The passage
Habakkuk 2:15 says, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” We read this as a severe warning against using drink as an instrument of shame and exploitation.
Habakkuk 2:15
The focus here is not private preference. It is harm, exposure, and moral corruption involving another person.
Why we use this verse
This page matters because it moves the discussion beyond personal liberty into what drink can do in relationships. We therefore pair Habakkuk 2:15 with Romans 14:21, where the concern becomes stumbling and hurting a brother.
Why this page also touches the Cana question
Our Cana reading is influenced by passages like this one. If Scripture attaches woe to drink used toward others in a way that leads to shame and stumbling, we are slow to imagine Christ manufacturing large quantities of intoxicating drink for a feast already underway which likely included children in attendence.
Read next
Related passage
Romans 14:21
Move from prophetic woe to apostolic stumbling and charity.
Main answer
Is drinking a sin?
Return to the direct answer page after following the harm-to-others texts.
Cana page
Did Jesus make alcohol?
See how we let these moral warnings shape our Cana reading.
Frequently asked questions
Is this verse only about predatory intent, not ordinary drinking?
We agree that the verse is severe and specific. It still uses the passage to show how easily drink language in Scripture moves toward shame and harm rather than innocence.
Why connect this page to Romans 14?
Because both passages keep the moral focus on what your action does to another person, not only on what you intended for yourself.
Key answers connected to this page
- Is drinking alcohol biblical? — Read the broader Bible answer on sobriety, holiness, judgment, and drinking alcohol.
- Wine in the Bible — Read the broad overview of wine in the Bible, Bible wine, and biblical wine language.