Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah delivers this oracle immediately after pronouncing judgment on Judah's failed vineyard, addressing a society that has turned communal feasting into a pattern of escapism.
The words — The Hebrew מַשְׁכִּימֵ֥י (mash.ki.Mei) denotes "those who rise early," paired with יִרְדֹּ֑פוּ (yir.Do.fu) for "they pursue," while מְאַחֲרֵ֣י (me.'a.cha.Rei) marks the deliberate delay or lingering until twilight.
The thread — The passage aligns with the diagnostic questions of Proverbs 23:29, the warning that wine and strong drink lead the astray in Proverbs 20:1, and the New Testament directive to reject carousing in Romans 13:13.
Why it lands — The text states that a group wakes early to chase strong drink and stays up late to become inflamed by wine, then requires readers to assess whether their routines reflect disciplined stewardship or habitual indulgence.
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 unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Cross-references
- Proverbs 23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?
- Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
- Romans 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
- Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
- 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.
- Habakkuk 2:15 Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
- Luke 21:34 But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- 1 Corinthians 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.