【葡萄树—耶路撒冷美地展览馆】【Grapevine – Kokia House Visitors Center, Jerusalem】

Deuteronomy 8:8 “A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey.”
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

The grapevine is one of seven sacred species in Israel. In the Bible, vines typify the Christ who sacrificed Himself to produce wine to cheer God and man. Jesus likened Himself to the true vine, with his disciples as its branches (John 15:1-6). The Israelis highly value vines. Grapevines and wine are mentioned many times in the Bible.

Grapes are high in nutrients and contain many vitamins. The grapes in the land of Israel are often known for their large size. The Book of Numbers records that, before the Israelis entered the land of Canaan, Moses sent spies to bring back local produce, including a bunch of grapes that required two people to carry. Today, this pattern has also become a symbol of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and tourism-related industries.

申命記8:8 『那地有小麥、大麥、葡萄樹、無花果樹、石榴樹；那地有出油的橄欖樹，有蜜。』
約翰福音15:5 『我是葡萄樹，你們是枝子；住在我裡面的，我也住在他裡面，這人就多結果子；因為離了我，你們就不能作甚麼。』

葡萄樹是以色列七種神聖作物之一。在聖經裡，葡萄樹豫表基督獻上自己為祭，以產生酒，使神和人喜樂。耶穌把自己比作真葡萄樹，門徒則是其上的枝子（約十五1-6）。以色列人十分尊崇葡萄樹，聖經中多次提到葡萄，而且葡萄釀酒歷史悠久，當地發掘出來的許多舊酒醡也證實了這點。