Isaiah 56:12 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The corrupt leaders mock caution and celebrate a future of endless indulgence.
The Context of Isaiah 56:12
The verse is the final word in Isaiah's portrait of failed leadership. The leaders speak to one another, calling others to join them in a life of wine and strong drink, assuring themselves that tomorrow will bring more of the same—abundance upon abundance. They are living as though judgment will never come, as though there is no God whose reckoning they should fear.
What Does Isaiah 56:12 Mean?
The tone here is almost giddy, self-deluded. 'Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine.' This is not even hidden vice; it is boasted camaraderie, leaders inviting one another to join in excess. And the promise is infinite repetition: 'as this day, and much more abundant.' They have constructed a world in which their appetites are the only reality and judgment is not even a whisper. It is a kind of insanity—the blindness and deafness of verse 10 showing itself as willful intoxication.
Jesus warned against this same spirit in Luke 12:19: 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But the voice cuts through: 'But God said to him, You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you' (Luke 12:20). The tragedy is not that there is wine or food or tomorrow—these are gifts. The tragedy is that the leaders have made them into gods, have built a false world where there is no reckoning, no justice, no God. That world will crack.
How to Apply Isaiah 56:12 Today
Where have you built a narrative that tomorrow will be like today, that there are no limits, no consequences, no God to answer to? That narrative is a kind of death. Return to reality: to justice, to justice, to the God who sees. Life waits on the other side of that honesty.
Frequently Asked Questions About Isaiah 56:12
What does Isaiah 56:12 mean?
The corrupt leaders mock caution and celebrate a future of endless indulgence.
What is the context of Isaiah 56:12?
The verse is the final word in Isaiah's portrait of failed leadership. The leaders speak to one another, calling others to join them in a life of wine and strong drink, assuring themselves that tomorrow will bring more of the same—abundance upon abundance. They are living as though judgment will never come, as though there is no God whose reckoning they should fear.
How can I apply Isaiah 56:12 today?
Where have you built a narrative that tomorrow will be like today, that there are no limits, no consequences, no God to answer to? That narrative is a kind of death. Return to reality: to justice, to justice, to the God who sees. Life waits on the other side of that honesty.