οι 3588 T-NPM ασκοι 779 N-NPM απολουνται 622 5698 V-FMI-3P αλλα 235 CONJ βαλλουσιν 906 5719 V-PAI-3P οινον 3631 N-ASM νεον 3501 A-ASM εις 1519 PREP ασκους 779 N-APM καινους 2537 A-APM και 2532 CONJ αμφοτερα 297 A-APN συντηρουνται 4933 5743 V-PPI-3P
Vincent's NT Word Studies
17. Bottles (askouv). Rev., rightly, wine-skins, though our word bottle originally carried the true meaning, being a bottle of leather. In Spanish, bota means leather bottle, a boot, and a butt. In Spain wine is still brought to market in pig-skins. In the East, goat-skins are commonly used, with the rough side inward. When old, they break under the fermentation of the wine.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
9:17 {Old wineskins} (askous palaious). Not glass "{bottles}" but wineskins used as bottles as is true in Palestine yet, goatskins with the rough part inside. "Our word _bottle_ originally carried the true meaning, being a bottle of leather. In Spanish _bota_ means a _leather bottle_, a _boot_, and a _butt_. In Spain wine is still brought to market in pig-skins " (Vincent). The new wine will ferment and crack the dried-up old skins. {The wine is spilled} (ekceitai), poured out.
