"strong drink; drunkenness, Lk. 21:34; an indulgence in drinking, Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21*"
Definition and meaning
strong drink; drunkenness, Lk. 21:34; an indulgence in drinking, Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21*
In the original Greek the word is written: μέθη
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of methe (G3178) across the King James Bible.
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Common questions
Strong's G3178 (methe) is a Greek word that means: strong drink; drunkenness, Lk. 21:34; an indulgence in drinking, Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21* It appears 3 times in the King James Bible.
The word methe (G3178) appears 3 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3178 is methe, a Greek word defined as: strong drink; drunkenness, Lk. 21:34; an indulgence in drinking, Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
methe is a Greek word found in the New Testament.