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Isaiah 51:21

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 51:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but now with wine:” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but now with wine:
Isaiah 51:21 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 51

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
18There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand among all the sons that she hath brought up.
19These two things are befallen thee, who shall bemoan thee? desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword; how shall I comfort thee?
20Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of Jehovah, the rebuke of thy God.
21Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but now with wine:
22Thus saith thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my wrath; thou shalt no more drink it again:
23and I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee, that have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as the street, to them that go over.
← Isaiah 51:20Isaiah 51:22 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, &c.] By Babylon, by antichrist and his followers; hear, for thy comfort, the following prophecy: and drunken, but not with wine; not with wine in a literal sense; nor with the wine of the fornication of the whore of Rome; nor with idolatry, as the kings of the earth are said to be, (<661702>Revelation 17:2 18:3) but, as the Targum expresses it, with tribulation; with afflictions at the hand of God, and persecutions from men.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“drunken . . . not with wine-- (Isa 29:9; compare Isa 51:17, Isa 51:20, here; Lam 3:15).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“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. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Not with wine - But with the cup of God's fury. Isaiah 51:22”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification