Proverbs 20 Footnotes

20:1 This proverb warns against the dangers of drunkenness, which Proverbs views as folly. Under the influence of alcohol, a person loses the ability to make wise and carefully considered decisions. While wine was seen as one of God’s benefits to man (Ps 104:15), warnings about the dangers of intoxication were an important part of Israel’s wisdom tradition (Pr 23:20-21,29-35). In certain instances it appears that the better course of wisdom was to refrain from alcohol entirely (31:4-7).