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Selected Verse: Isaiah 51:21 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Isa 51:21	Strong Concordance	Therefore hear [08085] now this, thou afflicted [06041], and drunken [07937], but not with wine [03196]:
	King James	Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
drunken . . . not with wine-- (Isa 29:9; compare Isa 51:17, Isa 51:20, here; Lam 3:15).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

drunken . . . not with wine-- (Isa 29:9; compare Isa 51:17, Isa 51:20, here; Lam 3:15).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
And drunken, but not with wine - Overcome and prostrate, but not under the influence of intoxicating drink. They were prostrate by the wrath of God.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Not with wine - But with the cup of God's fury.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Drunken, but not with wine - Aeschylus has the same expression: - Αοινοις εμμανεις θυμωμασι· Eumen. 863. Intoxicated with passion, not with wine. Schultens thinks that this circumlocution, as he calls it, gradum adfert incomparabiliter majorem; and that it means, not simply without wine, but much more than with wine. Gram. Hebrews p. 182. See his note on Job 30:38. The bold image of the cup of God's wrath, often employed by the sacred writers, (see note on Isa 1:22), is nowhere handled with greater force and sublimity than in this passage of Isaiah, Isa 51:17-23. Jerusalem is represented in person as staggering under the effects of it, destitute of that assistance which she might expect from her children; not one of them being able to support or to lead her. They, abject and amazed, lie at the head of every street, overwhelmed with the greatness of their distress; like the oryx entangled in a net, in vain struggling to rend it, and extricate himself. This is poetry of the first order, sublimity of the highest character. Plato had an idea something like this: "Suppose," says he, "God had given to men a medicating potion inducing fear, so that the more any one should drink of it, so much the more miserable he should find himself at every draught, and become fearful of every thing both present and future; and at last, though the most courageous of men, should be totally possessed by fear: and afterwards, having slept off the effects of it, should become himself again." De Leg. i., near the end. He pursues at large this hypothesis, applying it to his own purpose, which has no relation to the present subject. Homer places two vessels at the disposal of Jupiter, one of good, the other of evil. He gives to some a potion mixed of both; to others from the evil vessel only: these are completely miserable. Iliad 24:527-533. Δοιοι γαρ τε πιθοι κατακειαται εν Διος ουδει Δωρων, οἱα διδωσι, κακων, ἑτερος δε εαων, Ὡ μεν καμμιξας δῳη Ζευς τερπικεραυνος, Αλλοτε μεν τε κακῳ ὁγε κυρεται, αλλοτε δ' εσθλῳ· Ὡ δε κε των λυγρων δῳη, λωβητον εθηκε. Και ἑ κακη βουβρωστις επι χθονα διαν ελαυνει· Φοιτᾳ δ' ουτε θεοισι τετιμενος, ουτι βροτοισιν. "Two urns by Jove's high throne have ever stood, The source of evil one, and one of good; From thence the cup of mortal man he fills, Blessings to these, to those distributes ills; To most he mingles both: the wretch decreed To taste the bad unmixed, is cursed indeed: Pursued by wrongs, by meagre famine driven, He wanders outcast both of earth and heaven." Pope

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826

Drunken, but not with wine - Aeschylus has the same expression: -

Αοινοις εμμανεις θυμωμασι·

Eumen. 863.

Intoxicated with passion, not with wine.

Schultens thinks that this circumlocution, as he calls it, gradum adfert incomparabiliter majorem; and that it means, not simply without wine, but much more than with wine. Gram. Hebrews p. 182. See his note on Job 30:38.

The bold image of the cup of God's wrath, often employed by the sacred writers, (see note on Isa 1:22), is nowhere handled with greater force and sublimity than in this passage of Isaiah, Isa 51:17-23. Jerusalem is represented in person as staggering under the effects of it, destitute of that assistance which she might expect from her children; not one of them being able to support or to lead her. They, abject and amazed, lie at the head of every street, overwhelmed with the greatness of their distress; like the oryx entangled in a net, in vain struggling to rend it, and extricate himself. This is poetry of the first order, sublimity of the highest character.

Plato had an idea something like this: "Suppose," says he, "God had given to men a medicating potion inducing fear, so that the more any one should drink of it, so much the more miserable he should find himself at every draught, and become fearful of every thing both present and future; and at last, though the most courageous of men, should be totally possessed by fear: and afterwards, having slept off the effects of it, should become himself again." De Leg. i., near the end. He pursues at large this hypothesis, applying it to his own purpose, which has no relation to the present subject. Homer places two vessels at the disposal of Jupiter, one of good, the other of evil. He gives to some a potion mixed of both; to others from the evil vessel only: these are completely miserable. Iliad 24:527-533.

Δοιοι γαρ τε πιθοι κατακειαται εν Διος ουδει

Δωρων, οἱα διδωσι, κακων, ἑτερος δε εαων,

Ὡ μεν καμμιξας δῳη Ζευς τερπικεραυνος,

Αλλοτε μεν τε κακῳ ὁγε κυρεται, αλλοτε δ' εσθλῳ·

Ὡ δε κε των λυγρων δῳη, λωβητον εθηκε.

Και ἑ κακη βουβρωστις επι χθονα διαν ελαυνει·

Φοιτᾳ δ' ουτε θεοισι τετιμενος, ουτι βροτοισιν.

"Two urns by Jove's high throne have ever stood,

The source of evil one, and one of good;

From thence the cup of mortal man he fills,

Blessings to these, to those distributes ills;

To most he mingles both: the wretch decreed

To taste the bad unmixed, is cursed indeed:

Pursued by wrongs, by meagre famine driven,

He wanders outcast both of earth and heaven."

Pope

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¹⁵ He hath filled [07646] me with bitterness [04844], he hath made me drunken [07301] with wormwood [03939].

²⁰ Thy sons [01121] have fainted [05968], they lie [07901] at the head [07218] of all the streets [02351], as a wild bull [08377] in a net [04364]: they are full [04392] of the fury [02534] of the LORD [03068], the rebuke [01606] of thy God [0430].

⁹ Stay [04102] yourselves, and wonder [08539]; cry ye out [08173], and cry [08173]: they are drunken [07937], but not with wine [03196]; they stagger [05128], but not with strong drink [07941].

¹⁷ Awake [05782], awake [05782], stand up [06965], O Jerusalem [03389], which hast drunk [08354] at the hand [03027] of the LORD [03068] the cup [03563] of his fury [02534]; thou hast drunken [08354] the dregs [06907] of the cup [03563] of trembling [08653], and wrung them out [04680].
¹⁸ There is none to guide [05095] her among all the sons [01121] whom she hath brought forth [03205]; neither is there any that taketh [02388] her by the hand [03027] of all the sons [01121] that she hath brought up [01431].
¹⁹ These two [08147] things are come [07122] unto thee; who shall be sorry [05110] for thee? desolation [07701], and destruction [07667], and the famine [07458], and the sword [02719]: by whom shall I comfort [05162] thee?
²⁰ Thy sons [01121] have fainted [05968], they lie [07901] at the head [07218] of all the streets [02351], as a wild bull [08377] in a net [04364]: they are full [04392] of the fury [02534] of the LORD [03068], the rebuke [01606] of thy God [0430].
²¹ Therefore hear [08085] now this, thou afflicted [06041], and drunken [07937], but not with wine [03196]:
²² Thus saith [0559] thy Lord [0113] the LORD [03068], and thy God [0430] that pleadeth [07378] the cause of his people [05971], Behold, I have taken out [03947] of thine hand [03027] the cup [03563] of trembling [08653], even the dregs [06907] of the cup [03563] of my fury [02534]; thou shalt no more [03254] drink it again [08354]:
²³ But I will put [07760] it into the hand [03027] of them that afflict [03013] thee; which have said [0559] to thy soul [05315], Bow down [07812], that we may go over [05674]: and thou hast laid [07760] thy body [01460] as the ground [0776], and as the street [02351], to them that went over [05674].

²² Thy silver [03701] is become dross [05509], thy wine [05435] mixed [04107] with water [04325]: