Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, April 29th, 2025
the Second Week after Easter
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

King James Version

Isaiah 28:7

But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Drunkenness;   Isaiah;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Minister, Christian;   Wine;   Thompson Chain Reference - Drink, Strong;   Intemperance;   Social Duties;   Temperance;   Temperance-Intemperance;   Wine;   The Topic Concordance - Drunkenness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Priests;   Prophets, False;   Wine;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Drunkenness;   Wine;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Grapes;   Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Disease;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Sychar;   Wine;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Meals;   Prophet;   Sychar;   Wine;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Drink;   Drunkenness;   Isaiah;   Samaria, Samaritans;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Government;   High Place, Sanctuary;   Isaiah, Book of;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Untoward;   Wine and Strong Drink;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Wine ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Vagabond;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Wine;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Swallow;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Drink, Strong;   Drunkenness;   Err;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Priest;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Even these stagger because of wineand stumble under the influence of beer:priest and prophet stagger because of beer,they are confused by wine.They stumble because of beer,they are muddled in their visions,they stumble in their judgments.
Hebrew Names Version
Even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the Kohen and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
English Standard Version
These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment.
New American Standard Bible
And these also reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink: The priest and the prophet reel with intoxicating drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from intoxicating drink; They reel while having visions, They stagger when rendering a verdict.
New Century Version
But now those leaders are drunk with wine; they stumble from drinking too much beer. The priests and prophets are drunk with beer and are filled with wine. They stumble from too much beer. The prophets are drunk when they see their visions; the judges stumble when they make their decisions.
Amplified Bible
But even these reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink; They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while seeing visions, They stagger when pronouncing judgment.
World English Bible
Even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But they haue erred because of wine, and are out of the way by strong drinke: the priest and the prophet haue erred by strong drinke: they are swallowed vp with wine: they haue gone astraye through strong drinke: they faile in vision: they stumble in iudgement.
Legacy Standard Bible
And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink:The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink;They are swallowed up by wine, they stagger from strong drink;They reel while having visions;They totter when rendering a verdict.
Berean Standard Bible
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.
Contemporary English Version
Priests and prophets stumble because they are drunk. Their minds are too confused to receive God's messages or give honest decisions.
Complete Jewish Bible
But there are others reeling from wine, staggering about because of strong liquor; cohen and prophet reel from strong liquor, they are confused by wine. Led astray by strong liquor, they err in their visions and stumble when judging.
Darby Translation
But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are they gone astray. The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they are overpowered by wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they have erred in vision, they have stumbled [in] judgment.
Easy-to-Read Version
But now those leaders are drunk. The priests and prophets are all drunk with wine and beer. They stumble and fall down. The prophets are drunk when they see their dreams. The judges are drunk when they make their decisions.
George Lamsa Translation
But these also have erred with wine, and with strong drink are gone astray; the priests and the prophets have erred with strong drink, they are overcome with wine, they stagger with strong drink, they err in judgment with drunkenness, they eat immoderately.
Good News Translation
Even the prophets and the priests are so drunk that they stagger. They have drunk so much wine and liquor that they stumble in confusion. The prophets are too drunk to understand the visions that God sends, and the priests are too drunk to decide the cases that are brought to them.
Lexham English Bible
And these also stagger because of wine and stagger because of strong drink; priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink; they are confused because of wine. They stagger because of strong drink; they err in vision. They stagger in the rendering of a decision,
Literal Translation
But they also have gone astray by wine, and have erred through fermented drink; priest and prophet have erred through fermented drink; they have been swallowed by wine; they strayed from fermented drink; they err in vision; they stumble in judgment;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But they go wronge by ye reason of wyne, they fall and stacker because of stroge drynke. Yee eue the prestes and prophetes them selues go amisse, they are dronken with wyne, and weake braned thorow stronge drynke. They erre in seinge, and in iudgmet they fayle.
American Standard Version
And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
Bible in Basic English
And further, these are uncertain through wine, and have gone out of the right way through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are uncertain through strong drink, they are overcome by wine, they have gone out of the way through strong drink; their vision is false, they go wrong in their decisions.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But these also reel through wine, and stagger through strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel through strong drink, they are confused because of wine, they stagger because of strong drink; they reel in vision, they totter in judgment.
King James Version (1611)
But they also haue erred through wine, and through strong drinke are out of the way: the priest and the prophet haue erred through strong drinke, they are swallowed vp of wine: they are out of the way through strong drinke, they erre in vision, they stumble in iudgement.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But they are out of the way by reason of wine, yea farre out of the way are they thorowe strong drinke: The priest also and the prophete are gone astray by the meanes of strong drinke, they are drunken with wine, they go amisse thorowe strong drinke, they fayle in propheciyng, and stumble in iudgement.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For these have trespassed through wine; they have erred through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are mad through strong drink, they are swallowed up by reason of wine, they have staggered through drunkenness; they have erred: this is their vision.
English Revised Version
But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are gone astray; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But also thei knewen not for wyn, and erriden for drunkenesse; the preest and profete knewen not for drunkenesse; thei weren sopun up of wyn, thei erriden in drunkenesse; thei knewen not a profete, thei knewen not doom.
Update Bible Version
And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
Webster's Bible Translation
But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are overwhelmed with wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble [in] judgment.
New English Translation
Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer— priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine, they stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, they totter while making legal decisions.
New King James Version
But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
New Living Translation
Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions.
New Life Bible
These also walk from one side to the other side because of wine and strong drink. The religious leaders and the men who tell what will happen in the future make mistakes because of strong drink. They are troubled by wine. They walk from side to side because of strong drink. They make mistakes as they have special dreams. And they make mistakes when judging between right and wrong.
New Revised Standard
These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are confused with wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in giving judgment.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But as for these, With wine, do they reel, and With strong drink, do they stagger, - Priest and prophet, reel with strong drink They are swallowed up through wine They stagger through strong drink, They reel in prophetic vision, They totter in pronouncing judgment.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But these also have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness have erred: the priest and the prophet have been ignorant through drunkenness, they are swallowed up with wine, they have gone astray in drunkenness, they have not known him that seeth, they have been ignorant of judgment.
Revised Standard Version
These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are confused with wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in giving judgment.
Young's Literal Translation
And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.
THE MESSAGE
These also, the priest and prophet, stagger from drink, weaving, falling-down drunks, Besotted with wine and whiskey, can't see straight, can't talk sense. Every table is covered with vomit. They live in vomit.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment.

Contextual Overview

1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! 2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. 3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: 4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. 5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, 6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. 7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

erred: Isaiah 19:14, Isaiah 56:10-12, Leviticus 10:9, Leviticus 10:10, Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 31:4, Proverbs 31:5, Ecclesiastes 10:17, Ezekiel 44:21, Hosea 4:11, Micah 2:11, Matthew 24:29, Luke 21:34, Ephesians 5:28

are swallowed: Psalms 107:27, *marg.

err in: Isaiah 3:12, Isaiah 9:16, Jeremiah 14:14, Jeremiah 23:13, Jeremiah 23:16, Lamentations 2:4, Ezekiel 13:7, Hosea 4:12

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 25:36 - merry Proverbs 23:29 - Who hath woe Proverbs 23:32 - At Ecclesiastes 10:16 - and Isaiah 5:11 - inflame Isaiah 5:22 - mighty Isaiah 28:1 - drunkards Isaiah 29:9 - they are Isaiah 29:24 - also Isaiah 43:27 - and thy Isaiah 56:12 - I will Jeremiah 2:8 - priests Jeremiah 6:13 - and Jeremiah 8:10 - from the prophet Jeremiah 14:18 - yea Hosea 4:6 - because Hosea 7:5 - made Habakkuk 2:16 - and shameful Matthew 23:25 - full Luke 6:25 - full Acts 24:25 - temperance Romans 13:13 - rioting 2 Corinthians 2:7 - swallowed 1 Timothy 3:3 - Not given to wine Titus 1:7 - not given to wine Hebrews 3:10 - err Hebrews 9:7 - errors 1 Peter 4:3 - excess

Cross-References

Genesis 27:43
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Leviticus 19:3
Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
Proverbs 1:8
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Proverbs 30:17
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Ephesians 6:3
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But they also have erred through wine,.... Either they that sat in judgment, and turned the battle to the gate, as Jarchi interprets it: or rather, since the Lord was a spirit of judgment and strength to those, the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin in later times are meant, in the latter end of Hezekiah's reign, or in the times of Manasseh, or nearer the Babylonish captivity; these tribes, which professed the true religion, and who had the word, and worship, and ordinances of God among them, even these were guilty of the same sin of drunkenness, as the ten tribes that had apostatized; there were the drunkards of Judah, as well Ephraim, who "erred through wine"; they erred and strayed from the rule of the divine word by excessive drinking, and this led them on to other sins, as drunkenness commonly does; and they were not only through it guilty of errors in practice, but in principle also; they made sad mistakes, as in life and conversation, so in doctrine, their memories, understandings, and judgments, being sadly affected and beclouded through this sin:

and through strong drink are out the of way; of God and his word; out of the way of truth and godliness: it signifies the same as before, only expressed in different words. The Targum renders the word for "strong drink", which designs any liquor that makes men drunk, by "old wine", which is accounted the best:

the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; committed sin, by drinking to excess, and made themselves unfit for the duties of their office, and were guilty of sad mistakes in the performance of it; the priest sinned by so doing against an express command, and made himself incapable of distinguishing between the holy and unholy, the clean and the unclean, Leviticus 10:9 though this need not be restrained to the priest only, for the word "cohen" signifies a prince as well as priest; and it is not fitting for kings to drink wine, nor princes strong drink, to excess, Proverbs 31:4 civil as well as ecclesiastical rulers may be here designed, though chiefly the latter, men that should set the best of examples to others; and the "prophet", as Kimchi observes, intends not the true, but false prophets. The Targum renders it a "scribe"; these and the priests are frequently mentioned together in the New Testament, and were both erroneous; and their errors here, both as to doctrine and practice, are imputed to their drunkenness; a very scandalous sin, especially in persons of such a character:

they are swallowed up of wine; they not only greedily swallowed it down, and were filled with it, but were swallowed up by it, drowned in it, and lost the exercise of their sense and reason, and were ruined and destroyed by it, and made wholly unfit for such sacred offices in which they were:

they are out of the way through strong drink; out of the of their duty, by sinning in this manner; and out the way of the performance of their office, being rendered incapable of it:

they err in vision: these were the prophets, the seers, who pretended to the visions of God, and related them to the people as such; but they mistook the imaginations of their crazy heads, intoxicated with liquor, for the visions of God; they erred in prophesying, which may be meant by "vision", they delivered out false prophecies, false doctrines, and grievous errors, of fatal consequence to the people; or, as Kimchi further interprets it, they erred "in seeing"; they mistook in those things which were plain and obvious to the eye of everyone, in things clear and manifest; drunkenness affects the eyes both of the body and of the mind, that a man can see clearly with neither. The Targum is,

"they turned after, or declined unto, sweet meat;''

as if they were guilty of gluttony as well as drunkenness; but it is not usual for drunkards to crave sweet meat, but rather what is relishing:

they stumble [in] judgment; or "reel" r and stagger, as drunken men do: this refers to the priest, who, through drunkenness, made sad hobbling work in expounding the law, and giving the sense of it, and in pronouncing sentence of judgment in matters of controversy brought before him, to whom those things appertained, Malachi 2:7

Deuteronomy 17:8.

r פקו פליליה "titubant in judicatione", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gataker.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But they also have erred through wine - In the previous verses the prophet had said that the kingdom of Judah should be saved, while that of Ephraim should be destroyed. Yet he does not deny that they also were guilty of crimes for which punishment would come upon them. To portray these crimes, and to declare the certain judgment which awaited them, is the design of the remainder of the chapter. The word rendered ‘have erred’ (שׁגוּ shâgû) refers usually to the fact that people “stagger” or “reel” through wine, and is applied commonly to those who are intoxicated Proverbs 20:1. The subsequent part of this verse shows, however, that it does not refer merely to the fact that they stagger and reel as intemperate people do, but that it had an effect on their ‘vision’ and ‘judgment;’ that is, it disqualified them for the discharge of their duties as priests and as prophets. In this part of the verse, however, the simple idea is, that they reel or stagger through wine, that is, they are addicted to intoxication. In the subsequent part of the verse the prophet states the effect in producing indistinctness of vision and error of judgment.

And through strong drink - (see the note at Isaiah 5:11).

They are out of the way - (תעוּ tā‛û). They wander; stagger; reel (compare the notes at Isaiah 19:14).

The priest and the prophet - Probably these persons are specified to denote the higher classes of society. It is probable that the prophet also designs to indicate the enormity of the sins of the nation, from the fact that those who were especially devoted to religion, and who were supposed to have immediate communication with God, were addicted to intemperance.

They are swallowed up of wine - They are completely absorbed by it (see the note at Isaiah 25:7); they not only themselves indulge in its use, but they are themselves, as it were, swallowed up by it, so that their reason, and strength, and virtue are all gone - as a vessel is absorbed in a maelstrom or whirlpool.

They err in vision - For the sense of the word ‘vision,’ see the note at Isaiah 1:1. The prophet here states the effect of the use of wine and strong drink on their mental and moral powers. It was the office of the prophets to declare the will of God; probably also to explain the sense of the sacred Scriptures, and to address the people on their duty. Here the prophet says that the effect of their intemperance was that they had themselves no correct and clear views of the truth, and that they led the people into error.

They stumble in judgment - There were many important subjects on which the priests sat in judgment among the Hebrews, particularly in all matters pertaining to religion. By the influence of intoxicating liquors they were disqualified for the high and holy functions of their office; and the consequence was, that the nation was corrupt, and was exposed to the heavy judgments of God.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile