οἰνοφλυγία

oinophlygía

G3632 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

habitual indulgence in wine, intoxication; refers specifically to a state or practice of drunkenness, especially from wine. The term emphasizes not merely single acts but an ongoing or habitual tendency toward overconsumption of wine, leading to inebriation or loss of self-control. In certain contexts, the word can also embody the negative social or moral consequences associated with such behavior.

Semantic Range

overindulgence in wine, habitual drunkenness (of wine), intemperate wine-drinking, excess of wine, wine-induced debauchery

Root / Etymology

Compound of οἶνος ('wine') and a form related to φλύω ('to overflow', 'to bubble up'), ultimately from the root φλύω, suggesting an overflowing or excessive quality. Etymology points to the idea of wine in excess or abundance leading to outpouring (i.e., drunken excess).

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word οἰνοφλυγία is rare in Greek, with its primary attestation in the New Testament (1 Peter 4:3). In classical Greek, related forms (e.g., οἰνοφλυγέω, οἰνοφλύγος) appear to describe those addicted to wine or marked by intemperate drinking. The term is more specific than the general word for drunkenness (μέθη) and focuses on wine as the agent and the excessiveness or habitual nature. In Hellenistic and Roman-era contexts, wine consumption was common, but habitual overindulgence had strong negative connotations, linked with moral censure and disrepute. English translations often render the word as 'drunkenness,' 'excess of wine,' or 'debauchery,' but these may understate the habitual and wine-specific focus. In the Septuagint, parallel Hebrew concepts for habitual drunkenness (e.g., סָבָא, sabaʾ) are generally translated differently, making οἰνοφλυγία distinctively Greek and rare in biblical literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from οἶνος and a form of the base of φλύαρος; an overflow (or surplus) of wine, i.e. vinolency (drunkenness):--excess of wine.

Root Family

οἰνοφλυγία (oinophlygía) — wine, overflow, excess

Root οἰνοφλυγ- wine, overflow, excess

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3632-01 οἰνοφλυγίαις oinophlugiais N DAT F PL drunkenness to habitual wine-excesses habitual wine-excesses 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3632-01 1 Peter 4:3 οἰνοφλυγίαις oinophlugiais N DAT F PL drunkenness to habitual wine-excesses habitual wine-excesses