Proverbs 20:1

20:1 Wine ¹  is a mocker ²  and strong drink is a brawler;

whoever goes astray by them is not wise. ³ 

Isaiah 5:11-12

5:11 Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, ⁴ 

those who keep drinking long after dark

until they are intoxicated with wine. ⁵ 

5:12 They have stringed instruments, ⁶  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. ⁷ 

Isaiah 5:22-23

5:22 Those who are champions ⁸  at drinking wine are as good as dead, ⁹ 

who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.

5:23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,

they ignore the just cause of the innocent. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 28:1

The Lord Will Judge Samaria

28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, ¹¹ 

the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, ¹² 

situated ¹³  at the head of a rich valley,

the crown of those overcome with wine. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 28:7-8

28:7 Even these men ¹⁵  stagger because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer –

priests and prophets stagger because of beer,

they are confused ¹⁶  because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer;

they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, ¹⁷ 

they totter while making legal decisions. ¹⁸ 

28:8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit;

no place is untouched. ¹⁹ 

Habakkuk 2:15-16

2:15 “You who force your neighbor to drink wine ²⁰  are as good as dead ²¹  –

you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, ²² 

so you can look at their genitals. ²³ 

2:16 But you will become drunk ²⁴  with shame, not majesty. ²⁵ 

Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! ²⁶ 

The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand ²⁷  is coming to you,

and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!

Ephesians 5:18

5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, which ²⁸  is debauchery, ²⁹  but be filled by the Spirit, ³⁰ 

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ³¹  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 4:3-4

4:3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling,

[20:1]  ¹ sn The drinks are wine and barley beer (e.g., Lev 10:9; Deut 14:26; Isa 28:7). These terms here could be understood as personifications, but better as metonymies for those who drink wine and beer. The inebriated person mocks and brawls.

[20:1]  ² tn The two participles לֵץ (lets, “mocker”) and הֹמֶה (homeh, “brawler”) are substantives; they function as predicates in the sentence. Excessive use of intoxicants excites the drinker to boisterous behavior and aggressive attitudes – it turns them into mockers and brawlers.

[20:1]  ³ sn The proverb does not prohibit the use of wine or beer; in fact, strong drink was used at festivals and celebrations. But intoxication was considered out of bounds for a member of the covenant community (e.g., 23:20-21, 29-35; 31:4-7). To be led astray by their use is not wise.

[5:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who arise early in the morning, [who] chase beer.”

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

[5:12]  ⁶ tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

[5:12]  ⁷ 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).

[5:22]  ⁸ tn The language used here is quite sarcastic and paves the way for the shocking description of the enemy army in vv. 25-30. The rich leaders of Judah are nothing but “party animals” who are totally incapable of withstanding real warriors.

[5:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to]….” See the note at v. 8.

[5:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the just cause of the innocent ones they turn aside from him.”

[28:1]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “which [is].”

[28:1]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.

[28:7]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in the seeing.”

[28:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”

[28:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “vomit, without a place.” For the meaning of the phrase בְּלִי מָקוֹם (bÿli maqom, “without a place”), see HALOT 133 s.v. בְּלִי.

[2:15]  ²⁰ tn No direct object is present after “drink” in the Hebrew text. “Wine” is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:15]  ²¹ tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.

[2:15]  ²² tc Heb “pouring out your anger and also making drunk”; or “pouring out your anger and [by] rage making drunk.” The present translation assumes that the final khet (ח) on מְסַפֵּחַ (misapeakh, “pouring”) is dittographic and that the form should actually be read מִסַּף (missaf, “from a bowl”).

[2:15]  ²³ tn Heb “their nakedness,” a euphemism.

[2:16]  ²⁴ tn Heb “are filled.” The translation assumes the verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of Babylon’s coming judgment, which will reduce the majestic empire to shame and humiliation.

[2:16]  ²⁵ tn Or “glory.”

[2:16]  ²⁶ tc Heb “drink, even you, and show the foreskin.” Instead of הֵעָרֵל (he’arel, “show the foreskin”) one of the Dead Sea scrolls has הֵרָעֵל (hera’el, “stumble”). This reading also has support from several ancient versions and is followed by the NEB (“you too shall drink until you stagger”) and NRSV (“Drink, you yourself, and stagger”). For a defense of the Hebrew text, see P. D. Miller, Jr., Sin and Judgment in the Prophets, 63-64.

[2:16]  ²⁷ sn The Lord’s right hand represents his military power. He will force the Babylonians to experience the same humiliating defeat they inflicted on others.

[5:18]  ²⁸ tn Grk “in which.”

[5:18]  ²⁹ tn Or “dissipation.” See BDAG 148 s.v. ἀσωτία.

[5:18]  ³⁰ 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.”

[5:1]  ³¹ tn Or “become.”