Proverbs 23:29 Meaning and Explanation
“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Who experiences woe, sorrow, fighting, endless talk, bruises, and red eyes?
The Context of Proverbs 23:29
Catalog of the drunkard's suffering: emotional, relational, physical, and social.
What Does Proverbs 23:29 Mean?
This verse lists the visible and invisible marks of a person enslaved to alcohol: woe and sorrow (emotional anguish), contentions (quarreling), babbling (foolish endless speech), wounds without cause (fights and accidents from intoxication), and redness of eyes (physical sign of drinking).
The rhetorical questions invite the reader to reflect and identify: these are the signs written on the drunkard's body and life. The accumulation of small miseries—the woe, the fights, the foolish talking, the bruises—reveals a life coming apart at the seams.
Frequently Asked Questions About Proverbs 23:29
What does Proverbs 23:29 mean?
Who experiences woe, sorrow, fighting, endless talk, bruises, and red eyes?
What is the context of Proverbs 23:29?
Catalog of the drunkard's suffering: emotional, relational, physical, and social.