Isaiah 56:12 · Bible study
Isaiah 56:12 Commentary: The Drunkards' Presumption
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Commentary on the watchmen's arrogant hedonism, presumption on tomorrow, and the warning against spiritual complacency.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The spiritual leaders’ hedonistic mantra, promising continued indulgence and presuming endless prosperity.
- Key words: Wine, strong drink, tomorrow, great beyond measure.
- Main debate: Whether the sin is occasional drunkenness or a settled worldview; all agree the prophet condemns it.
- Theological theme: Judgment on unfaithful shepherds and the folly of living without regard for God.
- Best use: A warning against hedonism and presumption, especially for those in leadership.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
“Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”
WEB World English Bible 2000
“Come,” they say, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”
KJV King James Version 1769
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow shall be as this day, a day great beyond measure.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`Come ye, I take wine, And we drink, quaff strong drink, And as this day hath been to-morrow, Great--exceeding abundant!'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Come, [say they,] I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow shall be as this day, [and] much more abundant.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Come, let us take wine, and be filled with drunkenness: and it shall be as to day, so also to morrow, and much more.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Venid, dicen, tomaré vino, embriaguémonos de sidra; y será el día de mañana como este, ó mucho más excelente.
Eles dizem : Vinde, trarei vinho, e nos encheremos de bebida alcoólica; e o dia de amanhã será como hoje, e muito melhor!
Venez, je vais chercher du vin,
“ Kommt her, laßt uns Wein holen und uns vollsaufen, und soll morgen sein wie heute und noch viel mehr.”
Komt herwaarts, zeggen zij: ik zal wijn halen, en wij zullen sterken drank zuipen; en de dag van morgen zal zijn als deze, ja, groter, veel treffelijker.
“Venite”, dicono, “io andrò a cercare del vino, e c’inebrieremo di bevande forti! E il giorno di domani sarà come questo, anzi sarà più grandioso ancora!”
Pójdźcie, nabiorę wina, a upijemy się mocnym napojem, a będzie nam jako dziś tak i jutro, i jeszcze daleko obficiej.
приходите, говорят, я достану вина, и мы напьемся сикеры; и завтра то же будет, что сегодня, да еще и больше.
他們說：來吧！我去拿 酒，我們飽飲 濃酒；明日 必 和今 日一樣，就是宴樂無量 極 大之日。
Come, they say, I will get wine, and we will take strong drink in full measure; and tomorrow will be like today, full of pleasure.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 56:12
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse exposes the spiritual leaders of Israel in a state of debauched complacency. Their cry, “Come, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”, is, as Clarke puts it, an “Epicurean sentiment” that trades future accountability for present pleasure. Barnes insists this is no occasional lapse but a “settled purpose”, they mean to continue drinking deeper tomorrow. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Keil & Delitzsch concur: the leaders promise themselves even greater revelry, blind to the judgment gathering around them. The consensus is that this verse is the prophet’s final, damning proof that Israel’s shepherds have abandoned their post. They are not just drunk; they have built a whole worldview on the assumption that tomorrow will be more of the same. For any spiritual leader in any age, this verse is a mirror: the love of ease can displace the call to watch.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse depicts the spiritual leaders’ self-indulgent presumption on continued pleasure, a stance the prophet condemns as part of their failure to fulfill their watchman role.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the speakers | All major commentators identify the speakers as the spiritual leaders (watchmen, shepherds, priests or prophets) of Israel. | Whether they are primarily prophets (Cambridge, Keil & Delitzsch) or also include priests (Barnes, Matthew Henry). |
| Nature of the sin | The sin is drunkenness combined with presumption, they plan to continue drinking and expect tomorrow to be even better. | Some (Barnes) stress the intentional, habitual character; others (Clarke) emphasize the Epicurean philosophy of ‘eat, drink, be merry.’ |
| Application for today | The verse warns against hedonistic complacency, especially among church leaders. | Traditions differ on the specific application: some apply it to alcohol abstinence for ministers (Barnes); others use it more broadly against any worldly security. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 56 sits at a hinge in the book. Earlier chapters promised a future gathering of outcasts (v.8), but here the prophet pivots to denounce the very leaders who should prepare the people. The “watchmen” are the priests and prophets, those called to guard the nation (see Neh 6:10, 14; Jer 6:17). In verses 9, 11 they are described as blind, mute dogs that cannot bark, greedy shepherds who seek only their own gain. Verse 12 gives their actual speech. It is a drinking song, a chant of denial. The Hebrew shekar (“strong drink”) was a potent fermented beverage often associated with pagan feasts; Proverbs 31:4, 5 warns kings against it precisely because it “forgets the law.” The speakers use the future tense (ha yah) to claim that tomorrow will be like today, an assertion that directly defies Proverbs 27:1 (“Do not boast about tomorrow”). The historical backdrop is likely the late monarchy of Manasseh or the exilic period, when leadership had grown corrupt and the people had abandoned covenant faithfulness. This verse is the sound of a leadership that has lost all sense of impending crisis.
Textual Notes
Most Hebrew manuscripts agree on the reading of Isaiah 56:12. Clarke notes that an ancient Hebrew manuscript reads nikchah (first person plural, ‘let us take’) instead of ekchah (first person singular, ‘I will take’), supported by the Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate. The Cambridge Bible adds that several LXX codices supply an infinitive for clarity. These minor variants do not change the overall meaning, the leaders are calling one another to drink.
Reception History
This verse has been used throughout church history to condemn drunkenness among the clergy and to warn against presuming on future grace. In the early church, it was cited in exhortations to sobriety and readiness for Christ’s return. During the nineteenth-century temperance movement, Barnes and other Protestant commentators applied it directly to ministers who drank wine habitually. It continues to serve as a sharp warning against the ‘eat, drink, for tomorrow we die’ mindset (cf. Isa 22:13) and as a call for leaders to remain watchful and self-controlled.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Drunken recklessness. The leaders treat their office as an excuse for carousing. Their speech is a toast to irresponsibility, ‘I will fetch wine, we will fill ourselves with strong drink.’
- Foolish presumption on tomorrow. They assume the future will be more of the same, only better. This is not hope; it is denial of God’s judgment and their own mortality.
- God’s impending judgment. The surrounding context (v.9, 11) makes clear that the ‘animals of the field’ are coming to devour. The party will end.
Five-point outline
- The sin of the watchmen: they cannot see, cannot bark, love to slumber (56:10).
- The language of addiction: ‘I will fetch… we will fill ourselves’, the verbs show intentional, habitual pursuit of intoxication.
- The denial of consequences: ‘tomorrow will be as today’, a mantra that excludes accountability.
- The contrast with true prophecy: a genuine watchman cries aloud and warns (Isa 58:1). These leaders sing drinking songs.
- The call to sobriety: for leaders and all believers, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, not a burden.
Illustration hooks
- A CEO who ignores quarterly losses because his bonus is secured, telling the board, ‘next quarter will be even better.’
- A student who parties through finals week, convinced he can cram tomorrow, only to fail the exam.
- A church staff that spends more time on social events than on the spiritual formation of the congregation.
Questions your congregation is asking
- ‘Is it a sin to enjoy wine or a party? Where is the line?’
- ‘How can I tell if I am presuming on tomorrow instead of trusting God?’
- ‘What does this verse say about the responsibilities of church leaders today?’
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows leaders who have traded their calling for comfort. They speak as though tomorrow is guaranteed and judgment will never come. As you discuss, consider where you or your church might be tempted to live for the present moment while drifting from your mission.
Discussion questions
- Read Isaiah 56:9, 12. What do the metaphors in verses 9, 11 (animals, blind dogs, mute dogs) tell you about these leaders?
- What does the word “fill yourselves” suggest about the quantity or nature of their drinking?
- Why is the claim “tomorrow will be as today” so dangerous? What does it reveal about their view of God?
- How does this passage connect with Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow”?
- In what ways might Christians today make the same assumption, that tomorrow will simply be more of the same?
- How does this passage challenge the way you use your time and resources this week?
- If you were a spiritual leader who had fallen into this mindset, what first step would you take to return to faithful watching?
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)
| Psalms 10:6 | He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble.” |
| Proverbs 23:35 | “They hit me, and I was not hurt! They beat me, and I don’t feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I will look for more.” |
| Proverbs 27:1 | Don’t boast about tomorrow; for you don’t know what a day may bring. |
| Proverbs 31:4 | It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’ |
| Proverbs 31:5 | lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted. |
| 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 5:22 | Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink; |
| Isaiah 22:13 | 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.” |
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
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the people are not simply seeking pleasure but deliberately rejecting any gloomy thoughts about the future. They expect nothing but increasing hilarity every day, calculating on long years of enjoyment here while remaining completely unprepared for the world to come.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes targets this verse specifically at the watchmen or public teachers, not the general population. He sees the real offense not in a single lapse but in the settled, habitual intention to keep drinking tomorrow, a deliberate resolve that ministers often display by opposing temperance societies.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentary emphasizes that the "watchmen" are Israel's spiritual leaders—priests and prophets—who have become blind to the evils around them and mute, afraid to speak out. They are described as dumb dogs that cannot bark, failing to warn the people of approaching danger. The commentary highlights a wordplay: these leaders are "raving" dreamers rather than true seers, and they are lazy, indulging in drunken carousing instead of fulfilling their prophetic duty.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Come, I wil bring wine, and we wil fill our selues with strong drinke, and to morowe shalbe as this day, and much more abundant.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill applies the verse specifically to corrupt Roman Catholic clergy, whom he accuses of notorious drunkenness. He highlights their call to indulge without limit, trusting that tomorrow will be even more abundant, as a prophecy of priestly intemperance in later ages.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the phrase "fetch wine" represents the language of national teachers challenging one another to drink. Their self-indulgence was not merely occasional but habitual and intentional, as they deliberately planned to continue the same excess the next day. This reveals a settled purpose of drunkenness.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch treats the speaker's invitation as a dramatic monologue: an office-bearer openly calls for a drinking party and boasts that tomorrow will be even greater, excessively abundant. The commentator highlights the Hebrew word for superabundance, noting it means beyond all bounds rather than merely "more."
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that this passage describes conditions before the exile, not during or after it. He insists Isaiah contrasts the glorious future with a mournful present, showing bad shepherds who are blind, dumb, and greedy while the righteous are violently taken away but enter into peace.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry notes the abrupt change in the prophet's tone from comfort to stern rebuke. The coming desolation, he argues, is a just judgment provoked by the leaders' failures: blind and silent watchmen, greedy shepherds who care only for their own gain. God lets the beasts devour as ministers of his justice.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley zeros in on the priests' call to "fill ourselves" — meaning not just drinking but drinking to drunkenness. He sees this as shocking carelessness: they feel utterly secure, hold God in contempt, and abandon all concern for their own souls or the people they are supposed to lead.