Isaiah 5:22

New Century Version

How terrible it will be for people who are famous for drinking wine and are champions at 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,

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;

Easy-to-Read Version
They are famous for drinking wine and are heroes known for mixing drinks.

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 How terrible it will be for those people! They pull their guilt and sins behind them as people pull wagons with ropes. ¹⁹ They say, "Let God hurry; let him do his work soon so we may see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon so that we will know what it is." ²⁰ How terrible it will be for people who call good things bad and bad things good, who think darkness is light and light is darkness, who think sour is sweet and sweet is sour. ²¹ How terrible it will be for people who think they are wise and believe they are clever. ²² How terrible it will be for people who are famous for drinking wine and are champions at mixing drinks. ²³ They take money to set the guilty free and don't allow good people to be judged fairly. ²⁴ They will be destroyed just as fire burns straw or dry grass. They will be destroyed like a plant whose roots rot and whose flower dies and blows away like dust. They have refused to obey the teachings of the Lord All-Powerful and have hated the message from the Holy God of Israel. ²⁵ So the Lord has become very angry with his people, and he has raised his hand to punish them. Even the mountains are frightened. Dead bodies lie in the streets like garbage. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people. ²⁶ He raises a banner for the nations far away. He whistles to call those people from the ends of the earth. Look! The enemy comes quickly! ²⁷ Not one of them becomes tired or falls down. Not one of them gets sleepy and falls asleep. Their weapons are close at hand, and their sandal straps are not broken.

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, and then he died.

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

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked with God; one day Enoch could not be found, because God took him.

Genesis 6:9
This is the family history of Noah. Noah was a good man, the most innocent man of his time, and he walked with God.

Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right.

Genesis 24:40
But he said, ‘I serve the Lord , who will send his angel with you and will help you. You will get a wife for my son from my family and my father's people.

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

Exodus 16:4
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will cause food to fall like rain from the sky for all of you. Every day the people must go out and gather what they need for that day. I want to see if the people will do what I teach them.

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

Deuteronomy 5:33
Live the way the Lord your God has commanded you so that you may live and have what is good and have a long life in the land you will take.

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."