Isaiah 56:12
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
Study Note
Study Note
The quotation of the corrupt watchmen's invitation — 'I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant' — exposes the complacency underlying institutional corruption. The 'tomorrow will be as today' logic is precisely the worldview Isaiah 47:7-8 attributes to Babylon in her arrogance, and Amos 6:1's 'woe to them that are at ease in Zion' targets the same disposition. James 4:13-14's warning 'go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city... whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow' applies the same prophetic critique to presumptuous planning without reference to divine sovereignty. The verse illustrates a perennial dynamic: corrupt leadership and careless hedonism go together because both presuppose a closed universe where accountability is indefinitely deferred.
Other Translations
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow shall be as this day, a day great beyond measure.
`Come ye, I take wine, And we drink, quaff strong drink, And as this day hath been to-morrow, Great--exceeding abundant!'
Come, they say, I will get wine, and we will take strong drink in full measure; and tomorrow will be like today, full of pleasure.
Cross References
Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it …
For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the …
And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from …
And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; …
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, …