Proverbs 23:29–35

The NET BibleOther versions

English

Arabic

Arabic Bible (Smith & Van Dyke)

Czech

Podle Puvodního Vydání Kralického

French

German

Hebrew

LHB Lexham Hebrew Bible

Hungarian

KAR Szent Biblia

Italian

Giovanni Diodati Bibbia

Korean

KRV 성경전서 개역한글판

Latin

VGCLEM Clementine Vulgate

Portuguese

Russian

RST Русский Синодальный Перевод (1876/1956)

Simplified Chinese

中文圣经和合本－神版 (简体)

Spanish

Traditional Chinese

中文聖經和合本（神版．繁體）

^23:29Who has woe?⁵¹ Who has sorrow?

Who has contentions? Who has complaints?

Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness⁵² of the eyes?

^23:30Those who linger over wine,

those who go looking for mixed wine.⁵³

^23:31Do not look on the wine when it is red,

when it sparkles⁵⁴ in the cup,

when it goes down smoothly.⁵⁵

^23:32Afterward⁵⁶ it bites like a snake,

and stings like a viper.

^23:33Your eyes will see strange things,⁵⁷

and your mind will speak perverse things.

^23:34And you will be like one who lies down in the midst⁵⁸ of the sea,

and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging.⁵⁹

^23:35You will say,⁶⁰ “They have struck me, but I am not harmed!

They beat me, but I did not know it!⁶¹

When will I awake? I will look for another drink.”⁶²

Read in Logos

Footnotes

51 The eighteenth saying is about excessive drinking. The style changes here as the sage breaks into a vivid use of the imagination. It begins with a riddle describing the effects of drunkenness (v. 29) and gives the answer in v. 30; instructions follow in v. 31, with the consequences described in v. 32; the direct address continues in vv. 33 and 34; and the whole subject is concluded with the drunkard’s own words in v. 35 (M. E. Andrews, “Variety of Expression in Proverbs 23:29–35,” 28 [1978]: 102–3).
52 The Hebrew word translated “dullness” describes darkness or dullness of the eyes due to intoxication, perhaps “redness” (so , , ); , , “bloodshot eyes.” understands the situation differently: “black eyes.”
53 The answer to the question posed in v. 29 is obviously one who drinks too much, which this verse uses metonymies to point out. Lingering over wine is an adjunct of drinking more wine; and seeking mixed wine obviously means with the effect or the purpose of drinking it.
54 Heb “its eye gives.” With ’s “bubbling up in the glass” one might think champagne was in view.
55 The expression is difficult, and is suspected of having been added from Song 7:10, although the parallel is not exact. The verb is the Hitpael imperfect of הָלַךְ (halakh); and the prepositional phrase uses the word “upright; equity; pleasing,” from יָשָׁר (yashar). has “when it moveth itself aright”; much more helpful is : “when it goeth down smoothly.” Most recent English versions are similar to . The phrase obviously refers to the pleasing nature of wine.
56 Heb “its end”; “At the last”; (interpretively) “The next morning.”
57 The feminine plural of זָר (zar, “strange things”) refers to the trouble one has in seeing and speaking when drunk.
58 Heb “heart.” The idiom here means “middle”; “in the midst.”
59 The point of these similes is to compare being drunk with being seasick. One who tries to sleep when at sea, or even worse, when up on the ropes of the mast, will be tossed back and forth.
60 The phrase “You will say” is supplied in the translation to make it clear that the drunkard is now speaking.
61 The line describes how one who is intoxicated does not feel the pain, even though beaten by others. He does not even remember it.
62 The last line has only “I will add I will seek it again.” The use of אוֹסִיף (’osif) signals a verbal hendiadys with the next verb: “I will again seek it.” In this context the suffix on the verb refers to the wine—the drunkard wants to go and get another drink.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaining?

Who has wounds without cause?

Who has redness of eyes?

Those who tarry long over wine;

those who go to try mixed wine.

Do not look at wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup

and goes down smoothly.

In the end it bites like a serpent

and stings like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things,

and your heart utter perverse things.

You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,

like one who lies on the top of a mast.

“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;

they beat me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake?

I must have another drink.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaints?

Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

Those who linger over wine,

who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

Do not gaze at wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup,

when it goes down smoothly!

In the end it bites like a snake

and poisons like a viper.

Your eyes will see strange sights,

and your mind will imagine confusing things.

You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,

lying on top of the rigging.

“They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!

They beat me, but I don’t feel it!

When will I wake up

so I can find another drink?”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?

Who has wounds for no reason?

Who has red eyes?

Those who linger over wine;

those who go looking for mixed wine.

Don’t gaze at wine because it is red,

because it gleams in the cup

and goes down smoothly.

In the end it bites like a snake

and stings like a viper.

Your eyes will see strange things,

and you will say absurd things.

You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea

or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.

“They struck me, but I feel no pain!

They beat me, but I didn’t know it!

When will I wake up?

I’ll look for another drink.”

NLTNew Living Translation

Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?

Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?

Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,

trying out new drinks.

Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,

how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.

For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;

it stings like a viper.

You will see hallucinations,

and you will say crazy things.

You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,

clinging to a swaying mast.

And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.

I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.

When will I wake up

so I can look for another drink?”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

To whom is woe? To whom is sorrow? To whom are quarrels? To whom is complaint?

To whom are wounds without cause? To whom is redness of the eyes?

To those who linger over wine,

to those who come to try mixed wine.

Do not look at wine when it is red,

when it sparkles on the cup,

going down smoothly.

In the end, it will bite like a serpent,

and it will sting like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things,

and your heart will speak perverse things.

And you will be like him who lies down in the heart of the sea,

and like him who lies down on top of a mast.

“They struck me; I was not hurt. They beat me; I did not know it.

When I will awake, I will continue; I will seek it again.”

KJV 1900King James Version

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow?

Who hath contentions? who hath babbling?

Who hath wounds without cause?

Who hath redness of eyes?

They that tarry long at the wine;

They that go to seek mixed wine.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,

When it giveth his colour in the cup,

When it moveth itself aright.

At the last it biteth like a serpent,

And stingeth like an adder.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women,

And thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea,

Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick;

They have beaten me, and I felt it not:

When shall I awake?

I will seek it yet again.

Public Domain