But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
erred
Isaiah 19:14 The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
Isaiah 56:10-12 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber…
Leviticus 10:9,10 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: …
are swallowed
Psalm 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
err in
Isaiah 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Isaiah 9:16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Jeremiah 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine:
Priests and prophets were expected to be spiritual guides and mediators between God and the people. Their intoxication signifies a corruption of their sacred roles. Leviticus 10:9 explicitly warns priests against drinking wine when entering the tent of meeting, emphasizing the need for sobriety in spiritual matters. The prophets, who were supposed to convey God's messages, are depicted as confused and ineffective, failing in their divine mission.
They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments:
The repetition of "stumble" underscores the severity of their impairment. Visions and judgments were crucial for guiding the nation according to God's will. The leaders' inability to see clearly or make sound decisions due to drunkenness reflects a broader spiritual blindness and moral failure. This condition is contrasted with the clarity and wisdom expected of God's servants, as seen in Proverbs 31:4-5, which advises rulers to avoid alcohol to maintain justice and righteousness.
Isaiah opens with a vivid picture: “These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink”. The “also” links this group to the drunken rulers of verses 1–6, showing the rot has spread.
• Drunkenness is never painted neutrally in Scripture; it deceives (Proverbs 20:1) and ruins discernment (Ephesians 5:18).
• Literal intoxication is in view—God condemns an actual practice, not a mere metaphor.
• When God’s people imitate the pagan nations’ excess (Deuteronomy 29:19), they forfeit clarity, stability, and divine favor.
“Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine.” Leaders entrusted with teaching (Leviticus 10:9–11) and declaring God’s word (Deuteronomy 18:18) have surrendered to the very sin they should denounce.
• Leaders’ compromise spreads confusion among the flock (Malachi 2:7–8; Matthew 15:14).
• While Old Testament priesthood and prophetic offices differ from New Testament pastoral roles, the principle stands: spiritual leaders must model sobriety (1 Timothy 3:2–3).
• Corrupted leadership invites judgment on the whole nation (Hosea 4:6–9).
“They stumble because of strong drink.” The verb moves from description to consequence: intoxication produces moral and spiritual collapse.
• Isaiah has warned before that Judah’s sins cause them to “stumble in their ways” (Isaiah 3:12; 59:10).
• Drunkenness is a gateway sin, opening the door to injustice, immorality, and idolatry (Proverbs 23:29–33; Hosea 4:11–13).
• Believers are called to be “sober-minded” (1 Peter 5:8) so they can resist the enemy; drunkenness does the opposite—dropping spiritual defenses.
“Muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.” The prophetic gift requires clarity; the priestly duty demands sound discernment. Intoxication clouds both.
• God warns He will pour out a “spirit of deep sleep” on those who reject truth (Isaiah 29:10), but here the leaders have volunteered for drowsiness.
• Jeremiah testified, “The land mourns… both prophet and priest are ungodly” (Jeremiah 23:9–11), paralleling Isaiah’s charge.
• When revelation is blurred, the people wander without guidance (Proverbs 29:18). Sobriety preserves the channel of divine direction (1 Thessalonians 5:6–8).
Isaiah 28:7 indicts Judah’s spiritual leadership for literal drunkenness that erodes their discernment, confuses their visions, and causes the nation to stagger morally. Scripture consistently upholds sobriety as essential for anyone who would know, teach, or follow God. The verse is a sober reminder that personal indulgence in sin—especially among leaders—sabotages spiritual clarity and invites corporate judgment.
(7) But they also have erred through . . .--Better, yet these also reel . . . Isaiah acts on the method of Nathan when he said, "Thou art the man." He has painted the drunkards of Ephraim; now he turns and paints in yet darker colours the drunkards of Judah. Priests were seen reeling to their services, prophets reeling in the very act of their counterfeit inspiration. The threefold iteration of the word for "reel" emphasises the scandals of the scene. The sins of the sons of Eli, those of which Micah (Isaiah 2:11) had spoken, were reproduced in all their enormity. The most loathsome features of their drunkenness are printed in Isaiah 28:8 with a boldness which is almost photographic. The prohibition of wine during the time when the priests were on duty (Leviticus 10:1-9) adds to the guilt thus represented.Verses 7-10. - JUDAH'S SINFULNESS. The reformation effected by Hezekiah was but a half-reformation. It put away idolatry, but it left untouched a variety of moral evils, as:1. Drunkenness. Judah was no whir behind Ephraim in respect of this vice. The very priests and "prophets" gave way to the disgusting habit, and came drunk to the most solemn functions of religious teaching and hearing causes.
2. Scorn and mockery of God's true prophets. The teaching of Isaiah was made light of by the officials of the priestly and prophetic orders, who claimed to be quite as competent to instruct men in their duties as himself. They seem to have ridiculed the mode of his teaching - its catch-words, as they thought them, and its insistence on minutiae. Verse 7. - They also. Judah, no less than Ephraim (see vers. 1, 3). It has been questioned whether literal intoxication is meant, and suggested that Judah "imitated the pride and unbelief and spiritual intoxication of Ephraim" (Kay). But the numerous passages which tax both the Israelites and the Jews of the period with drunkenness (Isaiah 5:11, 22; Isaiah 22:13; Isaiah 56:12; Hosea 4:11; Hosea 7:5; Amos 6:6, etc.), are best understood literally. Orientals (e.g, the Persians) are often given to such indulgence. Have erred through wine; rather, reel with wine. Are out of the way; or, stagger. The verbs express the physical effects of intoxication. The priest and the prophet. Priests were forbidden by the Law to drink any wine or strong drink previously to their taking part in the service of the tabernacle (Leviticus 10:9), and the prohibition was always understood to apply afortiori to the temple (Ezekiel 44:21). Prophets might have been expected to act in the spirit of the command given to priests. By "prophets" here Isaiah means, not persons especially called of God, but official members of the prophetical order. Of these there were always many in Judah, who had no strong sense of religion (see Isaiah 29:10; Jeremiah 5:13, 31; Ezekiel 13:2-16; Amos 2:12; Micah 3:11; Zephaniah 3:4, etc.). They err in vision; rather, they reel in the vision. They are drunken, even in the very exercise of their prophetical office - when they see, and expound, their visions. They stumble in judgment; or, they stagger when pronouncing judgment (Delitzsch). Persons in authority had been specially warned not to drink wine before the hearing of causes (Proverbs 31:4, 5).
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