The verse reveals a startling consequence of intoxication: it impairs spiritual perception and judicial fairness. This isn't just about physical stumbling; it's about leaders "reeling in vision" and "stumbling in judgment," meaning their ability to understand God's truth and administer justice is corrupted by their indulgence.
These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah, warning them that despite their survival while the northern kingdom of Israel falls, they are also deeply corrupt. He focuses on the moral and spiritual decay, highlighting how even religious leaders like priests and prophets are lost in drunkenness and unable to discern truth or administer justice. This sets the stage for God's impending judgment, which will come like a destructive force against their unfaithfulness.
The prophet Isaiah doesn't just talk about people being drunk; he describes a deeper kind of intoxication. What does it mean for leaders to be 'swallowed by wine' and how does it affect their ability to lead?
Isaiah 28:7 paints a stark picture of spiritual leaders so overcome by wine and strong drink that they are "swallowed" by it. This isn't just about physical intoxication; it signifies a deep perversion of their faculties.
Lost Vision, Erring Judgment
When leaders are consumed by indulgence, their ability to perceive truth and make sound decisions is compromised.
This intoxication blinds leaders, making them unfit for their sacred duties and ultimately leading the people they are meant to guide into error and ruin.
Isaiah specifically calls out the 'priest and the prophet.' Why these two roles? What makes their intoxication particularly dangerous for the nation?
Isaiah 28:7 singles out the priest and the prophet, the spiritual leaders of the people, for their drunkenness. This isn't an accident; their fall has profound implications for the entire nation.
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Pillars of Society Implicated
A Corrupt Source
When these pillars of the religious and spiritual life are compromised, the entire spiritual foundation of the nation is weakened. Their corrupted 'vision' and 'judgment' mean that the very sources of divine guidance and legal understanding are tainted. This leads to widespread error, as the people follow leaders who themselves have gone astray.
While the 'drunkards of Ephraim' (northern kingdom of Israel) were mentioned earlier, Isaiah now turns his warning to Judah (the southern kingdom). What does this repetition reveal about God's perspective on sin?
Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 28 begins with a "woe" to the drunkards of Ephraim, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. However, verse 7 shifts focus: "But they also have erred through wine..." This transition is crucial.
No Special Privileges
The use of "also" signifies that Judah, despite its separate identity and perceived spiritual advantages as the kingdom where the Temple stood, shared the same corrupt sins as their northern brethren. This underscores a vital biblical principle: God holds all His people, especially those with greater light and privilege, to the same high standard. There are no special exemptions for nations or groups simply because of their status.
A Path to Judgment
This shared guilt means Judah cannot remain unaffected by the judgment that falls on Ephraim. Their intoxication and corrupted leadership point towards an impending reckoning. The prophet's warning serves as a stark reminder that spiritual compromise, regardless of where it occurs within God's people, invites divine discipline.
Understand the original words
kohen · Hebrew Noun
A person consecrated to offer sacrifices and mediate between God and the people; their corruption signifies a total breakdown of religious and national life.
nabi · Hebrew Noun
A spokesperson for God, called to declare His divine will and warnings; in this context, the prophet is condemned for failing to receive or deliver a pure message.
chazon · Hebrew Noun
A supernatural revelation from God given to prophets; here, it refers to the spiritual insight or divine communication that the leaders have lost due to their intoxication.
This prophecy is set against the backdrop of Judah's moral and spiritual decline, occurring during a period of intense political pressure from superpowers like Assyria, highlighting how internal corruption can incapacitate a nation when external threats loom large.
c. 740 BC
Isaiah's Prophetic Ministry Begins
Isaiah begins his ministry during a time of increasing Assyrian power, prophesying to the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimitic War
The Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria attack Judah when Judah refuses to join their anti-Assyrian alliance. Isaiah advises King Ahaz to trust God, not alliances.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers and deports the population of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, leaving only Judah as the sole Israelite kingdom.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem. Isaiah delivers prophecies of deliverance.
Date of Isaiah 28— this verse
Prophecy Against Drunkenness and False Security
Isaiah denounces the spiritual and moral corruption within Judah, particularly focusing on the leaders' (priests and prophets) intoxication and distorted judgment.
This proverb directly connects intoxication with staggering and misleading behavior, mirroring Isaiah's description of leaders who are 'out of the way' due to strong drink.
Hosea 4:11This passage speaks of how 'wine and new wine take away understanding,' showing a consistent prophetic theme of how drunkenness corrupts judgment and spiritual insight, just as it does for the priest and prophet in Isaiah 28.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10Paul lists 'drunkards' among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God, highlighting the serious spiritual consequences of habitual intoxication that parallels the severe condemnation Isaiah levels against his people.
Micah 2:11Micah describes false prophets who 'lie about,' claiming divine inspiration while filled with wine, directly echoing Isaiah's depiction of prophets who 'reel in vision' due to their intemperance.
Leviticus 10:9This Old Testament law explicitly forbids priests from drinking wine or strong drink when entering the tent of meeting, underscoring the profound spiritual failure and desecration represented by the priests in Isaiah's prophecy stumbling in their duties.
barnesIsaiah 28:7: "But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment."
But they also have erred through wine - In the previous verses the prophet had said that the kingdom of Judah should be saved, while that of Ephraim should be destroyed. Yet he does not deny that they also were guilty…
bensonIsaiah 28:7: "But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment."
Isaiah 28:7 . But they also have erred — But, alas! Judah is guilty of the same sins with Israel, therefore they also must expect the same calamities, of which he speaks afterward. The priest — To whom strong drink wa…
The verse reveals a startling consequence of intoxication: it impairs spiritual perception and judicial fairness. This isn't just about physical stumbling; it's about leaders "reeling in vision" and "stumbling in judgment," meaning their ability to understand God's truth and administer justice is corrupted by their indulgence.
Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah, warning them that despite their survival while the northern kingdom of Israel falls, they are also deeply corrupt. He focuses on the moral and spiritual decay, highlighting how even religious leaders like priests and prophets are lost in drunkenness and unable to discern truth or administer justice. This sets the stage for God's impending judgment, which will come like a destructive force against their unfaithfulness.
Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah, warning them that despite their survival while the northern kingdom of Israel falls, they are also deeply corrupt. He focuses on the moral and spiritual decay, highlighting how even religious leaders like priests and prophets are lost in drunkenness and unable to discern truth or administer justice. This sets the stage for God's impending judgment, which will come like a destructive force against their unfaithfulness.
"These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumb…" — The verse reveals a startling consequence of intoxication: it impairs spiritual perception and judicial fairness. This isn't just about physical stumbling; it's about leaders "reeling in vision" and…
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Last reviewed October 2026
