they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus refused the offered drink not just to endure pain, but to remain fully present and conscious for the Father's will. The "gall" or "myrrh" was intended to stupefy, to blunt his senses, but by tasting and refusing, Jesus declared his intention to meet every agonizing moment with clear awareness, fully embracing the cup his Father had given him.
they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As Jesus is led to the cross, the soldiers prepare a drink for him, a mixture of sour wine and a bitter substance, likely intended as a stupefying agent to lessen his pain. Though some scholars suggest it was a compassionate act by onlookers based on custom, Jesus tastes the mixture and refuses to drink. This refusal highlights his determination to fully experience the suffering the Father has ordained for him, without any artificial dulling of his senses.
Why would they offer Jesus a drink before the cross, and what was in it?
The texts suggest this drink, described as vinegar mingled with gall (or myrrh), was a common custom.
A Customary Offering
It was often given to condemned criminals before crucifixion. The goal was to act as a stupefying draught, meant to ease their suffering or dull their senses so they wouldn't feel the pain as intensely. Some scholars believe this act, though harsh in its context, was viewed by some as an act of mercy by certain compassionate individuals in Jerusalem.
Understanding the Ingredients
While Matthew calls it 'vinegar mingled with gall,' Mark refers to 'wine mingled with myrrh.' These might seem like contradictions, but many scholars suggest they refer to the same thing. 'Vinegar' (or sour wine) was a common drink, and 'gall' or 'myrrh' represented a bitter substance. The key was the bitter, possibly narcotic, quality intended to numb the pain.
Jesus tasted the drink but refused it. Why would He reject something that might lessen His pain?
Jesus' refusal of the stupefying potion was a profound statement of His mission and determination.
A Choice to Suffer Fully
He didn't want His senses dulled or His mind clouded. Jesus chose to face the full, unmitigated agony of the cross with His mind and body completely aware. This wasn't about masochism; it was about fully embracing the Father's will and the immense suffering required for atonement.
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Embracing the Father's Cup
By refusing the potion, Jesus declared His intention to drink the 'cup' the Father had given Him – a cup filled with the full measure of divine wrath and human sin. He would not shy away from any part of the suffering necessary for our salvation. His conscious endurance underscores the depth of His love and the completeness of His sacrifice.
Understand the original words
oinos · Greek Noun
The fermented juice of grapes, used in biblical times as a common beverage, often associated with joy, judgment, or, as here, a medicinal or numbing agent offered to those undergoing execution.
cholē · Greek Noun
A bitter-tasting substance (often linked to wormwood or myrrh) added to drink, biblically associated with bitterness, sorrow, or judgment; here used to potentially numb the senses before crucifixion.
The custom of offering a drugged drink to the condemned highlights the contrast between human attempts to numb suffering and Jesus' intentional embrace of His Father's will, choosing to experience the full weight of the atonement without artificial relief.
c. 30-33 AD— this verse
Jesus' Crucifixion
Jesus is arrested, tried, and sentenced to crucifixion under the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
c. 30-33 AD
Offer of a Drugged Drink
It was customary to offer condemned criminals a drugged drink, often wine mixed with myrrh or other bitter substances, to dull their pain. This custom is reflected in Proverbs 31:6.
c. 30-33 AD
Jesus Refuses the Drink
Jesus tastes the offered mixture, identified by Matthew as vinegar mixed with gall, but refuses to drink it, desiring to endure the full experience of suffering.
c. 30-33 AD
Soldiers Offer Vinegar
Later, while Jesus is on the cross, soldiers offer him ordinary sour wine (vinegar) on a sponge, which he accepts.
This verse directly parallels the offering of a bitter drink to the suffering one, stating, 'They gave me bitterness in my food and vinegar for my thirst.' This passage is likely what Matthew is alluding to, showing Jesus fulfilling ancient prophecy even in His suffering.
Proverbs 31:6'Let the afflicted drink and forget their poverty; let them not remember their suffering.' This proverb describes the custom of giving a strong, potentially inebriating drink to those facing death, which aligns with the soldiers' intent in offering the mixture to Jesus.
John 19:30This passage records Jesus saying, 'When Jesus had received the drink, he said, 'It is finished.' Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.' This shows a later, different offering of drink (plain vinegar, not drugged) which Jesus accepted, signifying His willingness to complete His suffering.
Isaiah 53:12The prophecy states, '...he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.' Jesus' refusal to take the stupefying drink underscores His resolve to fully bear the sins and suffering of humanity, rather than diminish it.
vincentMatthew 27:34: "They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink."
Wine (οἶνον)The older texts read ὄξος, vinegar. The compound of wine and gall was intended as a stupefying draught.
clarkeMatthew 27:34: "They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink."
They gave him vinegar - mingled with gall - Perhaps χολη, commonly translated gall, signifies no more than bitters of any kind. It was a common custom to administer a stupefying potion compounded of sour wine, which is the same as vinegar, from the French vinaigre, frankincense, and myrrh, to condemned persons, to help to alleviate their sufferings, or so disturb their intellec…
Jesus refused the offered drink not just to endure pain, but to remain fully present and conscious for the Father's will. The "gall" or "myrrh" was intended to stupefy, to blunt his senses, but by tasting and refusing, Jesus declared his intention to meet every agonizing moment with clear awareness, fully embracing the cup his Father had given him.
As Jesus is led to the cross, the soldiers prepare a drink for him, a mixture of sour wine and a bitter substance, likely intended as a stupefying agent to lessen his pain. Though some scholars suggest it was a compassionate act by onlookers based on custom, Jesus tastes the mixture and refuses to drink. This refusal highlights his determination to fully experience the suffering the Father has ordained for him, without any artificial dulling of his senses.
As Jesus is led to the cross, the soldiers prepare a drink for him, a mixture of sour wine and a bitter substance, likely intended as a stupefying agent to lessen his pain. Though some scholars suggest it was a compassionate act by onlookers based on custom, Jesus tastes the mixture and refuses to drink. This refusal highlights his determination to fully experience the suffering the Father has ordained for him, without any artificial dulling of his senses.
"they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it." — Jesus refused the offered drink not just to endure pain, but to remain fully present and conscious for the Father's will. The "gall" or "myrrh" was intended to stupefy, to blunt his senses, but by ta…
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Last reviewed October 2026