The meal of bread and wine offered by Melchizedek is the first of its kind recorded in the Bible. It may seem like a simple offering, but the inclusion of wine indicates something special about this meal. Bread and water are the typical elements for physical sustenance in the Bible, but wine suggests that there is a celebratory aspect to this occasion and possibly points to the fact that it was a type of covenant meal.

We are not given any details about how Abraham (then still called Abram) and Melchizedek drank the wine, but this bronze wine set gives us some insight into the ancient process of decanting, filtering, and drinking. Wine was typically stored in amphora, or large clay pots. It was often given time to rest on the lees. The sediment of the dead yeast cells would remain in the wine until it was ready to be served and thus would need filtering out.

The set contains a small, simple, well-crafted pitcher used for pouring. A king may have owned something more ornate made of gold or silver, but bronze shows a certain measure of wealth. Those with lesser means would have used utensils made of clay. The wine would be poured through the filtering basket into the bowl beneath. The basket was covered with a piece of cloth to strain out the dregs. In both Egypt and Assyria, filter funnels and filtering bowls were utilized for serving and decanting wine. Similar vessels, called kraters and rhyta, have been found throughout Palestine. These were horn-shaped containers often in the form of an animal and were used for drinking (Scarlata 2025: 92).

Melchizedek’s hospitality is the first of many biblical stories where wine, feasting, and celebration represent the presence of God’s blessing. The centrality of blessing to this episode, in association with wine, is summed up in the priest-king’s prayer to God Most High, the one who creates heaven and earth and the fruit of the vine.