In this mid-series episode of Genesis Marks the Spot, Carey takes a step between the Cup of Joy and the Cup of Wrath—into the vineyard itself. With the help of Mark Scarlata’s Wine, Soil, and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, we explore how the land, the vine, and the embodied experience of cultivation shape biblical theology.

From Genesis to Leviticus, from midrash to metaphor, we trace the deep roots of wine as both blessing and judgment. Why is God’s wrath described as a cup? Why is the soil cursed? Why does pruning produce better fruit? And how does wine connect us to presence, patience, and promise?

Topics include:

Wine as a metaphor of presence, covenant, and complexity
Frame semantics and why metaphors aren’t just symbols
The soil as sacred, enmeshed with humanity and justice
Noah, the vineyard, and post-flood theology
Sacred time, agrarian calendars, and forbidden fruit

Listen in to understand how the ground beneath the cups tells the story—and why wrath cannot be fully understood without joy.

Website: genesismarksthespot.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan
Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/
Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan

Between the Vines: Soil, Symbol, and the Cups of Consequence - Episode 125