Isaiah 56:12 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Isaiah 56:12 kjv
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
Isaiah 56:12 nkjv
"Come," one says, "I will bring wine, And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; Tomorrow will be as today, And much more abundant."
Isaiah 56:12 niv
"Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better."
Isaiah 56:12 esv
"Come," they say, "let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure."
Isaiah 56:12 nlt
"Come," they say, "let's get some wine and have a party.
Let's all get drunk.
Then tomorrow we'll do it again
and have an even bigger party!"
Isaiah 56 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 23:20-21 | Do not be among those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor… | Warning against gluttony and drunkenness. |
| Prov 28:15 | A wicked ruler is like a roaring lion or a charging bear to a helpless people. | Corrupt leaders oppress their people. |
| Isa 5:11 | Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till wine inflames them! | Condemnation of persistent drunkenness. |
| Isa 5:12 | They have harps and lyres, timbrels, flutes and wine at their feasts, but they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD… | Self-indulgence leads to disregard for God. |
| Isa 22:13 | But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! “Let us eat and drink,” you say, “for tomorrow we die!” | Similar hedonism, often in face of judgment. |
| Isa 28:7 | These also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink… They err in vision, they stumble in giving judgment. | Leaders' drunkenness impairs their judgment. |
| Jer 23:1-2 | "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD… “Behold, I am against the shepherds…” | Judgment against negligent spiritual leaders. |
| Ezek 34:2-4 | "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel… Should not the shepherds feed the flock?… You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick…" | Shepherds failed to care for their flock. |
| Hos 4:11 | Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away the discerning mind. | Intoxication impairs spiritual discernment. |
| Amos 6:3-6 | Woe to you who long for the day of evil, but whose hearts delight in their feasting, their drinking, and their music, reclining on couches of ivory… | Complacency and luxurious living before judgment. |
| Rom 13:13 | Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. | Call for sober living among believers. |
| 1 Cor 15:32 | If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” | Epicurean attitude, absence of future hope. |
| Gal 5:21 | Drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. | Works of the flesh, warning against such lifestyles. |
| Eph 5:18 | Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. | Contrast between carnal drunkenness and spiritual fullness. |
| Phil 3:19 | Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. | Those whose ultimate pursuit is carnal pleasure. |
| 1 Pet 4:3 | For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing… | Past pagan behavior contrasted with new life. |
| Jude 1:12-13 | These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves… | False teachers self-indulgent, betraying trust. |
| Luke 12:45 | But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. | Unfaithful steward neglects duties and indulges. |
| Luke 21:34 | Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. | Warning against worldly excess before the Day of the Lord. |
| 1 Thess 5:6-8 | So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. | Call for spiritual vigilance and sobriety. |
| Rev 18:7 | In proportion to her boasting and the luxury she lavished on herself, give her the same proportion of torment and grief. | Judgment upon those who live in luxury and boast. |
Isaiah 56 verses
Isaiah 56 12 meaning
Isaiah 56:12 reveals the arrogant and self-indulgent mindset of Israel’s unfaithful watchmen or leaders. These spiritual guides, depicted as blind and ignorant, are consumed by a pursuit of immediate physical gratification. Their declaration reflects a complete lack of concern for their duties, for God’s law, or for impending judgment. It is a boast of unceasing hedonism, projecting a future of even greater indulgence without consequence, revealing spiritual blindness and a severe disregard for prophetic warnings.
Isaiah 56 12 Context
Isaiah chapter 56 begins with a powerful message of inclusive salvation, declaring that foreigners and eunuchs who keep God's covenant will be welcomed into His house and given a name better than sons and daughters (vv. 1-8). This gracious invitation highlights God's expansive plan for salvation. However, the tone drastically shifts from verse 9 to the end of the chapter (v. 12). The prophet pivots to expose the stark failure of Israel’s spiritual leaders. These "watchmen" or "shepherds" (vv. 10-11) are condemned as "blind," "ignorant," "mute dogs who cannot bark," and "greedy dogs" who can never have enough. They are asleep and lazy, caring only for themselves and their own appetites. Isaiah 56:12 directly illustrates this moral decay, showing their preoccupation with self-indulgent pleasure. This verse serves as a chilling indictment of those entrusted with spiritual guidance, who instead lead their flock astray by their example of revelry and spiritual blindness, especially critical in the post-exilic context where strong spiritual leadership was essential for Israel's rebuilding and return to faithfulness.
Isaiah 56 12 Word analysis
- “Come” (Hebrew: הָבָה – havah): This is an imperative, an invitation or urging, emphasizing a deliberate and collective decision to engage in this activity. It suggests a proactive choice toward indulgence.
- “they say”: Refers to the "watchmen" or leaders described in verses 10-11. It's a direct quote of their mentality and plan.
- “let’s get wine” (Hebrew: נִקְחָה יַיִן – niqcha yayin): Yayin is the common word for fermented grape juice, wine. "Let's get" indicates their active pursuit and provision for drinking.
- “let’s fill ourselves” (Hebrew: וְנִמָּלֵא שֵׁכָר – wə-nimmālē šēḵār from the root mala meaning "to fill"): The verb nimmālē (a Niph'al imperfect) indicates passive "being filled" but used here in the causative sense with a reflexive intent, "let us fill ourselves up." This implies drinking to excess, beyond satisfaction, into a state of intoxication.
- “with strong drink” (Hebrew: שֵׁכָר – šēḵār): This term refers to any intoxicating beverage, often stronger than yayin, perhaps made from grains or other fruits. It denotes the pursuit of profound inebriation, not just casual drinking.
- “And tomorrow” (Hebrew: מָחָר – maḥar): A temporal marker, signifying the future, especially the next day. This reveals their short-sighted worldview, devoid of spiritual foresight.
- “will be like today” (Hebrew: וְהָיָה כַּהַיּוֹם – wə-hāyā ka-hayyom): Ka-hayyom means "like this day." It implies an assumption of unchanging continuity, specifically in their indulgent lifestyle. There is no expectation of change, consequences, or divine intervention.
- “and even much better” (Hebrew: הַרְבֵּה יוֹתֵר – harbeh yōtēr): Harbeh means "much," and yōtēr means "more" or "better." This phrase escalates their arrogant optimism. Not only do they expect no judgment, but they anticipate increasing their hedonistic pleasure. This demonstrates extreme spiritual delusion and defiance in the face of prophetic warnings.
Words-group analysis:
- “Come,” they say, “let’s get wine; let’s fill ourselves with strong drink.”: This phrase vividly portrays the leadership’s active initiation and communal encouragement of excessive self-indulgence. It reveals their priority: immediate physical gratification and inebriation, demonstrating a fundamental betrayal of their spiritual responsibility. Their focus is entirely carnal.
- “And tomorrow will be like today, and even much better.”: This statement is a declaration of their deliberate spiritual blindness and hubris. It indicates a rejection of any sense of accountability or potential divine judgment. They are confident in the perpetuation, and even escalation, of their sin and pleasure, showing no fear or wisdom concerning God's warnings about the consequences of such behavior. It encapsulates their utter disregard for future consequences and their total immersion in the present moment's fleeting pleasures.
Isaiah 56 12 Bonus section
The "watchmen" in Isaiah's prophecy (Isa 56:10-12) have a parallel function to spiritual leaders in various biblical contexts—they are meant to guard, warn, and guide. Their failure here highlights a critical theme: the catastrophic consequences when those meant to provide spiritual vision become spiritually blind and morally corrupt. Their drunkenness isn't merely a physical state but a metaphor for spiritual stupor, rendering them incapable of discerning God's will or recognizing the impending dangers to the flock. The declaration "even much better" is tragically ironic; from God's perspective, their future, given their unrepentant path, will indeed be "much worse," filled with the judgment they so flippantly dismiss. This hubris foreshadows their downfall, emphasizing the ultimate futility of living solely for transient worldly pleasures while ignoring eternal realities.
Isaiah 56 12 Commentary
Isaiah 56:12 serves as a scathing indictment of the spiritual bankruptcy of Israel’s watchmen, identified in the preceding verses. Instead of guiding the flock with spiritual discernment and moral vigilance, they are consumed by a craving for physical pleasure and intoxication. Their communal invitation, "Come, let’s get wine; let’s fill ourselves with strong drink," paints a picture of deliberate, unrestrained debauchery. The pronouncement "tomorrow will be like today, and even much better" highlights a chillingly complacent and arrogant worldview. It signifies not merely a disregard for the future, but a defiant expectation of escalating sin and indulgence, completely devoid of fear of God, accountability, or divine judgment. This verse starkly contrasts with God's earlier invitation to the righteous and the inclusive nature of His salvation, exposing the leaders' gross hypocrisy and dereliction of duty during a time when spiritual clarity was paramount for Israel.