They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

PROVERBS 23:30KJV
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Proverbs 23:30 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 23:30 mean?

Proverbs 23:30 describes people who spend a lot of time drinking wine and those who actively seek out mixed or stronger drinks. The verse points to the dangers of lingering over alcohol and making it a focus of one’s pursuits.

In the book of Proverbs, a father is giving practical advice to his son about wise living. This verse is part of a longer warning about the problems caused by excessive drinking. The focus is not just on drinking itself, but on those who make a habit of it or go out of their way to find more and stronger drinks, showing a pattern of behavior that can lead to trouble.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 23:30

  • יַאֲחֵרוּ (ya'acheru, “long”): This word means to linger or stay late, emphasizing not just drinking, but spending a long time with wine. It highlights the idea of making drinking a drawn-out activity.
  • יַיִן (yayin, “wine”): This is the common Hebrew word for wine, referring to fermented grape drink. Here, it represents ordinary alcoholic drink.
  • יָבוֹא (yavo, “go”): This word means to come or go, and in this context, it describes people who are actively seeking out more to drink, not just passively drinking what is available.
  • חָקַר (chaqar, “seek”): This word means to search out or investigate, suggesting a deliberate effort to find mixed or special wines, not just casual drinking.
  • מִמְסָךְ (mimsak, “mixed wine”): This refers to wine that has been mixed, often with spices or stronger ingredients, making it more intoxicating. The verse points to those who seek out these stronger or more exotic drinks.

Why Proverbs 23:30 matters

  • Proverbs 23:30 clarifies that the warning is not just about drinking wine, but about those who make a habit of lingering over it and seeking out stronger drinks, showing a pattern of excess.
  • The verse connects to the surrounding passage, which describes the negative effects of drunkenness, helping the reader see the bigger picture of wisdom and self-control.
  • By focusing on the behavior of seeking and lingering, the verse addresses the attitude and choices behind drinking, not just the act itself.

Where else these words appear

“wine” Hebrew H4469 · used in 2 verses

  • Isaiah 65:11 But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.

“long” Hebrew H309 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
  • Deuteronomy 23:21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
  • Psalms 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

“seek” Hebrew H2713 · used in 26 verses

  • Deuteronomy 13:14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
  • Job 13:9 Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
  • Proverbs 18:17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

“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.