SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:39
Y ninguno que bebiere del aejo, quiere luego el nuevo; porque dice: El aejo es mejor.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Luke 5:39
Verse 39. The old is better.] crhstoterov-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 Matt. 9, 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.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 39. No man also having drunk old wine , etc.] 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 f248 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 f249 , (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, y yy , old wine, and he drink, dh yy , new wine.
And sometimes they use this distinction of old and new wine proverbially and parabolically, as here f250 . 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, y yy , 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 27-39 - It was a wonder of Christ's grace, that he would call a publican to be his disciple and follower. It was a wonder of his grace, that the cal was made so effectual. It was a wonder of his grace, that he came to call sinners to repentance, and to assure them of pardon. It was wonder of his grace, that he so patiently bore the contradiction of sinners against himself and his disciples. It was a wonder of his grace, that he fixed the services of his disciples according to their strength and standing. The Lord trains up his people gradually for the trials allotted them; we should copy his example in dealing with the weak in faith, or the tempted believer __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ουδεις 3762 A-NSM πιων 4095 5631 V-2AAP-NSM παλαιον 3820 A-ASM ευθεως 2112 ADV θελει 2309 5719 V-PAI-3S νεον 3501 A-ASM λεγει 3004 5719 V-PAI-3S γαρ 1063 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM παλαιος 3820 A-NSM χρηστοτερος 5543 A-NSM-C εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
39. Better (crhstoterov). The best texts read crhstov, good. See on Matt. xi. 30.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:39 {The old is good} (ho palaios crestos estin). So the best MSS. rather that crestoteros, comparative (better). Westcott and Hort wrongly bracket the whole verse, though occurring in Aleph, B C L and most of the old documents. It is absent in D and some of the old Latin MSS. It is the philosophy of the obscurantist, that is here pictured by Christ. "The prejudiced person will not even try the new, or admit that it has any merits. He knows that the old is pleasant, and suits him; and that is enough; he is not going to change" (Plummer). this is Christ's picture of the reactionary Pharisees.
