Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. A haughty man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can’t be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all peoples.
Parallel translations
- KJV Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
- BSB and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.
- NKJV “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.
- NASB “Furthermore, wine betrays an arrogant man, So that he does not achieve his objective. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all the nations And collects to himself all the peoples.
- NLT Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The proud, treacherous oppressor is as insatiable as death and the grave, never satisfied as he gathers all nations to himself. It exposes the boundless, self-destructive greed of the arrogant.
Overview
Wine and arrogance are linked to a restless ambition that, like Sheol, can never be filled. The picture is of Babylon's unquenchable appetite to conquer and accumulate peoples without limit. Such limitless greed is morally ruinous and sets up the series of woes that follow, where God pronounces judgment on every form of grasping pride and violence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 28
- Isa 5:11–12Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; who stay late into the night, until wine inflames them!
- Prov 27:20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; and a man’s eyes are never satisfied.
- Prov 20:1Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
- Prov 31:4–5It is not for kings, Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’
- Ps 138:6For though Yahweh is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but the proud, he knows from afar.
- 2 Kgs 14:10You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, even you, and Judah with you?’”
- Isa 21:5They prepare the table. They set the watch. They eat. They drink. Rise up, you princes, oil the shield!
- Isa 5:22–23Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;
- Isa 10:7–13However he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.
- Isa 2:11–12The lofty looks of man will be brought low, the haughtiness of men will be bowed down, and Yahweh alone will be exalted in that day.
- Isa 16:6We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; even of his arrogance, his pride, and his wrath. His boastings are nothing.
- Isa 14:16–17Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;
- Isa 2:17The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and Yahweh alone shall be exalted in that day.
- Isa 5:8Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the middle of the land!
- Eccl 5:10He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.
- Dan 5:1–4Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
- Prov 23:29–33Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
- Prov 30:13–16There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.
- Jer 51:39When they are heated, I will make their feast, and I will make them drunk, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake up,” says Yahweh.
- Hab 2:8–10Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you, because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it.
- Jer 50:29“Call together the archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. Encamp against her all around. Let none of it escape. Recompense her according to her work. According to all that she has done, do to her; for she has been proud against Yahweh, against the Holy One of Israel.
- Hab 2:4Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith.
- 1 Th 4:11and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you;
- Jas 4:6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Jer 25:9behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” says Yahweh, “and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations around. I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
- Jer 25:17–29Then took I the cup at Yahweh’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, to whom Yahweh had sent me:
- Dan 5:20–23But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
- Nah 1:9–10What do you plot against Yahweh? He will make a full end. Affliction won’t rise up the second time.
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