Quick answer
The word winebibber is part of an accusation against Jesus, not a neutral dictionary statement written to praise his habits. That matters a great deal when people use the word to argue that Jesus must have approved intoxicating drinking.
Matthew 11:19 (KJV)
“The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”
Luke 7:34 (KJV)
“The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!”
Why accusation language matters
These lines are reporting what opponents said. Hostile labels should not be converted into settled doctrine. The same enemies also called him gluttonous. No careful reader would take that slander as a moral endorsement.
How this feeds the larger study
This page belongs with Did Jesus make alcohol?, Luke 7:33-34 and eating and drinking, and How is wine defined in the Bible?. The issue is not only what one hostile word sounds like to modern ears, but what the context is actually doing.
Frequently asked questions
Does winebibber prove that Jesus was a drinker of alcohol?
No. The word appears inside a hostile accusation. It should not be treated as a simple, approved biographical label.
Why place this under definitions?
Because many readers first need to know how the term functions in context before they can reason from it responsibly.
Key answers connected to this page
- Wine in the Bible — Read the broad overview of wine in the Bible, Bible wine, and biblical wine language.