Proverbs 31:6-7
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This verse isn't a blanket endorsement of alcohol, but a specific instruction about its medicinal, restorative use for those truly in need. It highlights that strong drink is for the verge of perishing and wine for the deeply distressed, suggesting a precise application for comfort or healing, not casual indulgence.
Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage, spoken by King Lemuel's mother, isn't promoting drunkenness but highlighting the proper, medicinal use of strong drink. It contrasts this with the dangers of alcohol for those in positions of power, setting the stage for advice on responsible leadership and avoiding the destructive habits that can ruin rulers. The verses that follow will further explore the virtues of the excellent wife and contrast her with destructive women and the perils of gluttony and excess.
When life feels like it's slipping away, what's the wise approach? This ancient text offers a surprising prescription.
This verse doesn't endorse casual drinking or excess. Instead, it highlights a specific, merciful use of strong drink: as a potent remedy for those on the brink.
A Lasting Medicine
Think of it as a powerful medicine, a last resort when someone is 'ready to perish' – meaning they are overcome, faint, or literally about to die. The goal isn't intoxication, but a life-giving boost, a 'cordial' to help someone endure.
Compassion in Suffering
This echoes the ancient Jewish practice of offering a drugged wine to condemned criminals before execution. Though Jesus refused this anesthetic to fully embrace His Father's will, the intent was mercy – to lessen unimaginable pain. It’s a profound picture of compassion, using a strong substance to offer relief in extreme distress.
Beyond the brink of death, life brings its own deep pains. How does this verse address profound emotional distress?
The second part of the verse shifts focus from physical perishing to emotional agony. 'Wine unto those that be of heavy hearts' points to its use as a comfort, a way to bring temporary relief from overwhelming sadness.
A Taste of Gladness
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Scripture elsewhere acknowledges wine's power to 'make glad the heart of man' (Psalm 104:15). When someone is 'bitter in soul,' weighed down by grief or despair, a controlled measure of wine could serve to lift their spirits, driving away the 'clouds from the brow,' as one commentator put it.
The Cautionary Note
However, this isn't a blanket approval for emotional self-medication. The context emphasizes moderation and mercy. This counsel is directed towards the wise ruler (King Lemuel, to whom the proverbs are attributed) – implying it’s about understanding when and how to offer comfort, not about personal indulgence.
Understand the original words
shekar · Hebrew Noun
A general term for intoxicating fermented liquor, often associated with luxury, celebration, but also medicinal use or temporary relief from pain. In biblical contexts, its use is often warned against for leaders or those seeking wisdom, though recognized for its numbing properties.
abad · Hebrew Verb/Participle
A state of being on the verge of death or destruction, often used to describe the spiritually lost or those facing physical termination. It implies a condition of extreme helplessness requiring intervention.
yayin · Hebrew Noun
A fermented drink made from grapes, frequently used in the Bible as a symbol of joy, God's blessing, or the blood of Christ. Like strong drink, it is subject to warnings regarding overindulgence and its ability to impair judgment.
marah nephesh · Hebrew Noun phrase
Deep, agonizing sorrow or pain of spirit. It refers to a state of hopelessness or extreme affliction that weighs heavily on the soul.
resh · Hebrew Noun
A state of material lack or need; however, in the wisdom literature, it also carries the nuance of being in a lowly or humbled condition before God.
amal · Hebrew Noun
Suffering, trouble, or the wearisome burden of human existence. It describes the painful reality of life in a fallen world.
Paul advises Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach and frequent ailments, highlighting a medicinal and restorative use of wine, similar to Proverbs 31:6.
Matthew 27:34This passage describes the offer of wine mixed with gall to Jesus at the crucifixion, a practice believed to stem from the wisdom in Proverbs 31:6 to ease suffering, which Jesus refused to dull His senses.
Psalm 104:15This Psalm states that wine makes glad the heart of man, echoing the sentiment in Proverbs 31:6 that wine can be used to lift spirits and alleviate sorrow.
Job 3:20Job cries out about why light is given to those in misery and life to the bitter in soul, highlighting the 'heavy hearts' or 'bitter souls' that Proverbs 31:6 addresses as recipients of wine.
clarkeProverbs 31:6: "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts."
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish - We have already seen, that inebriating drinks were mercifully given to condemned criminals, to render them less sensible of the torture they endured in dying. This is what was offered to our Lord; but he refused it. See note on Psalm 104:15 .
pulpitProverbs 31:6: "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts."
Verse 6. - There are cases where strong drink may be properly administered. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish (Job 29:13; Job 31:19). As a restorative, a cordial, or a medicine, wine may he advantageously used; it has a place in the providential economy of God. "Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities," was St. Paul's advice to Timothy (…
This verse isn't a blanket endorsement of alcohol, but a specific instruction about its medicinal, restorative use for those truly in need. It highlights that strong drink is for the verge of perishing and wine for the deeply distressed, suggesting a precise application for comfort or healing, not casual indulgence.
This passage, spoken by King Lemuel's mother, isn't promoting drunkenness but highlighting the proper, medicinal use of strong drink. It contrasts this with the dangers of alcohol for those in positions of power, setting the stage for advice on responsible leadership and avoiding the destructive habits that can ruin rulers. The verses that follow will further explore the virtues of the excellent wife and contrast her with destructive women and the perils of gluttony and excess.
This passage, spoken by King Lemuel's mother, isn't promoting drunkenness but highlighting the proper, medicinal use of strong drink. It contrasts this with the dangers of alcohol for those in positions of power, setting the stage for advice on responsible leadership and avoiding the destructive habits that can ruin rulers. The verses that follow will further explore the virtues of the excellent wife and contrast her with destructive women and the perils of gluttony and excess.
"Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more." — This verse isn't a blanket endorsement of alcohol, but a specific instruction about its medicinal, restorative use for those truly in need. It highlights that strong drink is for the verge of perishi…
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Last reviewed October 2026
