Original Word: מַמְסָךְ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mamcak
Pronunciation: mim-sak'
Phonetic Spelling: (mam-sawk')
KJV: drink-offering, mixed wine
NASB: mixed wine
Word Origin: [from H4537 (מָסַך - mixed)]

1. mixture, i.e. (specifically) wine mixed (with water or spices)

drink-offering, mixed wine

From macak; mixture, i.e. (specifically) wine mixed (with water or spices) -- drink-offering, mixed wine.

see HEBREW macak

Word Origin
from masak
Definition
a mixed drink
NASB Translation
mixed wine (2).

מִמְסָךְ noun masculine mixed drink (see מָסָךְ); — מִמְסָ֑ךְ Proverbs 23:30 mixed (wine), as beverage; Isaiah 65:11 libation to Menî.

מָסָךְ, [מסֻכָה] see סכך.

I. מַסֵּכָה see I. נסך.

II. מַסֵּכָה, [מַסֶּ֫כֶת] see II. נסך.

Concept of Mixed Wine

The term מַמְסָךְ denotes wine intentionally blended with spices, water, or sweeteners—sometimes to refine flavor, often to amplify potency. In biblical thought such mixing can symbolize either festal abundance (Proverbs 9:2, using a related root) or a deliberate act of excess that dulls discernment (Proverbs 23:31–32). Because wine was ordinarily diluted, a “mixture” that heightens strength became a fitting image for moral or spiritual compromise.

Key Old Testament Occurrences

• Proverbs 23:29–30 portrays the drink as a lure toward addiction and sorrow: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? … Those who linger over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine”. The context warns that seeking intensified pleasure undermines vigilance, leading to ruin.
• Isaiah 65:11 indicts apostate Israel for transferring covenant devotion to foreign deities: “But you who forsake the LORD, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny…”. Here the mixture forms part of an idolatrous liturgy, contrasting sharply with sacrificial worship prescribed by the Law.

Cultural and Historical Background

In the ancient Near East, strong wine was frequently cut with water for daily use. To “mix” wine, therefore, was not merely preparation but a purposeful adjustment—either tempering or intensifying. Banquet hosts often spiced wine with myrrh, pomegranate, or pepper; kings stored special blends for lavish feasts (compare Esther 1:7). Pagan cults adopted similar practices, dedicating choice mixtures to personified Fate or Fortune. Isaiah’s rebuke implies that Israelites imported such rites, erecting tables (altars) and filling libation bowls to placate astral powers known in Akkadian and Arabian religion.

Theological Significance

1. Moral Alertness versus Self-Indulgence

Mixed wine serves as a literary device illustrating how pleasure pursued for its own sake blurs moral sight lines. The progression in Proverbs—from attraction, to hypnosis, to eventual bite—parallels the New Testament call to sobriety (1 Peter 5:8).

2. Covenant Fidelity versus Syncretism

Isaiah contrasts the worship of Fortune with the service of the LORD. The act of mixing wine for foreign gods reveals a divided heart, evoking the prophets’ frequent accusation of spiritual adultery (Jeremiah 2:13). Thus מַמְסָךְ becomes an emblem of double-mindedness that invites judgment yet also underscores the Lord’s jealous love.

3. Foreshadowing the Cup Motif

Scripture repeatedly sets two cups before humanity: the cup of blessing (Psalm 23:5; 1 Corinthians 10:16) and the cup of wrath (Jeremiah 25:15). The idolatrous mixture in Isaiah 65 anticipates the latter, while the wisdom warning in Proverbs invites repentance and reception of the former through faith in the ultimate Cup-Bearer, Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:27–28).

Lessons for Ministry and Discipleship

• Guard the senses: Modern believers must cultivate disciplined habits, recognizing that substance abuse or any pursuit of intensified sensation can erode discernment and testimony.
• Reject syncretism: Cultural accommodations—whether secular or religious—that blend incompatible loyalties threaten wholehearted devotion to Christ.
• Model true hospitality: Churches and families should offer gatherings where the “better wine” of the gospel eclipses counterfeit pleasures.

Related Biblical Themes

Drunkenness and soberness (Isaiah 28:7; Ephesians 5:18)

False worship and the jealousy of God (Exodus 34:14)

Libations and offerings (Numbers 28:7)

The two ways—life and death (Deuteronomy 30:19; Galatians 6:8)

מִמְסָֽךְ׃ ממסך׃ mim·sāḵ mimsāḵ miSachInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts