Proverbs 20
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Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
(Pro. 20:1-30) mocker--scorner. Such men are made by wine. strong drink--made by spicing wine (compare Isa 5:11, Isa 5:22); and it may include wine. raging--or boisterous as a drunkard. deceived--literally, "erring," or reeling.
Open source ↗Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging,.... Wine deceives a man; it not only overcomes him before he is aware, but it promises him a pleasure which it does not give; but, on the contrary, excessive drinking gives him pain, and so mocks him; yea, it exposes him to reproach and disgrace, and to the mockery and derision of others; as well as it sets him to scoff at his companions, and even to mock at religion, and all that is good and serious; see Hos 7:5; and strong drink not only disturbs the brain, and puts the spirits in a ferment, so that a man rages within, but it sets him a raving and quarrelling with his company, and everybody he meets with; such generally get into broils and contentions, and get woe, sorrow, and wounds, Pro 23:29. Aben Ezra gives this as the sense of the words, "a man of wine'' (that is, one that is given to wine, a wine bibber), so Ben Melech, "is a mocker, and he cries out for strong drink, that it may be given him;'' which is not a bad sense of the words. and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise; whosoever gives himself to it, is not on his guard against it, but is overcome by it, does not act a wise but an unwise part: wine besots as well as deceives men. This may be applied to the wine of fornication, or to the false doctrine and superstition of the church of Rome; with which the nations of the earth are deceived and made drunk, and which puts them upon blaspheming God, deriding his people, and using cruelty to them, Rev 17:2.
Open source ↗This proverb warns against the debauchery with which free-thinking is intimately associated. Wine is a mocker, mead boisterous; And no one who is overtaken thereby is wise. The article stands with יין. Ewald maintains that in 10:1-22:6 the article occurs only here and at Pro 21:31, and that it is here, as the lxx shows, not original. Both statements are incorrect. The article is found, e.g., at Pro 19:6; Pro 18:18, Pro 18:17, and here the personification of "wine" requires it; but that it is wanting to שׁכר shows how little poetry delights in it; it stands once for twice. The effects of wine and mead (שׁכר from שׁכר, to stop, obstruct, become stupid) are attributed to these liquors themselves as their property. Wine is a mocker, because he who is intoxicated with it readily scoffs at that which is holy; mead is boisterous (cf. הומיּה, Pro 7:11), because he who is inebriated in his dissolute madness breaks through the limits of morality and propriety. He is unwise who, through wine and the like, i.e., overpowered by it (cf. Sa2 13:28), staggers, i.e., he gives himself up to wine to such a degree that he is no longer master of himself. At Pro 5:19 we read, שׁגה ב, of the intoxication of love; here, as at Isa 28:7, of the intoxication of wine, i.e., of the passionate slavish desire of wine or for wine. The word "Erpicht" [avidissimus], i.e., being indissolubly bound to a thing, corresponds at least in some degree to the idea. Fleischer compares the French: tre fou de quelque chose. Isa 28:7, however, shows that one has to think on actual staggering, being overtaken in wine.
Open source ↗Here is, 1. The mischief of drunkenness: Wine is a mocker; strong drink is raging. It is so to the sinner himself; it mocks him, makes a fool of him, promises him that satisfaction which it can never give him. It smiles upon him at first, but at the last it bites. In reflection upon it, it rages in his conscience. It is raging in the body, puts the humours into a ferment. When the wine is in the wit is out, and then the man, according as his natural temper is, either mocks like a fool or rages like a madman. Drunkenness, which pretends to be a sociable thing, renders men unfit for society, for it makes them abusive with their tongues and outrageous in their passions, Pro 23:29. 2. The folly of drunkards is easily inferred thence. He that is deceived thereby, that suffers himself to be drawn into this sin when he is so plainly warned of the consequences of it, is not wise; he shows that he has no right sense or consideration of things; and not only so, but he renders himself incapable of getting wisdom; for it is a sin that infatuates and besots men, and takes away their heart. A drunkard is a fool, and a fool he is likely to be.
Open source ↗20:1 Too much alcohol clouds a person’s judgment. The Old Testament is not against drinking wine in moderation (3:10; 9:5; Ps 104:14-15), but it adamantly opposes excessive drinking (Prov 21:17; 23:29-35; 31:4-5).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
יַיִן (yayin, H3196) — wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication לוּץ (lûwts, H3887) — properly, to make mouths at, i.e. to scoff; hence (from the effort to pronounce a foreign… שֵׁכָר (shêkâr, H7941) — an intoxicant, i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor הָמָה (hâmâh, H1993) — to make a loud sound (like English 'hum'); by implication, to be in great commotion or… שָׁגָה (shâgâh, H7686) — to stray (causatively, mislead), usually (figuratively) to mistake, especially (morally)… חָכַם (châkam, H2449) — to be wise (in mind, word or act)
Open source ↗אֵימָה (ʼêymâh, H367) — fright; concrete, an idol (as a bugbear) מֶלֶךְ (melek, H4428) — a king נַהַם (naham, H5099) — a snarl כְּפִיר (kᵉphîyr, H3715) — a village (as covered in by walls); also a young lion (perhaps as covered with a mane) עָבַר (ʻâbar, H5674) — to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive,… חָטָא (châṭâʼ, H2398) — properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit,… נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh, H5315) — properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in…
Open source ↗כָּבוֹד (kâbôwd, H3519) — properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness אִישׁ (ʼîysh, H376) — a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term… שֶׁבֶת (shebeth, H7674) — rest, interruption, cessation רִיב (rîyb, H7379) — a contest (personal or legal) אֱוִיל (ʼĕvîyl, H191) — (figuratively) silly גָּלַע (gâlaʻ, H1566) — to be obstinate
Open source ↗עָצֵל (ʻâtsêl, H6102) — indolent חָרַשׁ (chârash, H2790) — to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to… חֹרֶף (chôreph, H2779) — properly, the crop gathered, i.e. (by implication) the autumn (and winter) season;… שָׁאַל (shâʼal, H7592) — to inquire; by implication, to request; by extension, to demand קָצִיר (qâtsîyr, H7105) — severed, i.e. harvest (as reaped), the crop, the time, the reaper, or figuratively; also…
Open source ↗עֵצָה (ʻêtsâh, H6098) — advice; by implication, plan; also prudence לֵב (lêb, H3820) — the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the… אִישׁ (ʼîysh, H376) — a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term… עָמֹק (ʻâmôq, H6013) — deep (literally or figuratively) מַיִם (mayim, H4325) — water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen תָּבוּן (tâbûwn, H8394) — intelligence; by implication, an argument; by extension, caprice דָּלָה (dâlâh, H1802) — properly, to dangle, i.e. to let down abucket (for drawing out water); figuratively, to…
Open source ↗רֹב (rôb, H7230) — abundance (in any respect) אָדָם (ʼâdâm, H120) — ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.) קָרָא (qârâʼ, H7121) — to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of… אִישׁ (ʼîysh, H376) — a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term… חֵסֵד (chêçêd, H2617) — kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opposition) reproof, or… אֵמוּן (ʼêmûwn, H529) — established, i.e. (figuratively) trusty; also (abstractly) trustworthiness מָצָא (mâtsâʼ, H4672) — properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or…
Open source ↗צַדִּיק (tsaddîyq, H6662) — just הָלַךְ (hâlak, H1980) — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively) תֹּם (tôm, H8537) — completeness; figuratively, prosperity; usually (morally) innocence בֵּן (bên, H1121) — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative… אֶשֶׁר (ʼesher, H835) — happiness; only in masculine plural construction as interjection, how happy! אַחַר (ʼachar, H310) — properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various…
Open source ↗מֶלֶךְ (melek, H4428) — a king יָשַׁב (yâshab, H3427) — properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to… כִּסֵּא (kiççêʼ, H3678) — properly, covered, i.e. a throne (as canopied) דִּין (dîyn, H1779) — judgement (the suit, justice, sentence or tribunal); by implication also strife זָרָה (zârâh, H2219) — to toss about; by implication, to diffuse, winnow רַע (raʻ, H7451) — bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) עַיִן (ʻayin, H5869) — an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
Open source ↗אָמַר (ʼâmar, H559) — to say (used with great latitude) לֵב (lêb, H3820) — the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the… זָכָה (zâkâh, H2135) — to be translucent; figuratively, to be innocent טָהֵר (ṭâhêr, H2891) — to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally,… חַטָּאָה (chaṭṭâʼâh, H2403) — an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or…
Open source ↗אֶבֶן (ʼeben, H68) — a stone אֵיפָה (ʼêyphâh, H374) — an ephah or measure for grain; hence, a measure in general שְׁנַיִם (shᵉnayim, H8147) — two; also (as ordinal) twofold גַּם (gam, H1571) — properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as… תּוֹעֵבַה (tôwʻêbah, H8441) — properly, something disgusting (morally), i.e. (as noun) an abhorrence; especially… יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh, H3068) — Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
Open source ↗נַעַר (naʻar, H5288) — (concretely) a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication, a… נָכַר (nâkar, H5234) — properly, to scrutinize, i.e. look intently at; hence (with recognition implied), to… מַעֲלָל (maʻălâl, H4611) — an act (good or bad) פֹּעַל (pôʻal, H6467) — an act or work (concretely) זַךְ (zak, H2134) — clear יָשָׁר (yâshâr, H3477) — straight (literally or figuratively)
Open source ↗שָׁמַע (shâmaʻ, H8085) — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively,… אֹזֶן (ʼôzen, H241) — broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in man) רָאָה (râʼâh, H7200) — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied,… עַיִן (ʻayin, H5869) — an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape) יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh, H3068) — Jehovah, Jewish national name of God עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh, H6213) — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application שְׁנַיִם (shᵉnayim, H8147) — two; also (as ordinal) twofold
Open source ↗אָהַב (ʼâhab, H157) — to have affection for (sexually or otherwise) שֵׁנָה (shênâh, H8142) — sleep יָרַשׁ (yârash, H3423) — to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place); by… פָּקַח (pâqach, H6491) — to open (the senses, especially the eyes); figuratively, to be observant עַיִן (ʻayin, H5869) — an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape) שָׂבַע (sâbaʻ, H7646) — to sate, i.e. fill to satisfaction (literally or figuratively) לֶחֶם (lechem, H3899) — food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)
Open source ↗רַע (raʻ, H7451) — bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) אָמַר (ʼâmar, H559) — to say (used with great latitude) קָנָה (qânâh, H7069) — to erect, i.e. create; by extension, to procure, especially by purchase (causatively,… אָזַל (ʼâzal, H235) — to go away, hence, to disappear הָלַל (hâlal, H1984) — to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make ashow, to…
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and he got Uriah drunk. And in the evening Uriah went out to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,
The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.
“Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”