Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

ISAIAH 29:9KJV
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Isaiah 29:9 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 29:9 mean?

Isaiah 29:9 describes people who are confused and shocked, acting as if they are drunk, but not because of alcohol. The verse uses the image of staggering and crying out to show that the people are spiritually disoriented and unable to see clearly what is happening around them.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Jerusalem, warning them about their spiritual blindness and stubbornness. The language paints a picture of people so overwhelmed or lost that they seem intoxicated, even though no wine or strong drink is involved. This is part of a larger warning that their refusal to listen to God has left them unable to understand what He is doing.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 29:9

  • "Stay" (הִתְמַהְמְהוּ, hitmahmehu) often means to wait or be stunned, suggesting a sense of being stopped in one’s tracks by surprise or confusion.
  • "Wonder" (תְּמָהוּ, temahu) means to be astonished or amazed, emphasizing the shock the people are experiencing.
  • "Drunken" (שָׁכַר, shakar) and "stagger" (נָעָה, na‘ah) both use physical terms for intoxication to describe spiritual or mental bewilderment, not literal drunkenness.
  • "Cry out" (שָׁעַג, sha‘ag) is a word for a loud cry, sometimes like a lion’s roar, showing the intensity of their reaction.

Why Isaiah 29:9 matters

  • Isaiah 29:9 uses vivid physical imagery to describe a spiritual problem, helping readers see that the people’s confusion is not about alcohol but about their inability to understand God’s message.
  • The verse highlights how stubbornness and spiritual blindness can leave people lost, even when the truth is right in front of them.
  • This verse sets up the warnings and explanations that follow in Isaiah 29, showing why judgment and correction are needed.

Where else these words appear

“wonder” Hebrew H8539 · used in 8 verses

  • Genesis 43:33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.
  • Psalms 48:5 They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
  • Isaiah 13:8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

“out” Hebrew H8173 · used in 8 verses

  • Psalms 94:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
  • Psalms 119:47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.
  • Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

“Stay” Hebrew H4102 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
  • Exodus 12:39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
  • 2 Samuel 15:28 See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.

“drunken” Hebrew H7937 · used in 19 verses

  • Genesis 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
  • Isaiah 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
  • Jeremiah 51:39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.