Bible Strands
Isaiah 28:1
Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Isaiah pronounces a divine judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel, specifically targeting its elite leadership. This oracle is delivered during a period of political confidence and territorial expansion, immediately preceding the announcement of an impending military invasion.
The words — The Hebrew term עֲטֶ֤רֶת ('a.Te.ret) literally means "crown," representing the prideful elite of Ephraim, while צְבִ֣י (tze.Vi) translates to "beauty" or "glorious splendor." These terms are directly paired with שִׁכֹּרֵ֣י (shi.ko.Rei), "drunkards," to depict a ruling class intoxicated by its own power.
The thread — The motif of leadership corrupted by wine and pride recurs in Hosea 7:5, where princes are inflamed with wine on the king’s day, and in Isaiah 28:7, where priests and prophets stagger from strong drink. The historical backdrop of Ephraim’s restored boundaries under Jeroboam II appears in 2 Kings 14:25.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that political power and military success are temporary and subject to sovereign judgment. It requires readers to reject self-reliance and pride, understanding that human strength cannot withstand divine intervention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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!
Cross-references
- Hosea 7:5 The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.
- Isaiah 28:7 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.
- 2 Kings 14:25 This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.
- Isaiah 28:3 The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.
- 2 Kings 15:29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
- 2 Kings 18:10 And at the end of three years, the Assyrians captured it. So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 28:6 For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.
- 2 Chronicles 30:6 At the command of the king, the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.
- Proverbs 23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?
- Isaiah 5:11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.