Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

ISAIAH 5:22KJV
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Isaiah 5:22 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 5:22 mean?

Isaiah 5:22 warns against those who take pride in their ability to drink large amounts of wine or mix strong drinks, calling out people who see this as a sign of strength or greatness. The verse pronounces a "woe"—a warning of trouble or judgment—on those who boast about their drinking prowess.

Isaiah, speaking as a prophet to the people of Judah, addresses a society where some leaders and influential men were known for their drinking rather than for justice or wisdom. This verse is part of a series of warnings in Isaiah 5, where behaviors that seem impressive or powerful to people are shown to be empty or even dangerous in God's eyes.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 5:22

  • Woe (הוֹי, hoy): This word is often used by prophets to announce sorrow, warning, or impending judgment. It signals that the behavior described is serious and will lead to negative consequences.
  • Mighty (גִּבּוֹר, gibbor): While this word usually means a hero or a strong, valiant person, here it is used ironically for those who are only "mighty" in drinking, not in character or leadership.
  • Strength (חַיִל, chayil): This word can mean strength, wealth, or valor. In this verse, it highlights that the "strength" being praised is misplaced, focused on drinking rather than on true virtue.
  • Mingle (מָסַךְ, masakh): This verb means to mix or blend, referring to the practice of mixing strong drinks. It suggests not just drinking, but skillfully preparing intoxicating beverages, emphasizing indulgence.

Why Isaiah 5:22 matters

  • Isaiah 5:22 corrects the idea that being able to handle alcohol is a mark of real strength or leadership, showing that such values are upside down.
  • The verse fits into a larger section where Isaiah lists "woes" against various corrupt behaviors, highlighting how far the society's leaders have strayed from justice and wisdom.
  • By using words usually reserved for heroes and strong men, Isaiah exposes the emptiness of boasting about drinking, making readers reflect on what qualities are truly worth honoring.

Where else these words appear

“mingle” Hebrew H4537 · used in 5 verses

  • Psalms 102:9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
  • Proverbs 9:2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.
  • Proverbs 9:5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

“drink” Hebrew H7941 · used in 20 verses

  • Leviticus 10:9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
  • Judges 13:7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
  • Proverbs 31:6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

“Woe” Hebrew H1945 · used in 48 verses

  • Ruth 4:1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
  • Isaiah 29:15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
  • Ezekiel 13:18 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?

“wine” Hebrew H3196 · used in 134 verses

  • Genesis 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
  • 2 Chronicles 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
  • Isaiah 24:9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.