Isaiah 5:22

Easy-to-Read Version

They are famous for drinking wine and are heroes known for mixing drinks.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,who are champions at pouring beer,

Hebrew Names Version
Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

King James Version
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

English Standard Version
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,

New American Standard Bible
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,

New Century Version
How terrible it will be for people who are famous for drinking wine and are champions at mixing drinks.

Amplified Bible
Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are heroes at drinking wine And men of strength in mixing intoxicating drinks,

World English Bible
Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wo vnto them that are mightie to drinke wine, and to them that are strong to powre in strong drinke:

Legacy Standard Bible
Woe to those who are mighty men in drinking wineAnd valiant men in mixing strong drink,

Berean Standard Bible
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and champions in mixing beer,

Contemporary English Version
And you are great at drinking and mixing drinks. But you are in for trouble.

Complete Jewish Bible
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, men whose power goes to mixing strong drinks,

Darby Translation
Woe unto them that are mighty for drinking wine, and men valiant to mix strong drink;

George Lamsa Translation
Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and strong men who mix strong drink;

Good News Translation
You are doomed! Heroes of the wine bottle! Brave and fearless when it comes to mixing drinks!

Lexham English Bible
Ah! Heroes at drinking wine, and men of capability at mixing strong drink!

Literal Translation
Woe to those mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mix fermented drink;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wo vnto them, yt are connynge men to suppe out wyne, and experte to set vp drokenesse.

American Standard Version
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

Bible in Basic English
Cursed are those who are strong to take wine, and great in making mixed drinks!

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

King James Version (1611)
Woe vnto them that are mightie to drinke wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drinke.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wo be vnto them that are strong to suppe out wine, and expert men to set vp drunkennesse.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Woe to the strong ones of you that drink wine, and the mighty ones that mingle strong drink:

English Revised Version
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Wo to you that ben myyti to drynke wyn, and ben stronge to meddle drunkenesse;

Update Bible Version
Woe to those that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

Webster's Bible Translation
Woe to [them that are] mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

New English Translation
Those who are champions at drinking wine are as good as dead, who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.

New King James Version
Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,

New Living Translation
What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold.

New Life Bible
It is bad for those who are good at drinking wine, and are proud as they mix strong drink!

New Revised Standard
Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant at mixing drink,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Alas for them Who are heroes to drink wine, - And men of valour to mingle strong drink,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and stout men at drunkenness.

Revised Standard Version
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,

Young's Literal Translation
Wo [to] the mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink,

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ Look at those people! They pull their guilt and sins behind them like people pulling wagons with ropes. ¹⁹ They say, "We wish God would hurry and do what he plans to do so that we can see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon so that we can know what it is." ²⁰ Look at those people! They say good is bad and bad is good. They think light is dark and dark is light. They think sour is sweet and sweet is sour. ²¹ They think they are so smart. They think they are very intelligent. ²² They are famous for drinking wine and are heroes known for mixing drinks. ²³ And if you pay them enough money, they will forgive a criminal. But they will not let good people be judged fairly. ²⁴ So bad things will happen to them. Their descendants will be destroyed completely, just as fire burns straw and leaves. Their descendants will be like plants with rotten roots, whose flowers have all blown away like dust in the wind. Those people refused to obey the teachings of the Lord All-Powerful. They hated the message from the Holy One of Israel. ²⁵ So the Lord became angry with his people, and he raised his hand to punish them. Even the mountains shook with fear. Dead bodies were left in the streets like garbage. And he is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing his people. ²⁶ Look! God is giving a sign to the nations far away. He is raising a flag and whistling for them to come. Now the enemy is coming from a faraway land and will soon enter the country. They are moving very quickly. ²⁷ The enemy soldiers never get tired and stumble. They never get sleepy and fall asleep. Their weapon belts are always ready. Their sandal straps never break.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

mighty: Isaiah 5:11, Isaiah 28:1-3, Isaiah 28:7, Proverbs 23:19, Proverbs 23:20, Habakkuk 2:15

Reciprocal: Psalms 75:8 - it is full Proverbs 23:29 - Who hath woe Isaiah 56:12 - I will Hosea 7:5 - made Amos 2:6 - because Habakkuk 2:5 - he transgresseth Ephesians 5:18 - be not

Cross-References

Genesis 5:5
So Adam lived a total of 930 years; then he died.

Genesis 5:6
After Seth was 105 years old, he had a son named Enosh.

Genesis 5:24
One day Enoch was walking with God, and he disappeared. God took him.

Genesis 6:9
This is the history of Noah's family. He was a good man all his life, and he always followed God.

Genesis 17:1
When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said, "I am God All-Powerful. Obey me and live the right way.

Genesis 24:40
But my master said to me, ‘I serve the Lord , and he will send his angel with you and help you. You will find a wife for my son among my people there.

Genesis 48:15
And Israel blessed Joseph and said, "My ancestors, Abraham and Isaac, worshiped our God, and that God has led me all my life.

Exodus 16:4
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will cause food to fall from the sky. This food will be for you to eat. Every day the people should go out and gather the food they need that day. I will do this to see if they will do what I tell them.

Leviticus 26:12
I will walk with you and be your God. And you will be my people.

Deuteronomy 5:33
You must live the way the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will continue to live, and everything will be fine with you. You will live a long life in the land that will belong to you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Woe unto [them that are] mighty to drink wine,.... That can bear a great deal, and not be overcome and intoxicated with it; that try their strength this way with others, and get the mastery and glory in it: not mighty to fight their enemies, as Kimchi observes, and defend their country, but to drink wine; by which their strength was weakened: wherefore some think soldiers are particularly designed, given to drinking, who are derided and mocked, as being valiant in the warfare of Bacchus, and not of Mars:

and men of strength, to mingle strong drink; in the cup, and then drink it: or "men of war"; the same with "mighty" before. The Targum interprets it, "men of riches": who can afford to drink wine and strong drink; which carries the sense not to the strength of their bodies, but of their purses: the former sense seems best. The Scribes and Pharisees loved the cup and the platter, and to be at feasts, and to have the uppermost seats there, Matthew 23:6 and that those that sat in Moses's chair are intended appears from the following words.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wo unto them that are mighty ... - This is the sixth specification of crime. He had already denounced the intemperate in Isaiah 5:11. But probably this was a prevailing sin. Perhaps there was no evidence of reform; and it was needful to “repeat” the admonition, in order that people might be brought to regard it. The prophet repeats a similar denunciation in Isaiah 56:12.

Mighty - Perhaps those who prided themselves on their ability to drink “much” without becoming intoxicated; who had been so accustomed to it, that they defied its effects, and boasted of their power to resist its usual influence. A similar idea is expressed in Isaiah 56:12.

Men of strength - The Chaldee understands this of “rich” men; but, probably, the reference is to those who boasted that they were able to bear “much” strong drink.

To mingle - To mix wine with spices, dates, drugs, etc., to make it more intoxicating; Proverbs 9:2, Proverbs 9:5. They boasted that they were able to drink, without injury, liquor of extraordinary intoxicating qualities.

Strong drink - Note, Isaiah 5:11. On the subject of the strong drink used in the East, “see Harmer’s Observations,” vol. ii. pp. 140-148. Ed. Lond. 1808.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 5:22. Mighty to drink wine — "They show not," says Kimchi, "their strength in combating their enemies, but in drunkenness and debauchery."