Isaiah 22:13 · Bible study
Isaiah 22:13 Commentary: Feasting in the Face of Judgment
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 22:13 exposes the sin of hedonistic escapism, God's people feasting while under His call to repentance, provoking divine wrath and the unpardonable sin.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The verse condemns a defiant, hedonistic response to God's call to repentance, using impending death as a reason to indulge rather than to turn back to God.
- Key Words: joy (śāśôn), gladness (śimḥâ), slaying/killing (hārag, shāḥaṭ), eating (ʾākal), drinking (šātâ), tomorrow (māḥār), we die (nāmûṯ).
- Main Debate: Whether the sin is primarily the feasting and drunkenness or the mocking rejection of God's warning, most agree it is both, with the latter being the root.
- Theological Theme: Impenitence and the danger of a hardened heart that refuses God's call to repentance, leading to irreversible judgment.
- Best Use: As a warning against escapist pleasures that numb us to God's voice, paired with the gospel hope that in Christ death is not the end.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But look, there is joy and gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
WEB World English Bible 2000
and behold, there is joy and gladness, killing cattle and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
and, behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And lo, joy and gladness, slaying of oxen, And slaughtering of sheep, Eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, Eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and behold joy and rejoicing, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: — Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And behold joy and gladness, killing calves, and slaying rams, eating flesh, and drinking wine: Let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y he aquí gozo y alegría, matando vacas y degollando ovejas, comer carne y beber vino, diciendo: Comamos y bebamos, que mañana moriremos.
E eis aqui alegria e festejo, matando vacas e degolando ovelhas, comendo carne, bebendo vinho, e dizendo : Comamos e bebamos, porque amanhã morreremos!
Et voici de la gaîté et de la joie!
Wiewohl jetzt, siehe, ist's eitel Freude und Wonne, Ochsen würgen, Schafe schlachten, Fleisch essen, Wein trinken und ihr sprecht: “Laßt uns essen und trinken, wir sterben doch morgen!”
Maar ziet, er is vreugde en blijdschap met runderen te doden, en schapen te kelen, vlees te eten, en wijn te drinken, en te zeggen: Laat ons eten en drinken, want morgen zullen wij sterven.
ed ecco che tutto è gioia, tutto è festa! Si ammazzano buoi, si scannano pecore, si mangia carne, si beve vino… “Mangiamo e beviamo, poiché domani morremo!”
A oto radość i wesele wasze, zabijać woły, i bić owce, a jedząc mięso, i pijąc wino, mówić: Jedzmy, pijmy, bo jutro pomrzemy.
Но вот, веселье и радость! Убивают волов, и режут овец; едят мясо, и пьют вино: "будем есть и пить, ибо завтра умрем!"
誰知，人倒歡喜 快樂，宰 牛 殺 羊，吃 肉 喝 酒，說：我們吃 喝吧！因為 明天 要死了。
But in place of these there was joy and delight, oxen and sheep were being made ready for food, there was feasting and drinking: men said, Now is the time for food and wine, for tomorrow death comes.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 22:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse condemns a defiant, mocking response to God's call for repentance. Calvin explains that the joy here is opposite to the sorrow that repentance produces; the people are hardened in brutish indifference. Barnes notes that when the Lord summoned them to fasting and sackcloth (v.12), they gave themselves to revelry, treating the approaching judgment as an excuse for indulgence: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' Gill sees the words as scoffing at the prophet, the people act as if the threat is not real, and so they turn the prospect of death into a license for pleasure. Clarke traces the same sentiment through pagan poets, calling it the language of all who seek their portion in this life. The sin is not the eating or drinking itself, but the context: a deliberate rejection of God's warning and a willful hardening of the heart against repentance. This is why the Lord declares the iniquity unforgivable until they die (v.14). Paul later quotes the phrase in 1 Corinthians 15:32 to argue that without the resurrection, such hedonism is the logical conclusion, but for the Christian, hope in resurrection transforms how we face death.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Rebellious mockery: The people deliberately act in opposition to God's call (v.12), scoffing at the prophet's warnings (Gill). The sin is the attitude of scorn and unbelief.
- Final impenitence: The heart becomes so hardened that it refuses to be moved by any warning, leading to an irreversible state where judgment is the only outcome (Calvin, Keil & Delitzsch).
What is clear: The verse clearly condemns a defiant, hedonistic response to divine judgment that rejects God's call to mourning and repentance, and it declares that such impenitence will not be forgiven in the lifetime of the guilty.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the sin | Christians agree the sin is a defiant, impenitent response to God's call for repentance in the face of judgment. | Some traditions emphasize the mocking of the prophet and the word of God (Gill); others stress the hardened indifference that refuses to mourn (Calvin). Both see the feasting as evidence of a deeper rebellion. |
| Historical setting within the chapter | All agree the passage belongs to the period of Sennacherib's invasion, when Jerusalem was threatened. | The specific moment is debated: some see it just after the raising of the siege (Cambridge Bible), others during the height of the crisis (Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch). The precise timing affects how we read the people's motive. |
| Severity of the judgment ('not be forgiven until you die') | The verse declares that this sin will not be expiated or removed during the current generation. | Interpreters differ on whether this means physical death alone (the sinners will die in the coming judgment) or eternal death (the Targum reads 'the second death'). Some see it as a direct statement of irrevocable hardening, like the unpardonable sin in the Gospels. |
| Paul's use in 1 Corinthians 15:32 | Paul quotes the phrase to argue against those who deny the resurrection of the dead. | Some see Paul applying the warning against hedonism to the Corinthian context; others note that Paul uses it hypothetically ('If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink...'), showing that the resurrection changes everything. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 22 belongs to the period of the Assyrian crisis under King Hezekiah (around 701 BC). The surrounding verses (vv.9-11) describe frantic defensive measures: gathering water, counting houses, breaking down walls for fortification. The city is under siege by Sennacherib's army, and the situation is desperate. In verse 12, the Lord calls the people to weeping, mourning, baldness, and sackcloth, the traditional signs of national lament and repentance. This was the appropriate response to imminent disaster.
But the people do the opposite. The Hebrew text uses infinitives absolute: 'they are killing,' 'they are slaughtering,' 'eating,' 'drinking', forms that stress ongoing, habitual action. It is not a one-time feast but a pattern of defiant merrymaking. The Cambridge Bible suggests that the historical moment may be the brief lifting of the siege after Hezekiah's submission to Assyrian tribute. The people celebrated their temporary relief, but Isaiah alone saw the greater danger still ahead. The phrase 'let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die' echoes a sentiment found in ancient Near Eastern banqueting scenes. Barnes compares it to an Egyptian custom where a mummy image was displayed at feasts to remind guests of death, but with the opposite effect: instead of sobering them, it spurred them to seize pleasure while they could. Here, the saying becomes a taunt: the people mock the prophet's warnings and treat God's threat as empty. God's response in verse 14 is severe: this iniquity 'will not be forgiven you until you die.' The Targum interprets this as the second death, eternal death.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 22:13. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The Masoretic reading is consistent, and the ancient versions (Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta) align closely with the Hebrew. The variant in the verse's exact phrasing (e.g., the placement of the vav on hinneh) has no effect on the meaning.
Reception History
Isaiah 22:13 has been a key text in Christian moral teaching against hedonism and despair. The apostle Paul quotes the slogan in 1 Corinthians 15:32 as the logical conclusion of a worldview without resurrection, if there is no life after death, then sensual indulgence is the only rational response. Early church fathers used the verse to warn against the Epicurean temptation to live for pleasure. The Latin Vulgate's rendering 'comedamus et bibamus, cras enim moriemur' became proverbial. In the Reformation, Calvin and the Puritans saw it as a picture of the reprobate mindset: people who have sinned past the point of repentance. The Targum's reading 'until you die the second death' has influenced some traditions to connect the passage with eternal judgment. The verse continues to challenge Christians to examine whether they use the shortness of life as a reason to turn to God or to turn away.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Sermon Outline
- God's Call to Mourning: In times of judgment, God invites His people to weep, repent, and seek mercy (v.12).
- The People's Defiant Feasting: Instead of heeding the call, they revel, using the nearness of death as an excuse for indulgence (v.13).
- The Divine Verdict: Such impenitence is unforgivable not because God is unwilling, but because the heart has become so hardened that it refuses all correction (v.14).
Five-Point Sermon Outline
- The Setting: Jerusalem under siege, a city that has taken every practical step for defense but ignored the God who planned it all (vv.9-11).
- The Contrast: The Lord calls for weeping; the city responds with feasting. Two diametrically opposed responses to the same crisis.
- The Slogan: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die', a phrase that reveals not just despair, but mocking unbelief. It says, 'We do not believe your warnings, so we will enjoy life while we can.'
- The Revelation: God personally reveals to Isaiah that this sin will not be forgiven until they die. There is a point of no return in hardening against God.
- The Gospel Counterpoint: In 1 Corinthians 15:32 Paul quotes the same slogan but overturns it: because Christ has risen, we do not live as those without hope. Our eating and drinking are done in the light of the resurrection.
Illustration Hooks
- The Titanic: As the ship sinks, the orchestra plays on. The feast continues even as disaster is certain.
- Belshazzar's Feast (Daniel 5): While Babylon is under attack, the king and his nobles drink from the temple vessels, defying the God of Israel.
- Modern 'YOLO' culture: The motto 'you only live once' often becomes an excuse for reckless pleasure, ignoring consequences and God's call to repentance.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Is it wrong to enjoy life when facing hardship? Where is the line between godly joy and escapist pleasure?
- What does it mean for a sin to be 'unforgivable until you die'? Does that mean God stops offering mercy?
- How can I tell if my own heart is hardening like Jerusalem's instead of softening in repentance?
Leading a Discussion
This passage forces us to confront a hard question: what do we do when God calls us to repent, and we instead choose comfort or distraction? The people of Jerusalem were not evil for eating and drinking, they were evil because they used the shadow of death as a reason to ignore God's urgent summons. In a world that often tells us to 'live it up' while we can, how do we respond to God's call to sorrow over sin and trust in His mercy?
Discussion Questions
- Read Isaiah 22:12-14. What did God ask His people to do in that day? Why did He call for weeping and sackcloth?
- How did the people respond? What specific actions does verse 13 describe?
- Why was their answer so offensive to God? Was it the feasting itself or the attitude behind it?
- Look at the cross-references: Isaiah 5:12, 56:12. How do these other passages echo the same pattern of ignoring God while partying?
- What does it mean that this iniquity 'will not be forgiven you until you die'? Is God unforgiving, or is this a description of a heart that has become permanently hard?
- In what situations are we tempted to 'eat and drink, for tomorrow we die'? What coping mechanisms do we use to avoid facing our need for repentance?
- How does the resurrection of Christ change the meaning of 'tomorrow we die'? (See 1 Corinthians 15:32, which Paul quotes in a hope-filled argument.) How can we live as people who know tomorrow is in God's hands?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 5:12 | The harp, lyre, tambourine, and flute, with wine, are at their feasts; but they don’t respect the work of Yahweh, neither have they considered the operation of his hands. |
| Isaiah 5:22 | Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink; |
| Isaiah 21:4 | My heart flutters. Horror has frightened me. The twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling for me. |
| Isaiah 21:5 | They prepare the table. They set the watch. They eat. They drink. Rise up, you princes, oil the shield! |
| Isaiah 28:7 | They also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment. |
| Isaiah 28:8 | For all tables are completely full of filthy vomit and filthiness. |
| Isaiah 56:12 | “Come,” they say, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.” |
| Amos 6:3 | Alas for you who put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke points out that the sentiment "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" has been the motto of those who seek only earthly pleasure since ancient times. He demonstrates this by citing pagan poets and the emperor Domitian, who used reminders of death as an excuse for indulgence.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights the bitter irony: the nearness of death should drive people to repentance and serious preparation for the afterlife, yet they twist it into an excuse for indulgence. He calls this the language of the epicure, who reasons that since death is unavoidable, one might as well enjoy life's pleasures while they last.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin distinguishes between godly joy and the sinful joy that resists repentance. Feasting is not wrong in itself, but becomes blameworthy when it expresses defiance against God's warnings. He rejects the Catholic view that this condemns eating meat, noting the real issue is hard-hearted indifference to divine judgment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses the stark contrast between Jerusalem's frantic celebrations and Isaiah's solitary grief. He reads the people's mirth as proof of their hopeless impenitence, not gratitude for deliverance. Their refusal to see the crisis as a call to repentance makes their sin, in his view, unpardonable.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators highlight the people's defiant, pleasure-seeking response to impending judgment: they feast and drink with the cynical motto that death is coming anyway. This attitude reveals a heart hardened against God's call to repentance, choosing momentary gratification over humble submission.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the people's feasting and their words, "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die," are not spoken in genuine despair but as a scoff at the prophet’s warning. They are mocking the threat of destruction, indulging in pleasure to show they do not believe it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Despite God's clear call to mourning, many respond to desperate times by turning to reckless partying instead. This attitude treats crisis as an excuse for indulgence, not an occasion for repentance.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch read the people's "tomorrow we die" as not delight
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange interprets the phrase "valley of vision" not as a geographical valley but as Jerusalem's role as the place where God's prophetic revelation should be seen. He argues that the people's sin lies in their refusal to look to God, even when they take practical defensive measures. Their defiance, knowing the danger yet ignoring God, is what makes their judgment final.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry explores two meanings for "the covering of Judah." It could mean the fortified cities were captured, leaving the land exposed, or it could mean God uncovered their hidden hypocrisy. Either way, the point is that God exposes sin and weakness.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Let us, &c. - A most perverse and desperate conclusion.