Isaiah 5:22

The NET Bible®

Those who are champions at drinking wine are as good as dead, who display great courage when mixing strong 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;

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 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 Those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, who pull sin as with cart ropes. ¹⁹ They say, "Let him hurry, let him act quickly, so we can see; let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take shape and come to pass, then we will know it!" ²⁰ Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. ²¹ Those who think they are wise are as good as dead, those who think they possess understanding. ²² Those who are champions at drinking wine are as good as dead, who display great courage when mixing strong drinks. ²³ They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff, they ignore the just cause of the innocent. ²⁴ Therefore, as flaming fire devours straw, and dry grass disintegrates in the flames, so their root will rot, and their flower will blow away like dust. For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies, they have spurned the commands of the Holy One of Israel. ²⁵ So the Lord is furious with his people; he lifts his hand and strikes them. The mountains shake, and corpses lie like manure in the middle of the streets. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again. ²⁶ He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth. Look, they come quickly and swiftly. ²⁷ None tire or stumble, they don't stop to nap or sleep. They don't loosen their belts, or unstrap their sandals to rest.

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
The entire lifetime of Adam was 930 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:6
When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh.

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away.

Genesis 6:9
This is the account of Noah. Noah was a godly man; he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with God.

Genesis 17:1
When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am the sovereign God. Walk before me and be blameless.

Genesis 24:40
He answered, ‘The Lord , before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father's family.

Genesis 48:15
Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,

Exodus 16:4
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them. Will they walk in my law or not?

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

Deuteronomy 5:33
Walk just as he has commanded you so that you may live, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land you are going to possess.

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."