Abstract This study presents a comprehensive lexical-semantic, philological, and comparative analysis of the Hebrew noun יַיִן (yayin) in the Old Testament, with particular focus on the long-debated question of whether the term denotes fermented wine exclusively or may also include unfermented grape juice. Through contextual exegesis, comparative Semitic linguistics, and the examination of ancient translations, the research investigates the semantic range and historical development of the term within Biblical Hebrew and the wider Northwest Semitic linguistic environment. Special attention is devoted to the etymology of yayin and its cognates in Akkadian (īnu), Ugaritic (yn), and related Semitic traditions, demonstrating the antiquity and semantic continuity of the lexeme across the ancient Near East. The study further analyzes the relationship between yayin and other Hebrew terms connected with grape-derived beverages, particularly תִּירוֹשׁ (tîrôš) and שֵׁכָר (šēkār), in order to clarify the internal lexical distinctions of Biblical Hebrew. The article examines positive, neutral, and negative contexts of the usage of yayin throughout narrative, legal, poetic, wisdom, and prophetic literature. Particular emphasis is placed upon passages associated with intoxication, cultic practice, festivity, hospitality, covenantal symbolism, and moral critique. The study additionally evaluates the testimony of the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and other early translation traditions, whose consistent rendering of yayin by Greek οἶνος (oinos) and Latin vinum provides important evidence for the ancient understanding of the term. The findings indicate that the noun יַיִן (yayin) belongs to a stable and well-defined lexical stratum within Biblical Hebrew and the Semitic languages, consistently denoting wine as a fermented grape product. The research argues that attempts to reinterpret the dominant biblical meaning of the term as unfermented grape juice encounter substantial philological, contextual, comparative, and historical difficulties. More broadly, the study contributes to contemporary discussions in Biblical philology, Hebrew linguistics, Semitic studies, and the history of religion by demonstrating the importance of contextual and comparative methodology in the interpretation of ancient lexical systems. Keywords יַיִן (yayin); Biblical Hebrew; Old Testament; Hebrew linguistics; Semitic philology; wine in the Bible; lexical semantics; comparative Semitic linguistics; Septuagint; Vulgate; Akkadian; Ugaritic; Biblical lexicography; ancient wine culture; Hebrew Bible studies; philology; Semitic languages; tîrôš; šēkār; Biblical exegesis.
Željko Stanojević (Thu,) studied this question.