The passage
Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” We treat this as one of the clearest summary warnings in the debate.
Proverbs 20:1
The warning is attached to deception and the loss of wisdom, not merely to social embarrassment.
Why we do not minimize this verse
Some readers move quickly from this verse to the claim that only extreme drunkenness is condemned. We resist that shortcut. The text itself points to deception and the loss of wisdom, which fits our larger sober-minded reading.
This is why the page is often read together with Proverbs 31:4-5 and Isaiah 28:7.
Why Proverbs 20:1 is not read alone
We treat this as a summary line that is clarified by neighboring warning passages: wine that bites like a serpent in Proverbs 23, kings who pervert judgment in Proverbs 31, priests and prophets who err in Isaiah 28, and priests forbidden wine and strong drink in Leviticus 10.
Read next
Related passage
Proverbs 31:4-5
Continue into the kings-and-judgment warning.
Related passage
Proverbs 23
Compare the general warning here with the red, moving, serpent-biting description.
Definition page
Strong drink
Read our broader strong-drink warning page.
Frequently asked questions
Is this verse only about drunkenness?
We say the wording is broader than that. It warns about deception and the loss of wisdom, which is why we do not confine it to only the far edge of excess.
Why does the verse mention both wine and strong drink?
Because we treat both terms as part of the warning stream. It does not see the second term as softening the first.
Key answers connected to this page
- Is drinking a sin? — Read the direct Bible answer on whether drinking alcohol is sin.
- 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.