“But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.”
These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment, establishing that the leadership—priests and prophets—are corrupted by drunkenness and their judgment is impaired and untrustworthy. The paralleling of priest and prophet suggests that all who speak for God have been compromised. The reeling and staggering imagery emphasizes their lack of steadiness and reliability. The confusion of vision and the stumbling in judgment establish that drunkenness affects both the prophetic office and the judicial function. This verse represents an indictment of leadership that should maintain clarity and sobriety to serve God's purposes. The corruption of the prophetic and priestly offices by drunkenness represents the spiritual corruption of the entire community's guidance.
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