John 2:10 and said, "Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!"

◄ John 2:10 ►

New International Version
and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

New Living Translation
“A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

English Standard Version
and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Berean Standard Bible
and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!”

Berean Literal Bible
and he says to him, "Every man first sets out the good wine, and when they might have drunk freely, the inferior; you have kept the good wine until now."

King James Bible
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

New King James Version
And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

New American Standard Bible
and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

NASB 1995
and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

NASB 1977
and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now.”

Legacy Standard Bible
and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then the inferior wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Amplified Bible
and said to him, “Everyone else serves his best wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now.”

Christian Standard Bible
and told him, “Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and told him, “Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people have drunk freely, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.”

American Standard Version
and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Contemporary English Version
and said, "The best wine is always served first. Then after the guests have had plenty, the other wine is served. But you have kept the best until last!"

English Revised Version
and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
and said to him, "Everyone serves the best wine first. When people are drunk, the host serves cheap wine. But you have saved the best wine for now."

Good News Translation
and said to him, "Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now!"

International Standard Version
and told him, "Everyone serves the best wine first, and the cheap kind when people are drunk. But you have kept the best wine until now!"

Majority Standard Bible
and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!”

NET Bible
and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!"

New Heart English Bible
and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now."

Webster's Bible Translation
And saith to him, Every man at the beginning presenteth good wine; and when men have well drank, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Weymouth New Testament
and said to him, "It is usual to put on the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then that which is inferior. But you have kept the good wine till now."

World English Bible
and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and says to him, “Every man, at first, sets forth the good wine; and when they may have drunk freely, then the inferior; you kept the good wine until now.”

Berean Literal Bible
and he says to him, "Every man first sets out the good wine, and when they might have drunk freely, the inferior; you have kept the good wine until now."

Young's Literal Translation
and saith to him, 'Every man, at first, the good wine doth set forth; and when they may have drunk freely, then the inferior; thou didst keep the good wine till now.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And says to him, Every man sets good wine first; and when they be intoxicated, then inferior: thou hast kept the good wine till now.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And saith to him: Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Catholic Public Domain Version
and he said to him: “Every man offers the good wine first, and then, when they have become inebriated, he offers what is worse. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

New American Bible
and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

New Revised Standard Version
and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And said to him, Every man at first brings the best wine; and when they have drunk, then that which is weak; but you have kept the best wine until now.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he said to him: “Every man first calls for the good wine, and when they are drunk, then that which is inferior, but you have kept the good wine until now.”

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
Every man sets out the good wine first, and when they have drunk freely, then that which is inferior; but you have kept the good wine till now.

Godbey New Testament
and says to him, Every man first sets forth the good wine; and when they have drunk freely, the inferior: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Haweis New Testament
and saith to him, Every man at first produces the good wine; and after men have drunk plentifully, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept back the good wine until now.

Mace New Testament
and said to him, 'tis usual to present the best wine first, and afterwards the worse, when the guests have drank pretty freely: but you have reserved the best wine to the last.

Weymouth New Testament
and said to him, "It is usual to put on the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then that which is inferior. But you have kept the good wine till now."

Worrell New Testament
and says to him, "Every man sets on the good wine first; and, when they become drunken, the worse. You have kept the good wine until now!"

Worsley New Testament
and saith unto him, Every man sets out good wine at first, and when they have drank plentifully, then that which is worse; but thou hast keep the good wine till now.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Wedding at Cana
…9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!” 11Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:29
The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

John 4:46
So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.

John 6:35
Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” / He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 15:11
I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

Matthew 9:17
Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Matthew 22:2
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

Luke 5:39
And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

Luke 22:18
For I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”

Revelation 19:7-9
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. / She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints. / Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Isaiah 25:6
On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine.

Psalm 104:15
wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

Proverbs 9:1-5
Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars. / She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. / She has sent out her maidservants; she calls out from the heights of the city. ...

Song of Solomon 1:2
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is more delightful than wine.

Treasury of Scripture

And said to him, Every man at the beginning does set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but you have kept the good wine until now.

and when.

Genesis 43:34
And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Song of Solomon 5:1
I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

but.

Psalm 104:15
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

Proverbs 9:1-6,16-18
Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: …

Luke 16:25
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

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John 2

1. Jesus turns water into wine;
12. departs into Capernaum,
13. and to Jerusalem,
14. where he purges the temple of buyers and sellers.
18. He foretells his death and resurrection.
23. Many believe because of his miracles, but he will not trust himself with them.

Berean Study Bible

Everyone serves the fine wine first
In the cultural context of ancient Jewish weddings, it was customary to serve the best wine at the beginning of the feast. The Greek word for "fine" here is "kalos," which implies not only quality but also beauty and goodness. This practice reflects a broader human tendency to present the best initially, aligning with the social norms of hospitality and honor. Theologically, this phrase can be seen as a metaphor for the old covenant, which was good and beautiful but was only a precursor to something greater.

and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk
The phrase "cheap wine" translates from the Greek "elasson," meaning lesser or inferior. This reflects a pragmatic approach to hospitality, where the diminishing discernment of the guests allows for a reduction in quality. Spiritually, this can symbolize the insufficiency of human efforts and the law to bring about true fulfillment and joy, highlighting the need for divine intervention.

But you have saved the fine wine until now
The word "saved" comes from the Greek "tēreō," meaning to keep or preserve. This action of saving the best for last is countercultural and unexpected, symbolizing the new covenant brought by Christ. Theologically, it represents the superior quality of the new life and joy found in Jesus, surpassing the old ways. The "fine wine" here is a metaphor for the grace and truth that Jesus brings, which is far superior to the old covenant. This act of saving the best for last is a demonstration of God's abundant grace and the fulfillment of His promises in Christ.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) When men have well drunk.--The same Greek word is used in the LXX. in Genesis 43:34, and rendered in the Authorised version "were merry;" but its general use in the Old Testament, as in classical writers, and its invariable use in the New Testament (Matthew 24:49; Acts 2:15; 1Corinthians 11:21; Ephesians 5:18; 1Thessalonians 5:7; Revelation 17:6, are the only passages) is to express the state of drunkenness. Our translators have shrunk from that rendering here, though it was before them in the "When men be dronke," of Tyndall and Cranmer. The physical meaning of the word is to saturate with moisture, as we say, to be drenched, which is the same word as drunk. There is clearly no reference to the present feast. It is a coarse jest of the ruler's, the sort of remark that forms part of the stock in trade of a hired manager of banquets. . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - And saith, Every man at the first setteth on the good wine, and when men have drunk deeply, then that which is worse (literally, smaller): thou hast kept (guarded) the good wine until now. The classical passages supposed to illustrate this jovial saying throw little light upon it. The meaning is obvious enough, and there is no need to search in ancient wit for the original of a speech which is not too recondite to have been originated on this occasion. The best wine is appropriately given when the seneca are keenest, but when the climax of the festival has come, when they have drunk too deeply, or are intoxicated, then the weaker, poorer, and less fragrant wine is acceptable. There need be no reference whatever to the present company. Tholuck and the Revised Version modify the force of μεθυσθῶσι; Meyer, Godet, and others see no difficulty in assigning to the word its proper meaning (cf. Luke 12:45; 1 Thessalonians 5:7; Ephesians 5:18; Revelation 17:2). The whole saying simply asserts, by an outsider, the concrete reality of a wonderful change that had occurred. He knew nothing of a miracle. He merely guaranteed unwittingly the phenomena that came within the range of his senses. This becomes more impressive because he knew nothing of the cause, and was profoundly ignorant of the claims of his strange and wonderful Guest. No further remark is offered. We are not told how the fact was referred to the will or authority of Jesus, to the kindness or generosity of the mother; or whether the company generally learned the mysterious powers of their fellow Guest. The bridegroom thus honoured made no reply that is recorded; and, by emphatic silence, the impression is conveyed that this manifestation of the power of the Lord was not, in his opinion, the coming of his "hour." Strange reticence is observed, but this is added -

Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

said,
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

“Everyone
Πᾶς (Pas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

serves
τίθησιν (tithēsin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5087: To put, place, lay, set, fix, establish. A prolonged form of a primary theo to place.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fine
καλὸν (kalon)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2570: Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.

wine
οἶνον (oinon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3631: Wine. A primary word (yayin); 'wine'.

first,
πρῶτον (prōton)
Adverb - Superlative
Strong's 4412: First, in the first place, before, formerly. Neuter of protos as adverb; firstly.

and then
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

cheap [wine]
ἐλάσσω (elassō)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular - Comparative
Strong's 1640: Less, smaller; poorer, inferior. Or elatton el-at-tone'; comparative of the same as elachistos; smaller.

after
ὅταν (hotan)
Conjunction
Strong's 3752: When, whenever. From hote and an; whenever; also causatively inasmuch as.

[the guests] are drunk.
μεθυσθῶσιν (methysthōsin)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3184: To be intoxicated with wine, be drunk. From another form of methe; to drink to intoxication, i.e. Get drunk.

[But] you
σὺ (sy)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

have saved
τετήρηκας (tetērēkas)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 5083: From teros; to guard, i.e. To note; by implication, to detain; by extension, to withhold; by extension, to withhold.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fine
καλὸν (kalon)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2570: Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.

wine
οἶνον (oinon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3631: Wine. A primary word (yayin); 'wine'.

until
ἕως (heōs)
Preposition
Strong's 2193: A conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until.

now!”
ἄρτι (arti)
Adverb
Strong's 737: Now, just now, at this moment. Adverb from a derivative of airo through the idea of suspension; just now.

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NT Gospels: John 2:10 And said to him Everyone serves (Jhn Jo Jn)