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These are said to be 'trodden,' which signifies that the grapes were placed in a receptacle, and were trodden on by the feet, a pipe conveying the juice into a vessel at the side. Places have been found which apparently were used for this purpose: they are hewn out of a rock with a shallow channel by which the juice could escape. Judges 6: 11; Neh. 13: 15; Job 24: 11; Isa. 5: 2; Isa. 63: 2; Mark 12: 1; etc.
In Egypt the grapes were also pressed in a bag by its being twisted tighter and tighter.
Symbolically the wine-press is used as a figure of the execution of God's judgements: the people, as grapes, are placed in the press, and there crushed: "and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horses' bridles, by the space of 1600 furlongs" (about the extent of
Palestine) Rev. 14: 19, 20; Rev. 19: 15.