Proverbs 23:29-35 Meaning: Who Has Woe, Sorrow, and Bloodshot Eyes?
29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine.
31Don’t look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.
32In the end, it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper.
33Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the middle of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging:
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.”
29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35They 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.
29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
30They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.
31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:
32At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.
33Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.
34Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
30Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.
31See not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright.
32Its latter end--as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth.
33Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.
34And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast.
35`They smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake--I seek it yet again!'
29Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes?
30— They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
31Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and goeth down smoothly:
32at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
34and thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, and as he that lieth down upon the top of a mast:
35— “They have smitten me, [and] I am not sore; they have beaten me, [and] I knew it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
Meaning in one sentence
Proverbs 23:29-35: Solomon paints a stark picture of the drunkard's life, woe, strife, bruises, and addiction, and warns against wine's deceptive appeal.
Context
This passage sits within a collection of sayings from Solomon, addressed as a father to a son. The chapter has been warning against the seduction of adultery, and now it turns to a closely related danger: drunkenness. The same kind of person who falls into sexual sin often stumbles here too. Solomon asks a series of sharp questions, then answers them bluntly. The portrait that follows is drawn from real life: the quarrelsome drinker, the one who gets into fights, who wakes up sore and confused, and who reaches for another glass anyway. These verses do not condemn wine itself, elsewhere Scripture presents wine as a gift, but they paint a brutally honest picture of what happens when a person lingers too long at the cup.
Key Words
The Hebrew verb ra'ah in verse 31 means “to see” or “to gaze.” But here it carries a charge: the warning is not just to avoid drinking, but to avoid even looking longingly at the wine when it is red and sparkling. The act of gazing is the first step, the moment the desire takes hold. This is not prudishness; it is the wisdom of not playing with fire.
The second key moment comes at the very end, in the drunkard's own words: 'osif 'avaqeshennu, “I will seek it yet again.” The verb baqash means “to seek,” the same word used elsewhere for seeking God. Here it is twisted, the one thing the drunkard pursues is the very thing destroying him. He does not learn. He only longs for more. That word captures the tragic cycle of addiction: the promise of relief that only leads to deeper need.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians from various traditions have taken different readings of a few details here. The phrase “strange things” in verse 33 is translated as “strange women” in the King James Version, emphasizing the connection between drunkenness and lust, a reading supported by many early commentators. The Reformed tradition in particular has stressed how wine loosens moral restraints. Other translations, like the WEB, prefer “strange things,” pointing to the hallucinations and confusion that heavy drinking produces. Both readings capture real effects of intoxication, and neither is wrong. What all traditions agree on is the central point: the seductive pleasure of wine leads to a bitter end, and the only wise response is to recognize the danger before the first sip.
A common misunderstanding
Living This Out
This week, the passage asks you to take a long, honest look at your own habits. Is there something you keep returning to, a drink, a screen, a comfort, that leaves you dull, irritable, or ashamed the next morning? We all have something that sparkles in the cup, that glides down smoothly. The wisdom here is to stop gazing at it. Ask someone you trust to tell you what they see. And if you hear yourself saying, “I can do it again, I’ll look for more,” then hear this as a warning. The serpent’s bite is real, and it does not loosen its grip simply because you ignore it.
Main takeaway: The temporary pleasure of overindulgence leads to lasting pain, and the wise person does not linger where the end is poison.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
If you drink too much of something that looks pretty but hurts you, it will make you sick and sad. This verse tells us to be careful and not let our eyes trick us into taking things that will bite us later.
For ages 9, 12
This passage is like a warning label written thousands of years ago. The questions at the start, about woe and bruises and red eyes, are answered in verse 30: people who hang around wine too long. The picture is meant to scare you, but also to help you. It shows how addiction fools you: you get hurt but you don’t even feel it, and you want more. God wants you to see the end of that road before you go down it, so you can choose something better.
Questions People Ask
What does “mixed wine” mean in Proverbs 23:30?
Mixed wine (Hebrew mamsakh) was wine blended with spices, herbs, or other ingredients to make it stronger or more flavorful. It was often associated with festive drinking and was deliberately sought out by those who wanted a more intense experience.
Why does the drunkard say “they struck me, but I was not hurt” in verse 35?
This describes the dullness that heavy drinking produces. The person is so intoxicated that they do not feel the pain of blows or injuries they receive, often in fights. The verse highlights both physical numbness and moral insensibility, the drunkard is too far gone to recognize the damage being done.
What is the meaning of the image of lying on top of a mast in verse 34?
This image captures the dizzying, dangerous disorientation of drunkenness. A person lying on a mast at sea would be tossed violently and at constant risk of falling. It pictures both extreme peril and the drunkard’s bizarre confidence that everything is fine when they are in grave danger.
Is the Bible saying wine is evil in Proverbs 23:31?
No. The verse warns against staring at wine when it looks desirable, because the attraction can lead to overindulgence. The Bible elsewhere treats wine as a gift (Psalm 104:15) but consistently condemns drunkenness. The issue here is not the drink but the pattern of lingering and losing control.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study