Isaiah 28:7-8
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. For all tables are full of filthy vomit, with no space left.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse emphasizes that the "priest and prophet" are not just making occasional mistakes due to intoxication, but are "swallowed by wine" and "reel in vision," meaning their ability to perceive God's truth and their own spiritual discernment are completely corrupted. This highlights the profound spiritual blindness that results when those tasked with leading others astray themselves.
Isaiah had just declared that while the northern kingdom of Israel would be utterly destroyed, the southern kingdom of Judah would be spared. However, he immediately turns to address Judah, revealing that they are far from innocent. Despite their future preservation, they are deeply steeped in the same sins of drunkenness and moral corruption as Israel, particularly among their spiritual leaders. This verse describes the devastating effect of this intoxication, showing how it clouds their spiritual insight and distorts their decision-making.
Imagine your most trusted spiritual guides stumbling through their duties, confused and incapacitated. Isaiah paints this shocking picture for the priests and prophets of Judah.
Isaiah 28:7 highlights a profound crisis: the spiritual leaders of Judah, the priests and prophets, are not just dabbling in intoxication, they are 'swallowed up' by wine and strong drink. This isn't just a personal failing; it's a systemic corruption that has devastating consequences.
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What happens when the very people meant to guide you lose their way? Isaiah reveals the disastrous ripple effect when spiritual leaders can no longer offer clear prophecy or sound decisions.
The verse pinpoints the specific consequences of the leaders' intoxication: their divine sight and their judicial functions are ruined.
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 was delivered during a time of intense geopolitical pressure and imminent military threat from the Assyrian Empire. The spiritual and political leaders of Judah, much like their Ephraimite counterparts, were characterized by their moral and spiritual decay, particularly their drunkenness, which compromised their ability to lead and to discern God's will.
c. 734-732 BC— this verse
Syro-Ephraimitic War
The kingdoms of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria attacked Judah, threatening Jerusalem. Isaiah delivered prophecies during this crisis, urging Judah not to rely on alliances but on the Lord.
732 BC
Fall of Damascus
The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III conquered Damascus, the capital of Syria, and deported its people. This event underscored the growing power of Assyria and the vulnerability of regional kingdoms.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, fell to the Assyrians under Shalmaneser V, leading to the deportation of a significant portion of its population. This marked the effective end of the northern kingdom.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah, capturing many fortified cities and besieging Jerusalem. Though Jerusalem was spared, Judah was forced to pay a heavy tribute.
This proverb directly links strong drink with delusion and staggering, mirroring the physical and spiritual disorientation described in Isaiah.
Hosea 4:11This passage from Hosea, a contemporary prophet, also condemns his people for their involvement with wine and strong drink, highlighting how widespread this issue was and its corrupting influence on spiritual leaders.
1 Corinthians 11:21Paul uses a similar condemnation of people partaking in the Lord's Supper while drunk, showing a recurring theme in Scripture where intoxication hinders proper spiritual discernment and action.
Micah 3:5-7Micah, another prophet of this era, speaks of prophets who are misled and deliver false prophecies, a direct parallel to Isaiah's accusation that religious leaders 'err in vision' due to their indulgence.
Leviticus 10:8-11This passage records God's specific command to priests to abstain from wine and strong drink before ministering, underscoring the severe sinfulness of the priests in Isaiah's time who were clearly violating this sacred prohibition.
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 emphasizes that the "priest and prophet" are not just making occasional mistakes due to intoxication, but are "swallowed by wine" and "reel in vision," meaning their ability to perceive God's truth and their own spiritual discernment are completely corrupted. This highlights the profound spiritual blindness that results when those tasked with leading others astray themselves.
Isaiah had just declared that while the northern kingdom of Israel would be utterly destroyed, the southern kingdom of Judah would be spared. However, he immediately turns to address Judah, revealing that they are far from innocent. Despite their future preservation, they are deeply steeped in the same sins of drunkenness and moral corruption as Israel, particularly among their spiritual leaders. This verse describes the devastating effect of this intoxication, showing how it clouds their spiritual insight and distorts their decision-making.
Isaiah had just declared that while the northern kingdom of Israel would be utterly destroyed, the southern kingdom of Judah would be spared. However, he immediately turns to address Judah, revealing that they are far from innocent. Despite their future preservation, they are deeply steeped in the same sins of drunkenness and moral corruption as Israel, particularly among their spiritual leaders. This verse describes the devastating effect of this intoxication, showing how it clouds their spiritual insight and distorts their decision-making.
"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 emphasizes that the "priest and prophet" are not just making occasional mistakes due to intoxication, but are "swallowed by wine" and "reel in vision," meaning their ability to perceive God…
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