In fact, the term “intoxicating liquor” could also refer to beer. The Hebrew word translated “intoxicating liquor” is related to an Akkadian word that can refer to the common barley beer of Mesopotamia. That beverage was low in alcohol but potentially intoxicating if drunk in excess. (Proverbs 20:1) Clay models of breweries and paintings of brewers have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. In Babylon, beer was an everyday drink both in palaces and in the homes of the poor. The Philistines enjoyed a similar brew. Throughout Palestine, archaeologists have found jugs equipped with strainer spouts. Those vessels strained the beer, preventing drinkers from swallowing husks of the barley from which it was brewed.

[Picture on page 23]

Wooden Egyptian model of beer bottles

[Credit Line]

Erich Lessing/​Art Resource, NY