Isaiah 5 · Verse 11

Isaiah 5:11

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

Isaiah 5:11, King James Version

Isaiah 5:11 in other translations

BSB	Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.
WEB	Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, who stay late into the night, until wine inflames them!
ASV	Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them!
YLT	Woe to those rising early in the morning, Strong drink they pursue! Tarrying in twilight, wine inflameth them!
DARBY	Woe unto them that, rising early in the morning, run after strong drink; that linger till twilight, till wine inflameth them!
BBE	Cursed are those who get up early in the morning to give themselves up to strong drink; who keep on drinking far into the night till they are heated with wine!
Webster	Woe to them that rise early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflameth them!

What does Isaiah 5:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

11. Second Woe--against intemperance. early--when it was regarded especially shameful to drink (Ac 2:15; 1Th 5:7). Banquets for revelry began earlier than usual (Ec 10:16, 17). strong drink--Hebrew, sichar, implying intoxication. continue--drinking all day till evening.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 11 Wo unto them that rise up early - There is a likeness between this and the following passage of the prophet Amos, Amo 6:3-6, who probably wrote before Isaiah. If the latter be the copier, he seems hardly to have equalled the elegance of the original: - "Ye that put far away the evil day And affect the seat of violence; Who lie upon beds of ivory, And stretch yourselves upon your couches; And eat the lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the stall; Who chant to the sound of the viol, And like David invent for yourselves instruments of music; Who quaff wine in large bowls, And are anointed with the choicest ointments: But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." Kimchi says, "they consider not the heavens nor their hosts: they pray not the morning nor the evening prayer unto the Lord." Follow strong drink - Theodoret and Chrysostom on this place, both Syrians, and unexceptionable witnesses in what belongs to their own country, inform us that שכר shechar (σικερα in the Greek of both Testaments, rendered by us by the general term strong drink) meant properly palm wine, or date wine, which was and is still much in use in the Eastern countries. Judea was famous for the abundance and excellence of its palm trees; and consequently had plenty of this wine. "Fiunt (vina) et e pomis; primumque e palmis, quo Parthi et Indi utun tur, et oriens totus: maturarum modio in aquae congiis tribus macerato expressoque." Plin. lib. 14:19. "Ab his cariotae [palmae] maxime celebrantur; et cibo quidem, sed et succo, uberrimae. Ex quibus praecipua vina orienti; iniqua capiti, unde porno nomen." Id. 13:9. Καρος signifies stupefaction: and in Hebrew likewise the wine has its name from its remarkably inebriating quality.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 5:8-23

Here is a woe to those who set their hearts on the wealth of the world. Not that it is sinful for those who have a house and a field to purchase another; but the fault is, that they never know when they have enough. Covetousness is idolatry; and while many envy the prosperous, wretched man, the Lord denounces awful woes upon him. How applicable to many among us! God has many ways to empty the most populous cities…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 5:8-23 →

Isaiah 5:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ה֛וֹיHowoe to!H1945

מַשְׁכִּימֵ֥יmash.ki.Mei[those who] rise earlyH7925

בַבֹּ֖קֶרva.Bo.kerin the morningH1242

שֵׁכָ֣רshe.Kharstrong drinkH7941

יִרְדֹּ֑פוּyir.Do.futhey pursueH7291

מְאַחֲרֵ֣יme.'a.cha.Rei[those who] delayH309

בַנֶּ֔שֶׁףva.Ne.shefin the twilightH5399

יַ֖יִןYa.yinwineH3196

יַדְלִיקֵֽם\׃yad.li.Kemit inflames themH1814

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 5:11

Proverbs 23:29-30
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Romans 13:13
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Isaiah 5:22
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Ecclesiastes 10:16-17
Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Isaiah 28:7-8
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. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
Habakkuk 2:15
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
1 Thessalonians 5:6-7
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
Luke 21:34
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
1 Corinthians 6:10
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Isaiah 28:1
Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
Galatians 5:21
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

rise.
22; 28:1; Pr 23:29,30; Ec 10:16,17; Ho 7:5,6; Hab 2:15; Lu 21:34
Ro 13:13; 1Co 6:10; Ga 5:21; 1Th 5:6,7
inflame. or, pursue.
28:7,8; Pr 20:1; 23:32

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Isaiah 5:10
Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.
Isaiah 5:11
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Isaiah 5:12
And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

Read all of Isaiah 5

Isaiah 5:11 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	¡Ay de los que se levantan de mañana para seguir la embriaguez; que se están hasta la noche, hasta que el vino los enciende!
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Malheur à ceux qui, se levant de bonne heure, courent après la boisson, et qui, s’attardant jusqu’à la tombée de la nuit, sont enflammés par le vin.
German Elberfelder 1871	Wehe denen, die des Morgens früh sich aufmachen, um starkem Getränk nachzulaufen, bis spät am Abend bleiben, der Wein erhitzt sie!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Væ qui consurgitis mane ad ebrietatem sectandam, et potandum usque ad vesperam, ut vino æstuetis!