Isaiah 28:7

Isaiah 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.

a. ASV: And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

b. YLT: And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.

c. Classic Amplified: But even these reel from wine and stagger from strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel from strong drink; they are confused from wine, they stagger and are gone astray through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble when pronouncing judgment.

d. Septuagint: For these have trespassed through wine; they have erred through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are mad through strong drink, they are swallowed up by reason of wine, they have staggered through drunkenness; they have erred: this is [their] vision.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings: For they, too, have erred because of wine and strayed because of Liquor; the Kohen and the [false] prophet have erred because of liquor, erred in vision, perverted justice. 

1. “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way…” 

a. But [Strong: 1571 gam gam by contraction from an unused root meaning to gather; properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and:--again, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and , but, either...or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea.]

b. they [Strong: 428 ʼêl-leh, ale'-leh; prolonged from H411; these or those:—an-(the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).]

c. [also] have erred [Strong: 7686 shâgâh, shaw-gaw'; a primitive root; to stray (causatively, mislead), usually (figuratively) to mistake, especially (morally) to transgress; by extension (through the idea of intoxication) to reel, (figuratively) be enraptured:—(cause to) go astray, deceive, err, be ravished, sin through ignorance, (let, make to) wander.]

d. [through] wine [Strong: 3196 yayin, yah'-yin; from an unused root meaning to effervesce; wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication:—banqueting, wine, wine(-bibber).]

e. [and through] strong drink [Strong: 7941 shêkâr, shay-kawr'; from H7937; an intoxicant, i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor:—strong drink, drunkard, strong wine.]

f. [are] out of the way [Strong: 8582 tâʻâh, taw-aw'; a primitive root; to vacillate, i.e. reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both:—(cause to) go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err, pant, seduce, (make to) stagger, (cause to) wander, be out of the way.]

1). Drinking alcohol or strong drink was allowed under the Old Covenant, but drunkenness was forbidden. Under the Old Covenant when the Israelites turned their festival tithe into money and went to Jerusalem and purchased what they needed to celebrate the feasts, wine and strong drink was included (Deuteronomy 14:22-27). But again drunkenness was strictly forbidden because of the negative effects it had on the individual (Proverbs 23:29-35).     

2. “...the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink they are swallowed up of wine…”

a. [the] priest [Strong: 3548 kôhên, ko-hane'; active participle of H3547; literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman):—chief ruler, × own, priest, prince, principal officer.]

b. [and the] prophet [Strong: 5030 nâbîyʼ, naw-bee'; from H5012; a prophet or (generally) inspired man:—prophecy, that prophesy, prophet.]

c. [have] erred [Strong: 7686 shâgâh, shaw-gaw'; a primitive root; to stray (causatively, mislead), usually (figuratively) to mistake, especially (morally) to transgress; by extension (through the idea of intoxication) to reel, (figuratively) be enraptured:—(cause to) go astray, deceive, err, be ravished, sin through ignorance, (let, make to) wander.]

d. [through] strong drink [Strong: 7941 shêkâr, shay-kawr'; from H7937; an intoxicant, i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor:—strong drink, drunkard, strong wine.]

e. [they are] swallowed up [Strong: 1104  bâlaʻ, baw-lah'; a primitive root; to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy:—cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down (up).]

f. of [Strong: 4480 min, min; or מִנִּי minnîy; or מִנֵּי minnêy; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for H4482; properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses:—above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, × neither, × nor, (out) of, over, since, × then, through, × whether, with.]

g. wine [Strong: 3196 yayin, yah'-yin; from an unused root meaning to effervesce; wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication:—banqueting, wine, wine(-bibber).]

1). In Leviticus 10 after the two sons of Aaron died because they recklessly violated God’s commandment, there is an explicit command that Aaron and his sons were not to drink wine or strong drink when they went into the tabernacle. Notice in the passage how the commandment immediately follows their deaths.

a). Leviticus 10:1-11 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.

10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

10:3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

10:4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.

10:5 So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.

10:6 And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest you die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

10:7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

10:8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,

10:9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

10:10And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;

10:11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

2). Jewish tradition teaches that the commandment had something to do with their deaths.

a). Chumash, p.594 Note, 9. “Since this commandment was issued immediately after the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, R’ Yishmael infers that their punishment must have been associated with the subject of the commandment. Thus, their sin was that they entered the Sanctuary after having wine.”

3). Gordon Lindsay writes in his Through the Bible Series, Volume 12. “Apparently, the sons of Aaron had not taken the fire from the altar of the burnt-offering, as had been prescribed, but had offered strange fire of their own! The question may be asked as to how they came to commit so foolish an act. The explanation seemingly is found in the context. In the ninth verse [of Leviticus 10], which immediately follows the record of the incident, is a statute forbidding priests to drink wine. From this it would appear that the sons of  Aaron had been drinking, probably not enough to be intoxicated, but sufficient to cause their judgment to be affected.”

4). There are more than enough condemnations in Scripture against drunkenness. The following one in Proverbs describes the characteristics a drunkard experiences  

a). Proverbs 23:29-35 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 

23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixt wine.

23:31 Look not upon thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

23:33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

23:34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the mast.

23:35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

2.  “…they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.”

a. [they are] out of the way [Strong: 8582 tâʻâh, taw-aw'; a primitive root; to vacillate, i.e. reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both:—(cause to) go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err, pant, seduce, (make to) stagger, (cause to) wander, be out of the way.]

b. through [Strong: 4480 min, min; or מִנִּי minnîy; or מִנֵּי minnêy; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for H4482; properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses:—above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, × neither, × nor, (out) of, over, since, × then, through, × whether, with.]

c. strong drink [Strong: 7941 shêkâr, shay-kawr'; from H7937; an intoxicant, i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor:—strong drink, drunkard, strong wine.]

d. [they] err [Strong: 7686 shâgâh, shaw-gaw'; a primitive root; to stray (causatively, mislead), usually (figuratively) to mistake, especially (morally) to transgress; by extension (through the idea of intoxication) to reel, (figuratively) be enraptured:—(cause to) go astray, deceive, err, be ravished, sin through ignorance, (let, make to) wander.]

e. [in] vision [Strong: 7203  rôʼeh, ro-eh'; active participle of H7200; a seer (as often rendered); but also (abstractly) a vision:—vision.]

f. [they] stumble [Strong: 6328 pûwq, pook; a primitive root; to waver:—stumble, move.]

g. [in] judgment [Strong: 6417 pᵉlîylîyâh, pel-ee-lee-yaw'; feminine of H6416; judicature:—judgment.]

1). One can look at a few of the characteristics of a drunkard and see the reasoning for the prohibition.

1). The person beholds “strange women” and they “utter perverse things”, not to mention they exhibit behavior they will later be embarrassed about when the inhibition wears off. In the case of Aaron’s sons they didn’t get the opportunity for the alcohol to wear off and come to their senses.