Isaiah 28:7 - Exposition

They also . Judah, no less than Ephraim (see Isaiah 28:1 , Isaiah 28:3 ). 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 , Isaiah 5:22 ; 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 (Le Isaiah 10:9 ), and the prohibition was always understood to apply a fortiori 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 , Jeremiah 5:31 ; 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 , Proverbs 31:5 ).