Charles Ellicott Commentary Isaiah 5:11

"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them!" — Isaiah 5:11 (ASV)

Woe to them that rise up early. —The same class as in Isaiah 5:8 meets us under another aspect. In Judah, as elsewhere, the oppressors were conspicuous for their luxury (Amos 6:5–6). They shocked public feeling by morning banquets (Ecclesiastes 10:16–17; Acts 2:14). Not wine only, but the “strong drink” made from honey and from dates and other fruits (possibly including, as a generic term, the beer for which Egypt was famous) was seen on their tables. The morning feast was followed, perhaps with hardly a break, by an evening revel. (Isaiah 28:7.)