1 Timothy 3:8

3:8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, ¹  not two-faced, ²  not given to excessive drinking, ³  not greedy for gain,

Leviticus 10:9

10:9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, you and your sons with you, when you enter into the Meeting Tent, so that you do not die, which is a perpetual statute throughout your generations, ⁴ 

Isaiah 5:11-12

5:11 Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, ⁵ 

those who keep drinking long after dark

until they are intoxicated with wine. ⁶ 

5:12 They have stringed instruments, ⁷  tambourines, flutes,

and wine at their parties.

So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,

they do not perceive what he is bringing about. ⁸ 

Isaiah 28:1

The Lord Will Judge Samaria

28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, ⁹ 

the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, ¹⁰ 

situated ¹¹  at the head of a rich valley,

the crown of those overcome with wine. ¹² 

Isaiah 28:7

28:7 Even these men ¹³  stagger because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer –

priests and prophets stagger because of beer,

they are confused ¹⁴  because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer;

they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, ¹⁵ 

they totter while making legal decisions. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 56:12

56:12 Each one says, ¹⁷ 

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’ ¹⁸ 

Ezekiel 44:21

44:21 No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court.

Micah 2:11

2:11 If a lying windbag should come and say, ¹⁹ 

‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ ²⁰ 

he would be just the right preacher for these people! ²¹ 

Matthew 24:45-51

The Faithful and Wise Slave

24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, ²²  whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves ²³  their food at the proper time? 24:46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work ²⁴  when he comes. 24:47 I tell you the truth, ²⁵  the master ²⁶  will put him in charge of all his possessions. 24:48 But if ²⁷  that evil slave should say to himself, ²⁸  ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 24:49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 24:50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, 24:51 and will cut him in two, ²⁹  and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 12:42-46

12:42 The Lord replied, ³⁰  “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, ³¹  whom the master puts in charge of his household servants, ³²  to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? 12:43 Blessed is that slave ³³  whom his master finds at work ³⁴  when he returns. 12:44 I tell you the truth, ³⁵  the master ³⁶  will put him in charge of all his possessions. 12:45 But if ³⁷  that ³⁸  slave should say to himself, ³⁹  ‘My master is delayed ⁴⁰  in returning,’ and he begins to beat ⁴¹  the other ⁴²  slaves, both men and women, ⁴³  and to eat, drink, and get drunk, 12:46 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, ⁴⁴  and assign him a place with the unfaithful. ⁴⁵ 

Luke 21:34-36

Be Ready!

21:34 “But be on your guard ⁴⁶  so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. ⁴⁷  21:35 For ⁴⁸  it will overtake ⁴⁹  all who live on the face of the whole earth. ⁵⁰  21:36 But stay alert at all times, ⁵¹  praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must ⁵²  happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Ephesians 5:18

5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, which ⁵³  is debauchery, ⁵⁴  but be filled by the Spirit, ⁵⁵ 

Titus 1:7

1:7 For the overseer ⁵⁶  must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, ⁵⁷  not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.

Titus 2:3

2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good.

[3:8]  ¹ tn Or “respectable, honorable, of serious demeanor.”

[3:8]  ² tn Or “insincere,” “deceitful”; Grk “speaking double.”

[3:8]  ³ tn Grk “not devoted to much wine.”

[10:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “a perpetual statute for your generations”; NAB “a perpetual ordinance”; NRSV “a statute forever”; NLT “a permanent law.” The Hebrew grammar here suggests that the last portion of v. 9 functions as both a conclusion to v. 9 and an introduction to vv. 10-11. It is a pivot clause, as it were. Thus, it was a “perpetual statute” to not drink alcoholic beverages when ministering in the tabernacle, but it was also a “perpetual statue” to distinguish between holy and profane and unclean and clean (v. 10) as well as to teach the children of Israel all such statutes (v. 11).

[5:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who arise early in the morning, [who] chase beer.”

[5:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “[who] delay until dark, [until] wine enflames them.”

[5:12]  ⁷ tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

[5:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).

[28:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.

[28:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.

[28:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “which [is].”

[28:1]  ¹² tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.

[28:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.

[28:7]  ¹⁴ tn According to HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע, the verb form is derived from בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”), not the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”). See earlier notes at 3:12 and 9:16.

[28:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in the seeing.”

[28:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”

[56:12]  ¹⁷ tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[56:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.

[2:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “if a man, coming [as] wind and falsehood, should lie”; NASB “walking after wind and falsehood”; NIV “a liar and a deceiver.”

[2:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “I will foam at the mouth concerning wine and beer.”

[2:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “he would be the foamer at the mouth for this people.”

[24:45]  ²² tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[24:45]  ²³ tn Grk “give them.”

[24:46]  ²⁴ tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.

[24:47]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:47]  ²⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:48]  ²⁷ tn In the Greek text this is a third class condition that for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition (note the translation of the following verb “should say”).

[24:48]  ²⁸ tn Grk “should say in his heart.”

[24:51]  ²⁹ tn The verb διχοτομέω (dicotomew) means to cut an object into two parts (L&N 19.19). This is an extremely severe punishment compared to the other two later punishments. To translate it simply as “punish” is too mild. If taken literally this servant is dismembered, although it is possible to view the stated punishment as hyperbole (L&N 38.12).

[12:42]  ³⁰ tn Grk “And the Lord said.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[12:42]  ³¹ tn Or “administrator,” “steward” (L&N 37.39).

[12:42]  ³² tn This term, θεραπεία (qerapeia), describes the group of servants working in a particular household (L&N 46.6).

[12:43]  ³³ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[12:43]  ³⁴ tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.

[12:44]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀληθῶς, alhqw"), I say to you.”

[12:44]  ³⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity. See also Luke 19:11-27.

[12:45]  ³⁷ tn In the Greek text this is a third class condition that for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition (note the translation of the following verb “should say”).

[12:45]  ³⁸ tn The term “that” (ἐκεῖνος, ekeino") is used as a catchword to list out, in the form of a number of hypothetical circumstances, what the possible responses of “that” servant could be. He could be faithful (vv. 43-44) or totally unfaithful (vv. 45-46). He does not complete his master’s will with knowledge (v. 47) or from ignorance (v 48). These differences are indicated by the different levels of punishment in vv. 46-48.

[12:45]  ³⁹ tn Grk “should say in his heart.”

[12:45]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “is taking a long time.”

[12:45]  ⁴¹ sn The slave’s action in beginning to beat the other slaves was not only a failure to carry out what was commanded but involved doing the exact reverse.

[12:45]  ⁴² tn The word “other” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[12:45]  ⁴³ tn Grk “the menservants and the maidservants.” The term here, used in both masculine and feminine grammatical forms, is παῖς (pais), which can refer to a slave, but also to a slave who is a personal servant, and thus regarded kindly (L&N 87.77).

[12:46]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb διχοτομέω (dicotomew) means to cut an object into two parts (L&N 19.19). This is an extremely severe punishment compared to the other two later punishments. To translate it simply as “punish” is too mild. If taken literally this servant is dismembered, although it is possible to view the stated punishment as hyperbole (L&N 38.12).

[12:46]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “unbelieving.” Here the translation employs the slightly more ambiguous “unfaithful,” which creates a link with the point of the parable – faithfulness versus unfaithfulness in servants. The example of this verse must be taken together with the examples of vv. 47-48 as part of a scale of reactions with the most disobedient response coming here. The fact that this servant is placed in a distinct group, unlike the one in vv. 47-48, also suggests ultimate exclusion. This is the hypocrite of Matt 24:51.

[21:34]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “watch out for yourselves.”

[21:34]  ⁴⁷ sn Or like a thief, see Luke 12:39-40. The metaphor of a trap is a vivid one. Most modern English translations traditionally place the words “like a trap” at the end of v. 34, completing the metaphor. In the Greek text (and in the NRSV and REB) the words “like a trap” are placed at the beginning of v. 35. This does not affect the meaning.

[21:35]  ⁴⁸ tn There is debate in the textual tradition about the position of γάρ (gar) and whether v. 35 looks back to v. 34 or is independent. The textual evidence does slightly favor placing γάρ after the verb and thus linking it back to v. 34. The other reading looks like Isa 24:17. However, the construction is harsh and the translation prefers for stylistic reasons to start a new English sentence here.

[21:35]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “come upon.”

[21:35]  ⁵⁰ sn This judgment involves everyone: all who live on the face of the whole earth. No one will escape this evaluation.

[21:36]  ⁵¹ sn The call to be alert at all times is a call to remain faithful in looking for the Lord’s return.

[21:36]  ⁵² tn For the translation of μέλλω (mellw) as “must,” see L&N 71.36.

[5:18]  ⁵³ tn Grk “in which.”

[5:18]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “dissipation.” See BDAG 148 s.v. ἀσωτία.

[5:18]  ⁵⁵ tn Many have taken ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati) as indicating content, i.e., one is to be filled with the Spirit. ExSyn 375 states, “There are no other examples in biblical Greek in which ἐν + the dative after πληρόω indicates content. Further, the parallel with οἴνῳ as well as the common grammatical category of means suggest that the idea intended is that believers are to be filled by means of the [Holy] Spirit. If so there seems to be an unnamed agent. The meaning of this text can only be fully appreciated in light of the πληρόω language in Ephesians. Always the term is used in connection with a member of the Trinity. Three considerations seem to be key: (1) In Eph 3:19 the ‘hinge’ prayer introducing the last half of the letter makes a request that the believers ‘be filled with all the fullness of God’ (πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ). The explicit content of πληρόω is thus God’s fullness (probably a reference to his moral attributes). (2) In 4:10 Christ is said to be the agent of filling (with v. 11 adding the specifics of his giving spiritual gifts). (3) The author then brings his argument to a crescendo in 5:18: Believers are to be filled by Christ by means of the Spirit with the content of the fullness of God.”

[1:7]  ⁵⁶ sn The overseer is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in this passage and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between these verses and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[1:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “as God’s steward.”