The Meaning of Isaiah 28:7 Explained

Isaiah 28:7

KJV: 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.

YLT: And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.

Darby: But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are they gone astray. The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they are overpowered by wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they have erred in vision, they have stumbled in judgment.

ASV: And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 28:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 28:1-13 - The Decay Of An Intemperate People
A new series of prophecies begins here and extends to Isaiah 32:20. Samaria is described as a faded crown or garland on the nation's head because it was disgraced by the national drunkenness. See Amos 4:1. So corrupted was she by strong drink and its attendant evils that the Assyrian invader would plunder her as a man gathers ripe figs. But to Judah, that is, the remnant, the Lord would be a crown or garland, not of pride but of glory. His beauty would not be as a fading flower, but a lasting diadem. What wine is to the sensuous man, that God is to the spiritual. See Ephesians 5:18. You that have to form right judgments, and you that have to turn the battle from the gate, will find all your need in Him. In Isaiah 28:7-8 we have a terrible picture of widespread effects of strong drink; and in Isaiah 28:9-10 the prophet recites the ribald remarks addressed to himself by the roisterers of those evil days. He replies that God would Himself answer them by the stern accents of the Assyrian tongue, which would sound like stammering, Isaiah 28:11; and this would befall them because they would not need the wooing accents of His love, Isaiah 28:12. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 28

1  The prophet threatens Ephraim for their pride and drunkenness
5  The residue shall be advanced in the kingdom of Christ
7  He rebukes their error
9  Their unwillingness to learn
14  And their security
16  Christ the sure foundation is promised
17  Their security shall be tried
23  They are incited to the consideration of God's providence

What do the individual words in Isaiah 28:7 mean?

But also these through wine have erred and through intoxicating drink are out of the way the priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink they are swallowed up by wine they are out of the way through intoxicating drink they err in vision they stumble [in] judgment
וְגַם־ אֵ֙לֶּה֙ בַּיַּ֣יִן שָׁג֔וּ וּבַשֵּׁכָ֖ר תָּע֑וּ כֹּהֵ֣ן וְנָבִיא֩ שָׁג֨וּ בַשֵּׁכָ֜ר נִבְלְע֣וּ מִן־ הַיַּ֗יִן תָּעוּ֙ מִן־ הַשֵּׁכָ֔ר שָׁגוּ֙ בָּֽרֹאֶ֔ה פָּק֖וּ פְּלִילִיָּֽה

וְגַם־  But  also 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
אֵ֙לֶּה֙  these 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
בַּיַּ֣יִן  through  wine 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
שָׁג֔וּ  have  erred 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁגָה  
Sense: to go astray, stray, err.
וּבַשֵּׁכָ֖ר  and  through  intoxicating  drink 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁכָר  
Sense: strong drink, intoxicating drink, fermented or intoxicating liquor.
תָּע֑וּ  are  out  of  the  way 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: תָּעָה  
Sense: to err, wander, go astray, stagger.
כֹּהֵ֣ן  the  priest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
וְנָבִיא֩  and  the  prophet 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
שָׁג֨וּ  have  erred 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁגָה  
Sense: to go astray, stray, err.
בַשֵּׁכָ֜ר  through  intoxicating  drink 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁכָר  
Sense: strong drink, intoxicating drink, fermented or intoxicating liquor.
נִבְלְע֣וּ  they  are  swallowed  up 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּלַע 
Sense: to swallow down, swallow up, engulf, eat up.
הַיַּ֗יִן  wine 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
תָּעוּ֙  they  are  out  of  the  way 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: תָּעָה  
Sense: to err, wander, go astray, stagger.
מִן־  through 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הַשֵּׁכָ֔ר  intoxicating  drink 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁכָר  
Sense: strong drink, intoxicating drink, fermented or intoxicating liquor.
שָׁגוּ֙  they  err 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁגָה  
Sense: to go astray, stray, err.
בָּֽרֹאֶ֔ה  in  vision 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֹאֶה 
Sense: seer, prophet.
פָּק֖וּ  they  stumble 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: פּוּק  
Sense: to reel, totter, stumble.
פְּלִילִיָּֽה  [in]  judgment 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: פְּלִילִיָּה  
Sense: the giving a decision, pronouncement of judgment, reasoning.