Original Word: ληνός
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: lenos
Pronunciation: lay-NOS
Phonetic Spelling: (lay-nos')
KJV: winepress
Word Origin: [apparently a primary word]

1. a trough, i.e. wine-vat

winepress.

Apparently a primary word; a trough, i.e. Wine-vat -- winepress.

STRONGS NT 3025: ληνός

ληνός, ληνοῦ, ἡ (also ὁ, Genesis 30:38, 41 (cf. below)) (Theocritus, Diodorus, others);

1. a tubor trough-shaped receptacle, vat, in which grapes are trodden (A. V. wine-press) (Hebrew גַּת): Revelation 14:20; Revelation 19:15; τήν ληνόν ... τόν μέγαν (for R Tr marginal reading τήν μεγάλην), Revelation 14:19 — a variation in gender which (though not rare in Hebrew, see Gesenius, Lehrgeb., p. 717) can hardly be matched in Greek writings; cf. Winers Grammar, 526 (490) and his Exeget. Studd. i., p. 153f; Buttmann, 81 (71).

2. equivalent to ὑπολήνιον (Isaiah 16:10; Mark 12:1) or προλήνιον (Isaiah 5:2), Hebrew יֶקֶב, the lower vat, dug in the ground, into which the must or new wine flowed from the press: Matthew 21:33. Cf. Winers RWB, under the word Kelter; Roskoff in Schenkel 3:513; (BB. DD. under the word ).

Symbolism and Imagery

The winepress evokes a vivid picture familiar throughout the biblical world: ripe grapes gathered, crushed underfoot, their juice flowing into a lower vat. Scripture employs this agricultural scene in two principal ways—first, as a sign of careful investment and anticipated fruitfulness; second, as a graphic metaphor for divine judgment.

New Testament Occurrences

• Matthew 21:33 places the winepress at the heart of the Parable of the Vineyard: “He planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower”. The lēnos underscores the owner’s substantial provision. Israel, having received every spiritual advantage, is expected to yield fruit; the tenants’ violence exposes their failure and foreshadows the kingdom’s transfer to a people who will produce its fruits (Matthew 21:43).
• Revelation 14:19–20 and 19:15 pivot from fruitfulness to retribution: “He threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath” (14:19); “He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (19:15). Here lēnos becomes the place where the ungodly are trodden, their life-blood poured out like grape juice. The same term appears in the immediate context twice more (14:20), intensifying the vision.

Background in Ancient Viticulture

Galilean and Judean hillsides still reveal rock-hewn presses: an upper treading floor feeding a lower collecting vat. Families and hired laborers stomped grapes barefoot, singing harvest songs. The press symbolized abundance, community, and the climactic moment of the growing season. This cultural backdrop sharpens both Jesus’ parable (the owner’s costly preparation) and John’s apocalypse (the crushing power of judgment).

Prophetic Roots

Old Testament prophets laid the foundation: Isaiah 63:2-3 pictures the LORD “treading the winepress alone”; Joel 3:13 summons the nations, “For the press is full.” These passages echo through Revelation, binding Testaments together in a single eschatological thread. The winepress, once linked with Canaan’s blessings (Numbers 18:27), is turned against persistent rebellion.

Christological Significance

Revelation 19 portrays Messiah Himself “treading” the press. The One who first shed His own blood (Matthew 26:28) now sheds the blood of His foes. The imagery holds together the seemingly disparate themes of atonement and judgment: refusal of His poured-out wine at Calvary results in being poured out under His feet at the consummation.

Pastoral and Ministry Application

1. Accountability: The Parable of the Vineyard warns congregations and leaders that stewardship without fruit invites removal.
2. Assurance: Believers oppressed by evil regimes find hope that every injustice will be pressed out before the King.
3. Urgency: The looming winepress of wrath fuels evangelism; now is the season to bear fruit worthy of repentance (Luke 3:8).
4. Worship: The vintage songs of the saints celebrate both harvest joy (Psalm 4:7) and righteous judgment (Revelation 15:3-4).

Related Old Testament Parallels

• Genesis 49:11—Judah’s “garments in the blood of grapes,” a messianic foreglow.
• Judges 6:11—Gideon threshes wheat in a winepress, a snapshot of Israel’s oppression and deliverance.
• Proverbs 3:10—“Your vats will brim over with new wine” for those who honor the LORD. These passages enrich the New Testament’s use of lēnos, showing continuity in God’s dealings with His people.

Eschatological Perspective

The final harvest has both grain (Revelation 14:14–16) and grapes (14:17–20). Grain is gathered; grapes are crushed. Humanity is thus divided between those incorporated into God’s barn and those consigned to His press. History moves inexorably toward this bifurcation, underscoring the weight of present choices.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 3025, lēnos, spans the spectrum from joyous provision to stark judgment. It invites hearers to respond to the Owner’s lavish preparation, submit to the Son, and anticipate the day when every cluster is gathered—either for new wine in the kingdom or for the winepress of the wrath of God.

ληνοί ληνοίς ληνον ληνόν ληνὸν ληνος ληνός ληνὸς ληνου ληνού ληνοῦ ληνούς ληνώ ληνών lenon lenòn lēnon lēnòn lenos lenòs lēnos lēnòs lenou lenoû lēnou lēnoûInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts