Bible Strands
Jeremiah 35:6
“We do not drink wine,” they replied, “for our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, ‘Neither you nor your descendants are ever to drink wine.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The men of the Rechabite clan answer Jeremiah’s direct command to drink from the pitchers he has placed before them. They speak to the prophet at the exact moment he tests their adherence to ancestral instructions.
The words — לֹא נִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן (lo nishteh yayin) translates literally as “we will not drink wine.” The causal conjunction כִּי (ki) immediately grounds their refusal in the binding decree of Jonadab son of Rechab.
The thread — This ancestral command originates with Jonadab, whose lineage and historical role appear in 2 Kings 10:15 and 1 Chronicles 2:55. The absolute prohibition against wine parallels the vow described in Luke 1:15.
Why it lands — The text records a direct refusal to consume wine based solely on a permanent ancestral prohibition, regardless of the prophet’s invitation. A reader must confront whether inherited restrictions function as non-negotiable boundaries or flexible traditions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 10:15 When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” “It is!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot,
- 1 Chronicles 2:55 and the clans of the scribes who lived at Jabez—the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
- Luke 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
- Leviticus 10:9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
- Judges 13:7 But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”
- Judges 13:14 She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
- Genesis 25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.
- Genesis 36:7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together; the land where they stayed could not support them because of their livestock.
- Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Leviticus 23:42 You are to dwell in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths,