Isaiah 56:12

12 Come ye, take we wine, and be we filled of drunkenness; and it shall be as today, so and tomorrow, and much more. (And they say, Come ye, take we wine, and be we filled with drunkenness; and tomorrow shall be like today, and even more so.)

Isaiah 56:12 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 56:12

Come ye, say they
Either to their fellow bishops and priests, when got together, jovially carousing; or to the common people, encouraging them in luxury and intemperance: I will fetch wine;
out of his cellar, having good store of it, and that of the best, hence called "priests' wine"; and so, at Paris and Louvain, the Popish priests called their wine "vinum theologicum": and we will fill ourselves with strong drink;
fill their bellies and skins full of it till drunken with it; the drunkenness of priests in Popish counties is notorious, which seems here to be taxed and prophesied of: for tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant;
the morrow shall be as good, and merry, and jovial a day as this, and better; and we shall have as much wine and strong drink to drink, or more; this they say to encourage their companions to drink, and not spare, and to put away the evil day far from them. The Targum is,

``saying, come, let us take wine, and be inebriated with old wine; and our dinner tomorrow shall be better than today, large, very large.''

Isaiah 56:12 In-Context

10 All the beholders thereof be blind, all they knew not; (they be) dumb dogs, that be not able to bark; seeing vain things, sleeping, and loving dreams; (All of its beholders be blind, all of them did not know; they be dumb dogs, that be not able to bark; seeing empty and futile things, sleeping, and loving dreams;)
11 and (they be) most unshamefast dogs (that) knew not fullness. Those shepherds knew not understanding; all they bowed into their (own) way, each man to his avarice, from the highest till to the last. (and they be the most shameless dogs who shall never know fullness. They be shepherds who understand nothing; they all be turned to their own way, each one to his own greed, from the highest unto the lowest.)
12 Come ye, take we wine, and be we filled of drunkenness; and it shall be as today, so and tomorrow, and much more. (And they say, Come ye, take we wine, and be we filled with drunkenness; and tomorrow shall be like today, and even more so.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.