Isaiah 5:22 is a warning against people who take pride in their capacity for drinking and their skill at mixing strong drinks. The prophet is not condemning wine as such, but a way of life built around indulgence, self-display, and a careless disregard for the justice and holiness that God requires. The words come from the prophet Isaiah, who spoke to the people of Judah and Jerusalem in the eighth century BC, calling them back to God’s standards.
Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink…
Isaiah 5:22 (WEB)
What Isaiah 5:22 Means
The word “woe” in this verse is a cry of grief and warning, closer to “how terrible for” than to a curse. Isaiah pronounces it on people who are “mighty to drink wine,” meaning those who are known for their ability to hold their liquor and who seem to take pride in it. The second half describes “champions at mixing strong drink,” which points to people who were skilled at preparing and serving heavy, mixed drinks, perhaps at feasts where drinking was a status symbol.
What the verse does not say is that every person who drinks wine is under judgment. Scripture elsewhere allows wine as a gift of God that gladdens the heart (Psalm 104:15), and it warns against drunkenness rather than moderate use. The verse targets a particular attitude: making drinking the center of identity and status while ignoring the needs of others and the call of God. It is a warning, not a promise of any particular outcome for an individual.
The Context of Isaiah 5:22
The book of Isaiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, who ministered in Judah during the reigns of several kings in the late eighth century BC. His original audience was the nation of Judah, including its leaders, wealthy landowners, judges, and worshipers. Chapter 5 is built around a series of “woes,” and verse 22 belongs to a list of sins that show how far the nation had drifted from God.
Just before verse 22, Isaiah condemns those who call evil good and good evil (verse 20) and those who think themselves wise in their own eyes (verse 21). Just after, he names corrupt judges who acquit the guilty for a bribe (verse 23). Read in that setting, drinking and mixing drinks are not an isolated complaint. They sit alongside moral confusion and injustice, showing that the people’s self-indulgence had weakened their ability to judge rightly and to care for the vulnerable.
Key Phrases in Isaiah 5:22
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
(WEB)
This proverb warns that wine and strong drink can lead to mockery and rowdiness, and that those led astray by them are not wise. It echoes Isaiah’s concern that drink can dull judgment and lead people into foolishness.
Ephesians 5:18
Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit…
(WEB)
Paul contrasts drunkenness with being filled with the Spirit, showing that the real question is what fills and directs a person. Isaiah’s warning finds its fuller answer in a life shaped by God rather than by indulgence.
A Short Prayer From Isaiah 5:22
Lord, you see the places in my life where I have looked for strength and pride in the wrong things. Search my heart and show me where I have valued being admired above living rightly before you. Give me a humble spirit that finds its worth in your truth, and help me use whatever gifts I have to serve others with honesty and care. Keep me from measuring myself by what I can consume or entertain, and root me instead in your justice and your love. Amen.
