The Greek word methýō, represented by G3184, means to drink to intoxication or get drunk. From another form of μέθη, it is used to describe a state of being drunk, made drunk, or having drunk well. It appears 8 times across 7 unique verses, illustrating its use in both literal and powerfully figurative contexts.
In the biblical narrative, G3184 is used to describe several situations. At the wedding in Cana, it is used neutrally to describe the point when guests have well drunk John 2:10. It is also used in a context of accusation and denial, as when the apostles were wrongly accused of being drunken on the day of Pentecost Acts 2:15. The term takes on a negative connotation when describing the unfaithful servant who eats and drinks with the drunken Matthew 24:49 or the disorder at the Corinthian church's supper where one person is hungry and another is drunken 1 Corinthians 11:21. Figuratively, it depicts the inhabitants of the earth being made drunk with the wine of fornication Revelation 17:2 and a woman drunken with the blood of the saints Revelation 17:6.
Several related words expand upon the concepts of intoxication and associated actions:
- G3182 methýskō: a prolonged form of G3184, this word means to intoxicate. It is used in direct commands, such as the instruction to "be not drunk with wine" Ephesians 5:18.
- G4095 pínō: This is the general verb to drink. It is often used in parallel with actions that lead to the state of G3184, such as the unfaithful servant who begins to eat and drink with the drunken Matthew 24:49.
- G4202 porneía: This word for fornication is used to describe the figurative "wine" that causes the inhabitants of the earth to become drunk, linking spiritual idolatry directly to a state of intoxication Revelation 17:2.
The theological weight of G3184 is significant, serving as a powerful metaphor for spiritual conditions.
- A Sign of Worldliness and Neglect: Being drunken is associated with the unfaithful servant who neglects his duties Matthew 24:49 and with disorderly conduct within the church community 1 Corinthians 11:21. It is an act of the "night," contrasted with spiritual watchfulness 1 Thessalonians 5:7.
- Metaphor for Spiritual Deception: In a figurative sense, one can be made drunk by false ideologies and worldly corruption. The inhabitants of the earth are made drunk with the "wine of her fornication," symbolizing a state of delusion and spiritual stupor Revelation 17:2.
- Symbol of Violent Opposition: The term is used to depict a consuming evil, as with the woman in Revelation who is drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs Revelation 17:6. This signifies a system glutted and intoxicated by its own persecution of the faithful.
In summary, G3184 moves beyond a simple definition of intoxication. It describes literal drunkenness as a sign of carnal indulgence and spiritual neglect, but its most profound use is metaphorical. The word powerfully illustrates how the world's systems can stupefy people with idolatry and how evil can become so consumed by its own violence that it is depicted as being drunken with the blood of the righteous. It serves as a stark warning against both physical and spiritual intoxication.
TRV