Proverbs 23:29

18

"Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine."

Proverbs 23:29-35 are a song on the subject of drunkenness. All seven verses are included in this 18th `Word' of the wise men. Taken as a unit, the passage says, "Liquor is poison; don't touch it."

The Anchor Bible catches the spirit of these verses perfectly: "Who groans "Alas"? Who cries, "Woe is me"? Who gets into quarrels? Who has complaints? Who suffers needless wounds? Whose eyes are bloodshot? Those who linger over wine, who drain the mixing bowl."[13] There were two ways of "mixing" wine. One way was diluting it with water (See pp. 231-232, in my commentary on Proverbs); another way was to mix spices with it to increase its potency; and that is the type of `mixing' mentioned here.