Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
Parallel translations
- WEB Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;
- KJV Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
- BSB Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,
- NASB Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,
- NLT What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold.
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
A woe falls on those who pride themselves as champions at drinking and mixing strong drink. It mocks a society that boasts in indulgence rather than righteousness.
Overview
Calling drunkards 'mighty' and 'champions' bitterly satirizes a culture that celebrates what should shame it. This excess is not merely personal vice but, as the next verse shows, fuels the corruption of justice. The woe ties self-indulgence to the perversion of the courts.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Isa 5:11Woe 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!
- Hab 2:15“Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring your inflaming wine until they are drunk, so that you may gaze at their naked bodies!
- Isa 28:7They also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment.
- Isa 56:12“Come,” say they, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”
- Prov 23:19–20Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path!
- Isa 28:1–3Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 5:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.