Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm doesn't describe God as drunk with wine, but rather exhilarated and ready for action like a warrior who’s had a bit to drink. This imagery emphasizes God’s sudden, powerful intervention after a period where He seemed absent, showcasing His fierce protective strength rather than a loss of control.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm recounts Israel's persistent unfaithfulness despite God's many acts of deliverance, culminating in the devastating loss of the Ark and the destruction of the sanctuary at Shiloh. This section vividly portrays God's apparent inaction during this crisis, making it seem as though He had abandoned His people and His dwelling place. The verse dramatically shifts the tone, describing God's sudden and powerful intervention against the Philistines who had captured the Ark, depicting Him as a mighty warrior roused to action.
Have you ever felt like God was absent during your struggles? This verse speaks to that feeling and how God's perspective differs from ours.
The psalm vividly portrays Israel's suffering and their enemies' triumph. During this dark time, God seemed 'asleep,' unaware or uncaring of His people's plight and the dishonor to His name.
The People's Perspective
God's True Nature
Why would the psalmist compare God's intervention to a warrior shouting with wine? It's a powerful image of divine might and zealous action.
The image of God as 'a strong man shouting because of wine' is not about drunkenness but about exhilaration and battle readiness.
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A Hero's Preparation
Divine Zeal and Justice
Understand the original words
Adonai · Hebrew Noun
The Hebrew title for the Sovereign God (Adonai), emphasizing His authority, majesty, and supreme rule over all creation and humanity.
This verse vividly portrays God's decisive intervention after a period where His presence seemed absent, highlighting the shock and awe of His power unleashed against His people's oppressors. The historical context of the Ark's capture and subsequent return underscores the deep connection between God's presence, His people's well-being, and His fierce defense of His honor.
c. 1100 BC— this verse
Ark of the Covenant Captured
The Philistines defeat the Israelites at Ebenezer and capture the Ark of the Covenant, a devastating blow that leads to the abandonment of Shiloh.
c. 1100 BC
Shiloh Abandoned
Following the capture of the Ark, the sanctuary at Shiloh, where the Ark had been housed, is forsaken.
c. 1100 BC
Philistine Plagues and Humiliation
The Philistines suffer plagues and their idol Dagon repeatedly falls before the Ark, forcing them to return it to Israel.
c. 1050 BC
David Anointed King
Samuel, the last of the judges, anoints David as king, signaling a future shift in leadership and a potential restoration of God's favor.
c. 1010 BC
Ark Brought to Jerusalem
King David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, establishing it as the religious and political center of Israel.
This passage directly echoes the sentiment of God seeming to slumber during times of intense suffering, directly paralleling the 'awoke as from sleep' imagery.
Isaiah 42:13This verse provides a parallel expression of God as a mighty warrior, shouting and going forth to battle, which illuminates the powerful imagery used in Psalm 78:65.
Zechariah 10:7Similar to Psalm 78:65, this verse describes God's people becoming like 'heroes drunk with wine' in their joy after deliverance, offering a related perspective on the 'shouting because of wine' comparison.
1 Samuel 4:10-11This passage describes the historical event where the Ark of God was captured by the Philistines, the very context that likely prompted the imagery of God seeming to 'awaken' in Psalm 78:65.
Judges 5:22This verse from the Song of Deborah describes the 'neighing of his steeds' as mighty warriors go forth, offering a similar sense of powerful, almost exuberant, divine intervention in battle.
pulpitPsalms 78:65: "Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine."
Verse 65. - Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep (comp. Psalm 7:6; Psalm 35:23; Psalm 73:20). God is said to "awake," when, after a time of inaction, he suddenly exerts his Almighty power, to the discomfiture of his enemies. That God never really slept was the profound conviction of the Israelites generally (see 2 Kings 18:27; Psalm 121:3, 4). And like a mighty man that shouteth…
clarkePsalms 78:65: "Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine."
Then the Lord awaked - He seemed as if he had totally disregarded what was done to his people, and the reproach that seemed to fall on himself and his worship by the capture of the ark. Like a mighty man - כגבור kegibbor, like a hero that shouteth by reason of wine. One who, going forth to meet his enemy, having taken a sufficiency of wine to refresh himself, and become a proper sti…
The psalm doesn't describe God as drunk with wine, but rather exhilarated and ready for action like a warrior who’s had a bit to drink. This imagery emphasizes God’s sudden, powerful intervention after a period where He seemed absent, showcasing His fierce protective strength rather than a loss of control.
The psalm recounts Israel's persistent unfaithfulness despite God's many acts of deliverance, culminating in the devastating loss of the Ark and the destruction of the sanctuary at Shiloh. This section vividly portrays God's apparent inaction during this crisis, making it seem as though He had abandoned His people and His dwelling place. The verse dramatically shifts the tone, describing God's sudden and powerful intervention against the Philistines who had captured the Ark, depicting Him as a mighty warrior roused to action.
The psalm recounts Israel's persistent unfaithfulness despite God's many acts of deliverance, culminating in the devastating loss of the Ark and the destruction of the sanctuary at Shiloh. This section vividly portrays God's apparent inaction during this crisis, making it seem as though He had abandoned His people and His dwelling place. The verse dramatically shifts the tone, describing God's sudden and powerful intervention against the Philistines who had captured the Ark, depicting Him as a mighty warrior roused to action.
"Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine." — The psalm doesn't describe God as drunk with wine, but rather exhilarated and ready for action like a warrior who’s had a bit to drink. This imagery emphasizes God’s sudden, powerful intervention a…
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Last reviewed October 2026