Luke 5:37 Meaning and Explanation
“And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →No one puts new wine into old wineskins; the new wine would burst them, spilling the wine and destroying the skins.
What Does Luke 5:37 Mean?
The 'bottles' of the King James English are wineskins — leather vessels that stretched as young wine fermented. An old skin, already stretched stiff and brittle, has no give left; fill it with new wine and the fermentation will split it, losing wine and skin together in one ruin.
The new wine of the kingdom is alive — expanding, working, impossible to contain in vessels hardened into their final shape. The point is not contempt for the old but honesty about the new: what Christ pours into a life will stretch it. He gives new wine and renews the vessel to hold it; forms rigidly guarding themselves against his work cannot carry a living gift.
Luke 5:37 in the Original Language
askos (ἀσκός), 'bottles' -- a wineskin; a flexible leather bag for storing wine.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 5:37
What does Luke 5:37 mean?
No one puts new wine into old wineskins; the new wine would burst them, spilling the wine and destroying the skins.