The sixth woe: "Woe to those who are heroes to drink wine, and brave men to mix strong drink; who acquit criminals for a bribe, and take away from every one the righteousness of the righteous." We see from Isaiah 5:23 that the drinkers in Isaiah 5:22 are unjust judges. The threat denounced against these is Isaiah's universal ceterum censeo; and accordingly it forms, in this instance also, the substance of his sixth and last woe. They are heroes; not, however, in avenging wrong, but in drinking wine; they are men of renown, though not for deciding between guilt and innocence, but for mixing up the ingredients of strong artistic wines. For the terms applied to such mixed wines, see Psalm 75:9; Proverbs 23:30, Sol 7:3. It must be borne in mind, however, that what is here called shecâr was not, properly speaking, wine, but an artificial mixture, like date wine and cider. For such things as these they were noteworthy and strong; whereas they judged unjustly, and took bribes that they might consume the reward of their injustice in drink and debauchery (Isaiah 28:7-8; Proverbs 31:5). "For reward:" ēkeb (Arab. ‛ukb; different from âkēb, a heel, equals ‛akib) is an adverbial accusative, "in recompense," or "for pay." "From him" (mimmennu) is distributive, and refers back to tsaddikim (the righteous); as, for example, in Hosea 4:8.

Isaiah 5:29 Parallel Commentaries

roaring

Isaiah 31:4 For thus has the LORD spoken to me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey...

Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, you are gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion...

Numbers 24:9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesses you...

Jeremiah 4:7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way...

Jeremiah 49:19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong...

Jeremiah 50:17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria has devoured him...

Hosea 11:10 They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

Amos 3:8 The lion has roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD has spoken, who can but prophesy?

Zechariah 11:3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions...

lay hold

Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey...

Isaiah 49:24,25 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered...

Psalm 50:22 Now consider this, you that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

Micah 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the middle of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest...