Drink-Offering

Drink-Offering (נֶסֶך, ne'sek, or נָסַיך, nasik'; σπονδή, compare σπένδεσθαι, Php 2:17). One form of this consisted, according to the ritual law, of wine (Nu 15:5; Ho 9:4; Sirach 1:15 [17]; compare Curt. 7:8, 18; Pliny, 14:14; Iliad, 1:463; 10:579; Odys. 12:362; on the best sorts of wine for this purpose, see the Mishna, Menach. 8:6 sq.), which, according to Josephus (Ant. 3:9, 4), was poured around the altar (rept (περὶ τὸν βωμόν; i.e., the burnt altar, Ex 30:9), and not, as the Jews understand it (Mishna, Succah, 4:9), in a channel or tube of it. Drink- offerings were commonly joined with meatofferings (Nu 6:15,17; 2Ki 16:13; Joe 1:9,13; Joe 2:14), an addition to the burnt and thank offerings (not the sin and trespass offering), which consisted of quadrupeds (Nu 6:17; Nu 15:5,10; 1Ch 29:21; 2Ch 29:35), and were, like these, presented, sometimes by private persons and sometimes in the name of the people, daily (Ex 29:40; Nu 28:7), on the Sabbath (Nu 28:9), and on feast-days (Nu 28:14; Nu 29:6,16,24), in such proportion that one lamb was reckoned to require one fourth of a bin of wine, one ram a third of a hin, and one bullock a half hin (Nu 15:5 sq.; 28:7, 14). In the (second) Temple liquors were kept ready for drink-offerings (Joseph; War, 10:13, 6), and were dispensed (Mishna, Shekal. 5:1, 3 and 4) by the praefect of libations (עִל הִנּסָכַים). The Israelites frequently devoted drink-offerings also to foreign deities (Isa 57:6; Isa 65:11; Jer 7:18; Jer 19:13; Jer 44:17; Eze 20:28), as throughout antiquity libations of wine were made to heathen gods (see Smith's Dict. of Class. Antiq. s.v. Sacrificium, page 846). On the water-libation at the festival of booths, see TABERNACLES, FEAST OF. Libations of water occur in individual cases even prior to the exile (2Sa 23:16; 1Sa 7:6). On the other hand, Elijah poured water on the altar (1Ki 18:34 sq.) merely to heighten the effect of his miracle in contrast with his idolatrous competitors (Josephus, Ant. 8:13, 5). On the oillibation of Ge 35:14, SEE STONE. Ps 16:6 (but probably not Zec 9:7) appears to contain an allusion to heathenish drink-offerings consisting of wine mingled with blood (vinum assiratum), which, especially when persons bound themselves to a fearful undertaking, it was customary to drink (Sallust, Catil. 22:1; Sil. Ital. 2:426 sq.). SEE OFFERING.