Original Word: עָסִיס
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `aciyc
Pronunciation: ah-SEES
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-sees')
KJV: juice, new (sweet) wine
NASB: sweet wine, juice
Word Origin: [from H6072 (עָסַס - tread down)]

1. must or fresh grape-juice (as just trodden out)

juice, new sweet wine

From acac; must or fresh grape-juice (as just trodden out) -- juice, new (sweet) wine.

see HEBREW acac

Word Origin
from asas
Definition
sweet wine
NASB Translation
juice (1), sweet wine (4).

עָסִיס noun masculine^{Joel 1:5} sweet wine (properly pressed out juice); — absolute ׳ע Amos 9:13 (see Dr and references), Joel 1:5; Joel 4:18; in simile Isaiah 49:26; construct עֲסִיס רִמֹּנִי Songs 8:2.

Occurrences and Literary Settings

עָסִיס appears five times, each in poetry or prophetic oracle, carrying vivid connotations of freshly pressed, richly flavored wine or fruit-juice:

• Song of Songs 8:2 — the beloved offers “the juice of my pomegranates.”
• Isaiah 49:26 — hostile nations will “become drunk on their own blood as with sweet wine.”
• Joel 1:5 — intoxicated Judah is told to wail because “the sweet wine has been cut off.”
• Joel 3:18 — in restoration, “the mountains will drip with sweet wine.”
• Amos 9:13 — a parallel promise: “the mountains will drip with sweet wine and all the hills will flow with it.”

The distribution—three times in promises of blessing, once in love poetry, and once in judgment—invites theological reflection on abundance, intimacy, and divine justice.

Agricultural and Cultural Background

In ancient Israel the pressing of grapes began in late summer. The first, most fragrant flow was prized for immediate consumption and festive offerings (compare Numbers 18:12). עָסִיס evokes that initial gush—unfermented or only beginning to ferment—celebrated in village wine-presses (Judges 9:27). Its freshness distinguished it from fully aged יַיִן and from תִּירוֹשׁ (“new wine”) still in vat. Because the earliest yield belonged to God (Exodus 22:29), עָסִיס naturally became a symbol of covenant favor.

Symbolism in Wisdom and Prophetic Literature

1. Sensual Delight (Song of Songs 8:2)

The bride’s offer of pomegranate nectar portrays marital intimacy blessed by God. The image assumes that true romantic pleasure flourishes within covenant fidelity, a theme echoed in Proverbs 5:18–19.

2. Moral Reversal (Isaiah 49:26)

The same word, now repurposed, intensifies judgment: oppressors will reel on their own blood “as with sweet wine.” The sweetness of stolen power curdles into horrific recompense. Justice is presented as measure-for-measure, underscoring the moral fabric of creation.

3. Covenant Discipline (Joel 1:5)

Locust devastation removes the fresh wine from Judah’s lips, exposing the emptiness of self-indulgence. The pairing of drunkards and the loss of עָסִיס calls hearers to sober repentance, preparing the way for the outpouring of the Spirit promised in Joel 2:28–32.

4. Eschatological Plenty (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13)

In the climactic visions of both prophets, mountains literally “drip” with sweet wine, reversing the earlier deprivation. Agricultural hyperbole announces a new Eden where curse is lifted (compare Genesis 3:17–19 with Revelation 22:1–5). Abundance is holistic: wine, milk, and water flow together, picturing complete restoration of creation and worship.

Messianic and Redemptive Threads

While עָסִיס itself is confined to the Old Testament, the imagery anticipates Gospel themes:

• Jesus’ first sign turned water into superior wine “until now you have kept the good wine” (John 2:10), signaling messianic fulfillment of Amos 9:13.
• At the Last Supper He identified the cup with “My blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28), linking the joyful wine of promise with the costly outpouring of redemption foretold in Isaiah 49:26.
• Pentecost reversed the accusation of drunkenness with “new wine” (Acts 2:13) by the true influx of the Spirit promised by Joel.

Thus עָסִיס threads together anticipation, judgment, and consummation, finding its ultimate expression in the sacrificial and resurrected Christ.

Pastoral and Homiletical Implications

1. God both grants and withholds abundance to draw His people’s hearts. Seasons of loss (Joel 1) are not contradictions of divine goodness but calls to renewed allegiance.
2. True intimacy—whether marital or ecclesial—thrives when offered under the banner of covenant love (Song of Songs 8).
3. The final vision of overflowing hills encourages perseverance amid present droughts; the believer’s hope rests on God’s pledged future, not on fluctuating circumstances.
4. Preachers may contrast counterfeit intoxication with the “sweet wine” of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), urging congregations to seek satisfaction in Christ instead of temporary thrills.

Liturgical Echoes

Jewish tradition read Song of Songs at Passover and Amos during the yearly cycle, keeping the language of עָסִיס before worshipers as they awaited redemption. Christian communion, likewise, rehearses the promise of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb when “the mountains will drip with sweet wine” in unending fellowship.

Summary

עָסִיס, the freshly pressed sweetness of the vine, serves Scripture as a versatile emblem: of love’s delight, of divine recompense, of disciplined scarcity, and of eschatological overflow. Each occurrence sharpens the conviction that every good gift, and the withholding of it, flows from the same righteous, redeeming hand.

וְכֶעָסִ֖יס וכעסיס מֵעֲסִ֖יס מעסיס עָסִ֔יס עָסִ֕יס עָסִ֗יס עסיס ‘ā·sîs ‘āsîs aSis mê‘ăsîs mê·‘ă·sîs meaSis vecheaSis wə·ḵe·‘ā·sîs wəḵe‘āsîsInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts