Isaiah 22:13
in Isaiah 22But look, there is joy and gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and, behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.
KJV
And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
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This verse in Isaiah 22
Commentary
13 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Shebna is singled out as the subject of prophecy (the only instance of an individual being so in Isaiah), as being one of the irreligious faction that set at naught the prophet's warnings (Isa 28:1-33:24); perhaps it was he who advised the temporary ignominious submission of Hezekiah to Sennacherib.
This site's exposition
called for weeping and wailing
on Isaiah 22:12-14
The LORD "called for weeping", and the city answers with "joy". Its slogan, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die", is the line Paul cites at 1 Corinthians 15:32 of life with no resurrection. "Until your dying day, this sin of yours will never be atoned for".
This site's exposition
butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep
Henry finds under the feast a practical disbelief in any life after this one. Cyprian cites the eating and drinking, with the sentence of verse 14, as a warning against too great a lust for food. The day called for weeping gets meat and wine.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
(Verse 12-14) And the Lord God of hosts shall call in that day to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth. And behold joy and gladness, killing calves, and slaying sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts. In the present captivity and siege of Jerusalem, when the city was being pressed by sword, famine, and thirst, Jeremiah called the people to repentance (Jeremiah 34). On the other hand, kings, princes, and the miserable populace, in their desperate state, devoted themselves to feasting. However, nothing offends God more than a neck raised after sins, and being despised out of desperation. This is also spoken by Amos: I will not turn away from him for three or four transgressions; because he has thought and done them and has not repented, moreover he has taught evil. Wherefore now it is said: If this iniquity remain unpunished to you, until ye die. (Amos I, 4). Allegorical interpreters say it is about the passion of Christ, that God has called even after the crucifixion of the Lord and Saviour an unfaithful people to repentance, and nevertheless that people has delivered itself to despair and pleasure. The beginning of this vision, where it says: Full of outcry, a populous city, a joyful town, refers to that time when the people, instigated by the Pharisees, echoed with the same voice against Jesus: Crucify, crucify such a one: we have no king but Caesar. (John XIX, 6, 7). The Apostle also made use of this testimony, writing to the Corinthians about the resurrection: If the dead do not rise again, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die (I Cor. XV, 32).
A commentator
CyprianTreatise XII. Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3:60 · Written before 258.
proposed
That too great lust of food is not to be desired. In Isaiah: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die. This sin shall not be atoned for to you, even until you die." Also in Exodus: "And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Paul, in the first [letter] to the Corinthians: "Food does not commend us to God; neither if we eat shall we abound, nor if we do not eat shall we lack." And again: "When you come together to eat, wait one for another. If any is hungry, let him eat at home, that you may not come together for judgment." Also to the Romans: "The kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." In the Gospel according to John: "I have food of which you don't know. My food is that I should do his will who sent me and should finish his work."
(Verse 12 and following) And on that day the Lord God of hosts will call for weeping and mourning, for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth; and behold, joy and gladness, killing calves and slaughtering rams, eating meat and drinking wine: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of hosts: 'Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,' says the Lord God of hosts.
Now we say that the wicked are dead, but not in an ascetic life opposed to sin; nor do they, like the saints, bear about dying in their bodies. But it is the soul which they bury in sins and follies, drawing near to the dead and satisfying it with dead nourishment. [They are] like young eagles which, from high places, fly upon the carcasses of the dead, and which the law prohibited, commanding figuratively, "You are not to eat the eagle or any other bird that feeds on a dead carcass."
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, he sets out their contempt for this counsel: and behold joy, above: the harp, and the lyre are in your feasts (Isa 5:12). Third, the intention to hold it in contempt: let us eat and drink, 1 Corinthians 15:32, Wisdom 2:5: our time is …
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And behold joy and gladness,....
To this God called them by his prophet's explaining his providences, and by his providences awakening them to regard what his prophets said. Note, When God threatens us with his judgments he expects and requires that we humble ourselves under his mighty hand, that we tremble when the lion roars, and in a day of adversity consider.
Note, A practical disbelief of another life after this is at the bottom of the carnal security and brutish sensuality which are the sin, and shame, and ruin of so great a part of mankind, as of the old world, who were eating and drinking till the flood came. How much God was displeased at it.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die - This has been the language or all those who have sought their portion in this life, since the foundation of the world. So the poet: - Heu, heu nos miserif quam totus homuncio nil est! Sic erimus cuncti, postquam nos auferet orcus. Ergo vivamus, dum licet esse, bene. Alas alas! what miserable creatures are we, oniy the semblances of men! And so shall we be all when we come to die. Therefore let us live joyfully while we may. Domitian had an image of death hung up in his dining-room, to show his guests that as life was uncertain, they should make the best of it by indulging themselves. On this Martial, to flatter the emperor, whom he styles god, wrote the following epigram: - Frange thoros, pete vina, tingere nardo. Ipse jubet mortis te meminisse Deus. Sit down to table - drink heartily - anoint thyself with spikenard; for God himself commands thee to remember death. So the adage: - Ede, bibe, lude post mortem nulla voluptas. “Eat, drink, and play, while here ye may: No revelry after your dying day.” St. Paul quotes the same heathen sentiment, 1Co 15:32: “Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.” Anacreon is full in point, and from him nothing better can be expected: - Ὡς ουν ετ’ ευδι’ εστιν, Και πινε και κυβευε Και σπενδε τῳ Λυαιῳ· Μη νουσος, ην τις ελθῃ, Λεγῃ, σε μη δει πινειν. Anac. Od. xv., 50:11. “While no tempest blots your sky, Drink, and throw the sportful dye: But to Bacchus drench the ground, Ere you push the goblet round; Lest some fatal illness cry, ‘Drink no more the cup of joy.’” Addison.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And behold ... - When they ought to give themselves to fasting and prayer, they gave themselves up to revelry and riot. Let us eat and drink - Saying, Let us eat and drink. That is, it is inevitable that we must soon die. The army of the Assyrian is approaching, and the city cannot stand against him. It is in vain to make a defense, and in vain to call upon God. Since we “must” soon die, we may as well enjoy life while it lasts.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And behold, joy and happiness The Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, is mourning, and you are eating and rejoicing.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
until you die Jonathan paraphrases a second death in the World to Come.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִנֵּ֣ה׀ | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| שָׂשׂ֣וֹן | sason | joy | H8342 → | 22 times |
| וְשִׂמְחָ֗ה | vesimchah | and gladness | H8057 → | 94 times |
| הָרֹ֤ג׀ | harog | they are killing | H2026 → | 167 times |
| בָּקָר֙ | bakar | cattle | H1241 → | 183 times |
| וְשָׁחֹ֣ט | veshachot | and they are slaughtering | H7819 → | 81 times |
| צֹ֔אן | tzon | sheep | H6629 → | 274 times |
| אָכֹ֥ל | ʾakhol | they are eating | H398 → | 810 times |
| בָּשָׂ֖ר | basar | meat | H1320 → | 270 times |
| וְשָׁת֣וֹת | veshatot | and they are drinking | H8354 → | 217 times |
| יָ֑יִן | yayin | wine | H3196 → | 141 times |
| אָכ֣וֹל | ʾakhol | we will eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| וְשָׁת֔וֹ | veshato | and we will drink | H8354 → | 217 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מָחָ֖ר | machar | tomorrow | H4279 → | |
| נָמֽוּת׃ | namut | we will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
וְהִנֵּ֣ה׀and there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
שָׂשׂ֣וֹןjoy
sasonH8342 →22 times
וְשִׂמְחָ֗הand gladness
vesimchahH8057 →94 times
הָרֹ֤ג׀they are killing
harogH2026 →167 times
בָּקָר֙cattle
bakarH1241 →183 times
וְשָׁחֹ֣טand they are slaughtering
veshachotH7819 →81 times
צֹ֔אןsheep
tzonH6629 →274 times
אָכֹ֥לthey are eating
ʾakholH398 →810 times
בָּשָׂ֖רmeat
basarH1320 →270 times
וְשָׁת֣וֹתand they are drinking
veshatotH8354 →217 times
יָ֑יִןwine
yayinH3196 →141 times
אָכ֣וֹלwe will eat
ʾakholH398 →810 times
וְשָׁת֔וֹand we will drink
veshatoH8354 →217 times
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
מָחָ֖רtomorrow
macharH4279 →
נָמֽוּת׃we will die
namutH4191 →839 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 5:5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 5:6
But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.
- Luke 16:25
But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.
- 1 Timothy 5:6
Through
1 Corinthians 15:32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
it leads to
- Luke 12:19
Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
- Isaiah 56:12
“Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”
- Luke 12:19
Through
Isaiah 56:12“Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”
it leads to
- Psalms 10:6
He says to himself, “I will not be moved; from age to age I am free of distress.”
- Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
- Luke 12:19–20
Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
- Psalms 10:6
Through
Isaiah 5:12At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.
it leads to
- Psalms 28:5
Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD or what His hands have done, He will tear them down and never rebuild them.
- Psalms 28:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Athanasius of Alexandria, FESTAL LETTER 7:2; Cyprian, Treatise XII. Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3:60; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.