Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse personifies alcohol, showing how it doesn't just affect your mind, but it actively mocks you and turns you into a brawler. It highlights that the real foolishness isn't just the act of drinking, but letting yourself be "deceived" by it, losing your God-given reason and self-control.
This verse opens the chapter with a stark warning about the deceptive nature of alcohol. It contrasts the seeming allure of wine and strong drink with the foolishness and destructive behavior they lead to, directly impacting one's wisdom and ability to act rightly. The proverb sets a tone of caution that runs through the chapter, addressing various aspects of wise living and the pitfalls that lead to folly.
Have you ever seen someone laugh their way into trouble? Proverbs paints a vivid picture of how alcohol can turn joy into something far more sinister.
The 'Mocker'
Proverbs personifies wine and strong drink, calling them a 'mocker' and 'raging'. This isn't just about getting drunk; it's about how these substances actively deceive us.
Wisdom is a precious commodity. This verse tells us exactly what happens when we let intoxicating drink take the lead.
The Foolish Choice
The second half of the verse delivers a stark warning: 'whoever is led astray by it is not wise.'
Understand the original words
yayin · Hebrew Noun
Fermented juice or an alcoholic beverage; biblically, it is often a symbol of joy and provision, but when abused, it is associated with intoxication, loss of self-control, and moral compromise.
lets · Hebrew Noun
One who ridicules, scoffs, or treats with contempt; in wisdom literature, it describes one who mocks divine or human standards of conduct, leading to moral foolishness.
shekar · Hebrew Noun
Intoxicating liquor distinct from wine, often associated with strong drink; its abuse is consistently warned against as leading to erratic behavior, violence, and lack of wisdom.
This passage describes rulers who are drunk with wine and engage in mockery and deceit, directly paralleling the personification of wine as a mocker in Proverbs.
Romans 13:13This New Testament passage warns against revelry and drunkenness, and calls believers to 'put on the Lord Jesus Christ' instead of indulging fleshly desires, which aligns with Proverbs' caution against the foolishness of intoxication.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'drunkenness, carousing, and the like' as works of the flesh that prevent one from inheriting the kingdom of God, highlighting the destructive spiritual consequences that stem from the lack of wisdom described in Proverbs.
Ephesians 5:18This verse directly contrasts being drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, with being filled with the Spirit, offering a spiritual alternative to the destructive path described in Proverbs.
ellicottProverbs 20:1: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
XX. (1) Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging—i.e., producing these effects in those who subject themselves to their power.
cambridgeProverbs 20:1: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
1 . a mocker ] Rather a scorner , Proverbs 1:22 , note. raging ] Rather, a brawler , R.V. In each case the thing is personified in its victim. The drunkard in his cups becomes impious towards God and quarrelsome towards his neighbour. is deceived ] erreth , R.V., reeleth , R.V. marg.
The verse personifies alcohol, showing how it doesn't just affect your mind, but it actively mocks you and turns you into a brawler. It highlights that the real foolishness isn't just the act of drinking, but letting yourself be "deceived" by it, losing your God-given reason and self-control.
This verse opens the chapter with a stark warning about the deceptive nature of alcohol. It contrasts the seeming allure of wine and strong drink with the foolishness and destructive behavior they lead to, directly impacting one's wisdom and ability to act rightly. The proverb sets a tone of caution that runs through the chapter, addressing various aspects of wise living and the pitfalls that lead to folly.
This verse opens the chapter with a stark warning about the deceptive nature of alcohol. It contrasts the seeming allure of wine and strong drink with the foolishness and destructive behavior they lead to, directly impacting one's wisdom and ability to act rightly. The proverb sets a tone of caution that runs through the chapter, addressing various aspects of wise living and the pitfalls that lead to folly.
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"Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." — The verse personifies alcohol, showing how it doesn't just affect your mind, but it actively mocks you and turns you into a brawler. It highlights that the real foolishness isn't just the act of drin…
