"vinegar; a wine of sharp flavor, posca, which was an ordinary beverage, and was often mixed with bitter herbs, etc., and this given to the condemned criminals in order to stupefy them, and lessen their sufferings, Mt. 27:48; Mk. 15:36; Lk. 23:36; Jn. 19:29, 30"
Definition and meaning
vinegar; a wine of sharp flavor, posca, which was an ordinary beverage, and was often mixed with bitter herbs, etc., and this given to the condemned criminals in order to stupefy them, and lessen their sufferings, Mt. 27:48; Mk. 15:36; Lk. 23:36; Jn. 19:29, 30
In the original Greek the word is written: ὄξος
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
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 oxos (G3690) across the King James Bible.
They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
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Common questions
Strong's G3690 (oxos) is a Greek word that means: vinegar; a wine of sharp flavor, posca, which was an ordinary beverage, and was often mixed with bitter herbs, etc., and this given to the condemned criminals in order to stupefy them, and lessen thei... It appears 6 times in the King James Bible.
The word oxos (G3690) appears 6 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3690 is oxos, a Greek word defined as: vinegar; a wine of sharp flavor, posca, which was an ordinary beverage, and was often mixed with bitter herbs, etc., and this given to the condemned c. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
oxos is a Greek word found in the New Testament.