Proverbs 23:29–35

Context

Proverbs 22:17–24:22 forms a section grouped under the heading "the words of the wise." It is framed as instruction from a father or teacher to a son or disciple. Verses 20–21 of the same chapter have already warned against keeping company with those who love wine and those who crave meat, and verses 29–35 expand on that warning.

The passage opens with six riddle-like questions, asking who has "woe," "sorrow," "contentions," "babbling" (complaint), "wounds without cause," and "redness of eyes," and then answers: "They that tarry long at the wine." It goes on to depict, in sequence:

• The allure of wine to the eye and the mouth (v. 31)
• Its eventual outcome, biting "like a serpent" (v. 32)
• Seeing strange things and uttering perverse things (v. 33)
• A state like lying on a tossing ship (v. 34)

The passage closes in verse 35 with a monologue in which the drinker claims to have felt no pain from the blows and resolves to seek drink again upon waking. The "mixed wine" of verse 30 is understood to be wine made stronger by blending in spices or similar ingredients.

Interpretation

• The moderation reading: This view holds that the passage warns not against wine itself but against the condition of those who "tarry long at the wine"—that is, drunkenness and overindulgence. Because the Old Testament also uses wine as a symbol of joy, this reading understands the overall teaching of Scripture to be moderation. It is regarded as a common reading in many Western Protestant traditions.
• The abstinence reading: This view takes "Look not thou upon the wine" in verse 31 as a command to avoid alcohol from the outset. If the end is addiction and ruin, wisdom lies in never beginning. This reading has been especially emphasized in Methodist, Holiness, and Baptist traditions influenced by the nineteenth-century Anglo-American temperance movement.
• The addiction reading: This view holds that the monologue in verse 35 accurately describes the psychology of dependence and addiction. Because the drinker's inability to feel pain and immediate search for drink upon waking closely resemble modern alcoholism, the passage is cited in Christian counseling and recovery ministries.

Debates and Issues

The central question is whether the passage commands total abstinence or warns against excessive drinking. Proponents of abstinence appeal to the strong language of verse 31, while proponents of moderation point to the subject identified in verse 30, "they that tarry long at the wine." Conclusions differ depending on how the passage is read alongside other texts that deal with wine, such as the account of water turned into wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2) and the counsel to Timothy to "use a little wine" (1 Timothy 5:23). For broader discussion, see Alcohol and Tobacco.

In the Korean Church

Since the early missionary period, Korean Protestantism has emphasized abstinence from alcohol as a mark of the Christian life, and this passage is frequently cited as its basis across denominational lines. In preaching, it serves as a text warning of the harm alcohol does to families and health, and some denominations require or encourage abstinence for church officers.

Related Passages

• Proverbs 20:1
• Proverbs 23:20–21
• Isaiah 5:11
• Ephesians 5:18
• Romans 14:21