Isaiah 5:22-23 · Bible study
Isaiah 5:22-23 Commentary: Wine, Bribes, and Corrupted Justice
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
How pride in drinking ability connects to judicial corruption in Isaiah's sixth woe. A study of Hebrew terms, historical context, and interpretive traditions.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God condemns leaders who boast of drinking strength while perverting justice through bribery, private indulgence fuels public corruption.
- Key words: gibbor ('mighty' H1368), shochad ('bribe' H7810), tsaddiq ('righteous' H6662), the last appears twice in different forms, emphasizing the contrast between the wicked being justified and the righteous being stripped of justice.
- Main debate: Whether the drinking is the cause of the injustice or simply a parallel vice. Most commentators see a material link (bribes fund drinking), but Calvin treats the two woes as distinct though related.
- Theological theme: The holiness of God demands justice; a society that mocks both sobriety and righteousness will face judgment (v.24).
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on social ethics, the dangers of self-indulgence, and the responsibility of leaders to fear God rather than pursue pleasure.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
22Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,
23who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
WEB World English Bible 2000
22Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;
23who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!
KJV King James Version 1769
22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
ASV American Standard Version 1901
22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;
23that justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
22Woe to the mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink.
23Declaring righteous the wicked for a bribe, And the righteousness of the righteous They turn aside from him.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
22Woe unto them that are mighty for drinking wine, and men valiant to mix strong drink;
23who justify the wicked for a bribe, and turn away the righteousness of the righteous from them!
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
22Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and stout men at drunkenness.
23That justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the justice of the just from him.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 5:22
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Isaiah 5:22-23 forms the sixth and final woe of the chapter, targeting Judah's leaders who boast of drinking prowess while corrupting the legal system. The Hebrew word gibbor ('mighty') is military language, yet here applied to drinking, a deliberate mock-heroic effect. Calvin calls it 'bacchanalian warfare,' noting the irony of wasting strength on wine instead of defending the nation. Barnes highlights that the ability to drink heavily without visible intoxication was a source of pride, but such intemperance disqualified a judge. Keil and Delitzsch state plainly that 'the drinkers in Isa 5:22 are unjust judges.' The Cambridge Bible paints a picture of a 'debased aristocracy' where public virtue has been eaten out by avarice and sensuality. The connection is not accidental: drunkenness dulls moral judgment, and the bribe money funded the drinking parties. The passage belongs together, without verse 23, the target would be unclear.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The passage unquestionably condemns both drunkenness (or at least excessive drinking) and judicial bribery, and presents them as twin signs of a society that has rejected God's law.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Unity of vv.22-23 | All commentators treat these verses as one woe, the mighty drinkers are also the corrupt judges. | Some (Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch) argue the drinking directly causes the injustice; Calvin sees them as two separate vices denounced together. |
| Identity of 'the guilty' and 'the righteous' | The guilty are those who come before the court with a wicked case, and the righteous are those with a just cause. | Gill applies the passage to the scribes and Pharisees who justified the wicked and condemned Christ. Others (Calvin, Cambridge) read it as the ordinary injustice of Judah's magistrates, not a specific messianic reference. |
| Literalness of 'mighty to drink wine' | The phrase uses hyperbole, it mocks the boast of being able to drink large amounts without falling. | Some see it as literal boasting about alcohol tolerance (Barnes, Calvin); others (Targum, cited by Gill) interpret 'men of strength' as 'men of riches' who can afford wine, a social status boast rather than a physical one. |
| Relevance for church discipline | The passage shows that private sins (drunkenness) can disqualify from public office (judging). | Traditions differ on whether this supports total abstinence (some evangelical groups) versus moderation (Lutheran, Catholic, Anglican traditions). All agree that intoxication and bribery are incompatible with Christian leadership. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 5 is structured as a vineyard song (vv.1-7) followed by six 'woe' oracles directed at the upper classes of Judah. Verses 22-23 combine the sixth woe with a specific indictment of the legal system. The Hebrew word gibbor (Strong's H1368) normally describes a warrior or hero, but here it is twisted: these men are heroes only at drinking wine and mixing strong drink (shekar, H7941), a fermented beverage often spiced to increase its intoxicating effect (see Proverbs 9:2,5). The phrase 'mighty to drink wine' suggests a boasting culture, men who prided themselves on how much they could consume without falling (Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch).
Verse 23 exposes the moral cost. The same men serve as judges. They 'acquit the guilty for a bribe', the Hebrew shochad (H7810) means a gift that perverts judgment (Exodus 23:8, Deuteronomy 16:19). The word ekev (H6118) is an adverbial accusative meaning 'in recompense' or 'for pay.' Then they 'take away the righteousness of the righteous from him', a legal phrase meaning they deny justice to those with a valid claim. Gill notes that the Targum interprets 'men of strength' as 'men of riches,' since wealth enabled their drinking habits. However, the military metaphor dominates: they are warriors in the war of Bacchus, not Mars (Calvin).
Isaiah returns to this theme repeatedly (Isaiah 28:7-8, 56:12). The context of chapter 5 shows that these sins are not isolated: the people have rejected the law of Yahweh (v.24), and thus judgment is coming in the form of a foreign invasion (vv.26-30). The woe is not just a complaint, it is a legal pronouncement of doom.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries and lexical sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 5:22-23. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The Septuagint and Vulgate renderings align with the Masoretic reading. Some manuscripts read צַדִּיק ('righteous', singular) in v.23, which Adam Clarke notes as the reading of the Septuagint and Vulgate, but the Masoretic Text has the plural tsaddiqim. The difference does not affect the meaning: either way, justice is being taken away from those who deserve it.
Reception History
Early Christian interpreters read this passage as a moral warning against the double sin of gluttony and injustice. Chrysostom and Jerome both applied it to corrupt clergy who used church funds for lavish banquets. In the Reformation, Calvin and Luther used it to critique magistrates who drank with the rich and oppressed the poor. The Geneva Bible's notes (1599) specifically link the passage to rulers who 'justify the wicked for reward.' In the 19th and 20th centuries, temperance movements often cited these verses to argue that alcohol abuse leads directly to social injustice. More recent interpreters (Cambridge Bible, Keil & Delitzsch) emphasize the structural critique: a debased aristocracy brings judgment on the whole nation. Across traditions, the passage has consistently been read as a call to align personal discipline with public integrity.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Pride in the wrong kind of strength. The leaders boast of drinking ability, but true strength is found in justice and fear of God, not in alcohol. Calvin calls this a 'beastly ambition', using God-given vigor for self-indulgence.
- Indulgence leads to injustice. Barnes observes that a drunk man is not qualified to be a judge. The link between wine and bribery is direct: money from bribes funds drunken feasts (cf. Isaiah 28:7-8). Moral sensitivity erodes with every cup.
- God's woe is a covenant lawsuit. The 'woe' (hoy) is more than frustration; it is a formal accusation. The consequence is spelled out in v.24: they have 'rejected the law of Yahweh of Armies.' The passage warns that a society which mocks justice courts destruction.
Five-point outline
- Boasting in drinking. 'Mighty to drink wine', they make a competition of consumption.
- Mixing strong drink. Deliberate preparation of intoxicating concoctions.
- Acquitting the guilty for a bribe. The verdict is purchased, not earned.
- Denying justice to the righteous. Those who have right on their side are silenced.
- The root of the rot. All of this flows from casting away God's law (v.24).
Illustration hooks
- Drinking culture and public office. A modern equivalent might be a judge or politician who brags about heavy drinking after hours, then makes decisions that favor wealthy donors, the public trusts them less because the private habit leaks into public responsibility.
- The 'harmless' boast. People still value those who can 'hold their liquor,' as if that were a sign of strength. The passage challenges that assumption: what seems like a feat is actually a symptom of misplaced priorities.
- Causal chain. When money flows to alcohol (or any luxury), how often do shortcuts in ethics follow? The connection between self-indulgence and compromised judgment is a pattern visible in scandals of every era.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it a sin to drink alcohol at all? The passage condemns excess and its social consequences, not the substance itself. Many Christians hold different convictions; the main issue is the heart attitude and the effect on others.
- How can we hold leaders accountable? Isaiah's woe is public. Congregations may wonder how to address corruption in church or civil government when those in power also enjoy private vices.
- Can a single drink really lead to injustice? The passage suggests a link, but it is not automatic. The issue is a lifestyle of indulgence that dulls moral sensitivity, a gradual drift, not a single sip.
Leading a Discussion
This short passage links two sins that might seem unrelated: heavy drinking and bribery. Isaiah does not separate them. He presents the leaders as boasting of drinking strength while taking bribes to pervert justice. The group should work through how private habits affect public responsibilities and how a society's moral health is tied to its legal systems.
Discussion questions
- Read the passage aloud. What words and images stand out? How does the prophet describe these people?
- The Hebrew word for 'mighty' (gibbor) is usually used for warriors. Why would Isaiah apply it to drinking? What is the effect of that irony?
- Verse 23 mentions 'bribe' (shochad). Look up Exodus 23:8 and Deuteronomy 16:19. What does the Old Testament teach about bribes? How does this connect to the drinking?
- Barnes says a drunk man is not qualified to be a judge. Do you agree? Can a private vice disqualify someone for public office? Why or why not?
- Calvin calls the drinking 'bacchanalian warfare.' How does this language of misdirected strength challenge our culture's idea of what it means to be 'strong'?
- How might this passage apply today in contexts where alcohol is not the issue? What other 'strengths' might be boasted about while justice is neglected?
- Isaiah 5 is part of a covenant lawsuit. What does it mean that God's first response to injustice is a 'woe', a declaration of sorrow and judgment? How does that shape how we talk about sin?
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)
| Proverbs 23:19 | Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path! |
| Proverbs 23:20 | Don’t be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat; |
| Isaiah 5:11 | 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! |
| Isaiah 28:1 | Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine! |
| Isaiah 28:3 | The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot. |
| 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 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.” |
| Habakkuk 2:15 | “Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring your inflaming wine until they are drunk, so that you may gaze at their naked bodies! |
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 draws on Kimchi's observation that these people display their strength not in battle but in drunkenness and debauchery. He also notes that the Hebrew word for "the righteous" in this context is singular rather than plural, which may affect how the verse is understood.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights the boastful pride behind the sin: these people gloried in their ability to drink heavily without getting drunk, mixing wine with stronger spices to increase its effect. He then connects this intemperance directly to corrupt justice, arguing that a man addicted to strong drink is unfit to be a judge and easily swayed by bribes.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin's distinctive point is that drunkards waste their physical strength in a shameful contest of drinking, forgetting that food and drink are meant to sustain the body for serving God and neighbor. He then argues that accepting bribes inevitably corrupts judgment, no matter how impartial the judge claims to remain, because the gift itself bends the mind toward the giver.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This sixth woe targets the debased aristocracy of Judah, specifically the judges who sit on the bench drunk. These men pride themselves on mixing and tasting fine spiced wine, yet in court they are useless: they acquit the guilty and condemn the innocent. Drunkenness, the commentator notes, is the parent of judicial injustice.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva notes connect strength in drinking to corruption in judgment. Those who boast of their alcohol tolerance are the same people who acquit the guilty for bribes and strip the righteous of justice.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the "mighty" not as warriors but as drunkards who boast in their capacity for wine. He applies the whole passage to the scribes and Pharisees, religious leaders who pervert justice: they acquit the wicked for bribes or adherence to traditions, and condemn the righteous like Christ and his apostles.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the judges condemned here boast about their ability to drink heavily rather than defend their country, and they use bribes to fund their self-indulgence. Their "strong drink" is wine mixed with spices to make it more intoxicating, and to "take away the righteousness" means to dismiss the valid claims of those who have justice on their side.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses that these so-called heroes are not distinguished for defending justice but for their prowess in drinking wine and mixing strong drinks. They use bribes to fund their debauchery, perverting judgment by acquitting the guilty and stripping the righteous of their rights.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the bitter irony in the vineyard song: the prophet begins with a joyful, lark-like tune about a friend's vineyard, only to reveal the friend is God and the vineyard is Israel. The initial hope crumbles into disappointment, just as Nathan confronted David through a story.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that these sinners do not drift into sin but actively bind themselves to it, first with flimsy excuses and then with stronger, more deliberate ties. Their boldness grows until they mock God and invert moral values, which only provokes His unceasing judgment.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes a figure of speech: "mingle" stands for the act of drinking because the wine is mixed for that purpose. Similarly, "take away" here means to pronounce a sentence of judgment, not a physical removal.