No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
Parallel translations
- WEB No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
- BSB And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
- NKJV And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
- NASB And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’ ”
- NLT But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus notes that those used to old wine resist the new. People comfortable with the familiar are slow to embrace his newness.
Overview
This realistic observation acknowledges human reluctance to change: those accustomed to 'old wine' prefer it and dismiss the new. It explains the resistance Jesus meets from the religiously settled. The verse gently warns against complacency that prefers familiar tradition over the fresh work of God in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Heb 11:39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
- Jer 6:16Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
- Mark 7:7–13Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
- Rom 4:11–12And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
- Heb 11:1–2Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 5:39 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.