Isaiah 29:9

KJV

¶ Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

KJV (with Strong's)

Stay {H4102} yourselves, and wonder {H8539}; cry ye out {H8173}, and cry {H8173}: they are drunken {H7937}, but not with wine {H3196}; they stagger {H5128}, but not with strong drink {H7941}.

Complete Jewish Bible

If you make yourselves stupid, you will stay stupid! If you blind yourselves, you will stay blind! You are drunk, but not from wine; you are staggering, but not from strong liquor.

Berean Standard Bible

Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not from strong drink.

American Standard Version

Tarry ye and wonder; take your pleasure and be blind: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Isaiah 29:9 delivers a profound and ironic prophetic indictment against Jerusalem, commanding its inhabitants to "stay" and "wonder," to "cry out" and "cry," not in genuine repentance or lament, but in a state of deep spiritual stupor. The verse then powerfully explains this condition: "they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink." This vivid metaphor portrays a people so spiritually insensitive, disoriented, and morally incapacitated that their state mirrors physical intoxication, a condition induced not by alcohol, but by their own hardened hearts and the solemn judgment of God.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Isaiah 29 is a pivotal chapter within the larger book of Isaiah, specifically addressing Jerusalem, which is symbolically named "Ariel." This name, potentially meaning "lion of God" or "altar hearth," underscores Jerusalem's status as both a powerful, divinely protected city and a place of sacrifice and judgment. The preceding verses, [Isaiah 29:1-8](/isaiah/29-1-8 "Isaiah 29:1-8 - Jerusalem's Impending Siege and Deliverance"), detail the impending siege and distress that will befall Jerusalem, presented as a divine judgment for their spiritual apathy and rebellion. This judgment, however, is paradoxically followed by a promise of ultimate deliverance for a remnant. Verse 9 serves as a stark transition, introducing the spiritual condition that necessitates such a severe judgment. The subsequent verses, [Isaiah 29:10-12](/isaiah/29-10-12 "Isaiah 29:10-12 - The Spirit of Deep Sleep and Sealed Prophecy"), elaborate on this spiritual blindness, explicitly stating that God has "poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep" and demonstrating how their inability to read or understand the prophetic word is a direct consequence of their hardened hearts. This spiritual dullness is further linked to their hypocritical worship, where they honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him, a theme powerfully articulated in [Isaiah 29:13](/isaiah/29-13 "Isaiah 29:13 - Honouring God with Lips, Not Heart"). Thus, verse 9 acts as a dramatic and ironic opening to the detailed exposition of Jerusalem's profound spiritual insensitivity and its dire consequences.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The historical setting for Isaiah 29 is the tumultuous late 8th century BCE, a period dominated by the formidable Assyrian Empire. Judah, under King Hezekiah, faced constant threats to its sovereignty and very existence from Assyrian expansion. Despite the external political pressures, the internal spiritual and moral condition of the people in Jerusalem was deeply compromised. While outward religious observances continued, widespread idolatry, social injustice, and a general turning away from genuine devotion to Yahweh were rampant. Culturally, the phenomenon of drunkenness was well-understood across the ancient Near East, universally associated with disorientation, loss of self-control, impaired judgment, and often, public shame. By employing the powerful and relatable metaphor of intoxication, Isaiah vividly portrays a spiritual state that was as debilitating and dishonorable as physical drunkenness. This condition rendered the people incapable of discerning God's will, understanding the true nature of their precarious situation—both politically and spiritually—or responding appropriately to divine warnings and invitations to repentance.
* **Key Themes:** The central and most prominent theme in [Isaiah 29](/isaiah/29 "Isaiah 29 - Judgment and Restoration of Ariel"), particularly highlighted in verse 9, is **Spiritual Stupor and Blindness**. The imagery of being "drunken" and "staggering" without actual wine powerfully conveys a profound lack of spiritual discernment, a deep disorientation that prevents the people from perceiving divine truth or recognizing their own perilous condition. This state is not accidental but is presented as a direct result of **Divine Judgment**, a righteous consequence of their persistent rebellion, hypocrisy, and rejection of God's word. God, in His sovereignty, allows or even actively causes this spiritual stupor, preventing them from understanding His message and turning to Him, as further elaborated in [Isaiah 29:10](/isaiah/29-10 "Isaiah 29:10 - The Spirit of Deep Sleep"). This leads directly to the theme of **Hypocrisy and Lack of Discernment**, highlighting how their outward religious observance, as seen in [Isaiah 29:13](/isaiah/29-13 "Isaiah 29:13 - Honouring God with Lips, Not Heart"), was not matched by inward devotion, rendering them spiritually dull and incapable of understanding God's revealed will or the true nature of their relationship with Him.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Stay (Hebrew, _mâhahh'_):** (H4102) From an unused root meaning "to question or hesitate," this word properly signifies "to be reluctant; delay, linger, tarry." In the imperative "Stay yourselves," Isaiah's command is deeply ironic. It is not a genuine call to pause for reflection or repentance, but rather a sarcastic challenge for the people to persist in their spiritual dullness and confusion. It highlights their stubborn refusal to respond to God's warnings, as if to say, "Go ahead, continue in your state of spiritual delay and bewilderment."
* **Drunken (Hebrew, _shâkar'_):** (H7937) A primitive root meaning "to become tipsy; in a qualified sense, to satiate with a stimulating drink or (figuratively) influence." Here, it is used metaphorically to describe a spiritual condition of profound insensitivity and moral disorientation. The people are "drunk" not on physical intoxicants, but on their own sin, their false sense of security, and the spiritual stupor that has settled upon them as a result of divine judgment. It signifies a state of impaired spiritual judgment and perception.
* **Stagger (Hebrew, _nûwaʻ'_):** (H5128) A primitive root meaning "to waver, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively... reel, remove, shake, sift, stagger, to and fro, be vagabond." Paired with "drunken," this word completes the vivid imagery of spiritual instability and confusion. Just as a physically intoxicated person loses their balance and direction, the people of Jerusalem have lost their spiritual bearings, unable to stand firm in truth, walk in God's righteous ways, or maintain a clear moral direction.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"¶ Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry:"** This opening phrase is a masterstroke of prophetic irony or sarcasm. It is not a compassionate pastoral exhortation to pause for genuine repentance or to marvel at God's truth. Instead, it is a challenging command for the people to continue in their current state of spiritual blindness and astonishment—perhaps at their own impending doom, or at the incomprehensibility of their own actions and God's judgments. The repetition of "cry ye out, and cry" emphasizes the futility and emptiness of their lamentations when they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the true source of their distress and turn to God.
* **"they are drunken, but not with wine;"** This clause introduces the central and most striking metaphor of the verse. The people are depicted as being in a state akin to physical intoxication – disoriented, confused, and utterly lacking clear judgment. The crucial clarification, "but not with wine," immediately shifts the meaning from the literal to the profound spiritual realm. Their stupor, their inability to perceive reality clearly, is not caused by alcoholic beverages but by a deeper, more insidious source: their persistent spiritual rebellion, their rejection of God's word, and the resulting divine judgment that has dulled their spiritual senses.
* **"they stagger, but not with strong drink."** This phrase powerfully reinforces and parallels the preceding one, employing synonymous terms ("stagger" for "drunken," "strong drink" for "wine") to amplify the imagery and deepen the indictment. "Strong drink" (Hebrew, _shêkâr'_, H7941) refers to a potent alcoholic beverage, further emphasizing the depth and incapacitating nature of their spiritual condition. Like someone under the influence of a powerful intoxicant, they are unable to walk a straight path, symbolizing their inability to follow God's righteous ways, maintain moral uprightness, or perceive divine truth with clarity.

#### Literary Devices
Isaiah 29:9 is exceptionally rich in **Metaphor**, primarily employing the vivid imagery of physical drunkenness and staggering to describe a profound spiritual condition. This powerful comparison effectively illustrates the people's disorientation, impaired judgment, and inability to perceive spiritual truth, emphasizing that this state is not caused by alcohol but by their own spiritual apathy and the resulting divine judgment. The opening commands, "Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry," are a prime example of **Irony** or **Sarcasm**. The prophet is not genuinely urging them to pause and reflect in a repentant manner, but rather challenging them to persist in their self-induced spiritual dullness, thereby highlighting the futility of their actions and the profound depth of their self-deception. Furthermore, the verse masterfully utilizes **Parallelism**, specifically synonymous parallelism, in its latter half: "they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink." This rhetorical device repeats the core idea using different but closely related terms, reinforcing the message of spiritual intoxication and adding poetic force and emphasis to the prophet's severe indictment.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 29:9 profoundly illustrates the biblical theme of spiritual blindness, presenting it as both a direct consequence of human sin and a severe form of divine judgment. When humanity stubbornly resists God's revealed truth, hardens its heart against His warnings, and persists in rebellion, God may, in His righteous and sovereign judgment, give them over to their chosen path, allowing a spirit of stupor to settle upon them. This spiritual insensitivity renders them incapable of understanding His word, discerning His will, or recognizing their own desperate need for salvation and repentance. The passage underscores the critical importance of humility, a receptive heart, and a willingness to obey in approaching divine revelation, for without these, even the clearest truth becomes an incomprehensible riddle. This verse serves as a sobering reminder that spiritual perception is a precious gift from God, one that can be withdrawn or withheld from those who persistently reject His light and choose to walk in darkness.

* [Romans 11:8](/romans/11-8 "Romans 11:8 - A Spirit of Slumber")
* [1 Corinthians 2:14](/1_corinthians/2-14 "1 Corinthians 2:14 - The Natural Person Cannot Understand Spiritual Truths")
* [Matthew 13:13](/matthew/13-13 "Matthew 13:13 - Why Jesus Speaks in Parables")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 29:9 stands as a timeless and piercing indictment against spiritual apathy and the profound dangers of a hardened heart. It challenges us to engage in honest self-examination: Are we truly awake, alert, and sensitive to God's voice and His ongoing work in the world, or are we, like ancient Jerusalem, in a state of spiritual stupor? Are we "drunken" with the intoxicating allure of worldly concerns, self-sufficiency, material pursuits, or even religious formalism that lacks genuine heart-engagement? This verse serves as a stark warning that a lack of authentic devotion, coupled with a persistent resistance to God's truth, can lead to a profound inability to discern spiritual realities, making us blind to His warnings, deaf to His invitations, and ultimately, unable to navigate life according to His divine wisdom. True spiritual understanding and a clear path forward require a humble, repentant heart that actively seeks God's wisdom, diligently studies His Word, and is genuinely willing to obey His commands, rather than merely going through the motions of faith. It calls us to earnestly pray for spiritual discernment, to cultivate a tender heart, and to vigilantly guard against the subtle ways our hearts can become hardened to the convicting and guiding presence of God's Spirit.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what specific areas of my life might I be spiritually "drunken" or "staggering," unable to clearly perceive God's will or truth?**
* **What might be contributing to any lack of spiritual discernment in my life—is it complacency, overwhelming worldly distractions, unconfessed sin, or a failure to engage deeply with God's Word?**
* **How can I actively cultivate a more alert, receptive, and responsive heart to God's Word and the leading of His Spirit, thereby avoiding the spiritual stupor described in this passage?**
* **Am I truly honoring God with my whole heart and life, or am I prone to outward religious observance without inward transformation, as warned against elsewhere in this chapter?**

### FAQ
**What does it mean to be "drunken, but not with wine" in Isaiah 29:9?**

Answer: This powerful metaphor describes a spiritual, not a physical, state. It means the people of Jerusalem were profoundly disoriented, confused, and lacked clear judgment, much like someone intoxicated by alcohol. However, their stupor was not caused by physical intoxicants but by their own spiritual rebellion, their persistent rejection of God's truth, and the resulting divine judgment that had dulled their spiritual senses and understanding. They were spiritually incapacitated, unable to perceive God's warnings or their own perilous condition, even when facing severe external threats as described in [Isaiah 29:1-8](/isaiah/29-1-8 "Isaiah 29:1-8 - Jerusalem's Coming Distress").

**Is the opening command "Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry" a genuine call to repentance?**

Answer: No, in the context of Isaiah 29:9, this command is generally understood as an ironic or sarcastic indictment rather than a genuine call to repentance. Given the people's deep spiritual blindness and hardened hearts, Isaiah is not truly urging them to pause for reflection or to marvel at God's works in a positive sense. Instead, he is challenging them to persist in their self-induced spiritual dullness and to be "amazed" or "stupefied" by their own incomprehensible actions and the impending judgment that they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge. It highlights the futility of their lamentations when they refuse to turn to God, as seen in the broader prophetic context of [the book of Isaiah](/isaiah "The Book of Isaiah - Prophecies of Judgment and Salvation").

**How does this verse relate to spiritual blindness in the New Testament?**

Answer: Isaiah 29:9-10, particularly the themes of spiritual blindness and a "spirit of deep sleep," is directly quoted or powerfully alluded to in the New Testament to explain why many, especially within Israel, did not believe in Jesus Christ. For instance, in [Matthew 13:13-15](/matthew/13-13-15 "Matthew 13:13-15 - Jesus Explains Parables and Spiritual Blindness"), Jesus explains that He speaks in parables so that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand," explicitly stating this fulfills Isaiah's prophecy. Similarly, [Romans 11:8](/romans/11-8 "Romans 11:8 - A Spirit of Slumber on Israel") references this passage to describe the spiritual hardening that came upon a portion of Israel. It underscores the New Testament teaching that true spiritual understanding is a divine gift, often veiled from those who persistently resist God's truth and reject His Son.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 29:9 paints a stark and sobering picture of humanity's natural spiritual condition: "drunken" and "staggering," utterly unable to perceive divine truth, discern God's will, or walk in His righteous ways. This profound spiritual blindness, presented as both a consequence of sin and a form of divine judgment, finds its ultimate remedy and reversal in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the true light who came into the world to dispel this pervasive spiritual darkness, as He Himself declared in [John 8:12](/john/8-12 "John 8:12 - Jesus, the Light of the World"), proclaiming, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Where the people of Isaiah's day were given a "spirit of deep sleep" ([Isaiah 29:10](/isaiah/29-10 "Isaiah 29:10 - The Spirit of Deep Sleep")), Christ offers not only awakening but also true spiritual sight. The New Testament consistently portrays Jesus opening the eyes of the physically blind, a powerful and recurring metaphor for His divine ability to open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind ([John 9:39](/john/9-39 "John 9:39 - Jesus Came for Judgment and Sight")). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, the "veil" that covers hearts, preventing them from understanding God's word and seeing His glory ([2 Corinthians 3:14-16](/2_corinthians/3-14-16 "2 Corinthians 3:14-16 - The Veil Removed in Christ")), is removed for those who turn to Him. Believers are called to "wake up, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" ([Ephesians 5:14](/ephesians/5-14 "Ephesians 5:14 - Wake Up, Sleeper!")), moving from the spiritual stupor and disorientation described in Isaiah to the clarity, purpose, and sure-footed discipleship found only in following the risen Lord. He is the one who enables us to truly "see" and "understand" God's truth, transforming our spiritual intoxication into sober-minded devotion and our aimless staggering into a purposeful walk with Him.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Isaiah 51:21

Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

Isaiah 51:22

Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God [that] pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, [even] the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

Isaiah 49:26

And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD [am] thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Isaiah 19:14

The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken [man] staggereth in his vomit.

Revelation 17:6

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Isaiah 33:13

¶ Hear, ye [that are] far off, what I have done; and, ye [that are] near, acknowledge my might.

Isaiah 33:14

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?