Proverbs 20:1

Mocker. Heb. les, translated "scorner" in ch. 19:29. This suggests that "wine," the "mocker," is here personified and that the statement does not assert that wine mocks men, but that men under the influence of wine and strong drink become scornful of right and religion.

Strong drink. Fermented drinks made from other sources than grapes, such as pomegranates and dates (see on Deut. 14:26).

Deceived. All intoxicating drinks are deceptive. Men think they are becoming stronger, wiser, quicker in action, and more eloquent as the amount they drink increases, whereas objective tests show that they are slowed down, rendered less efficient, and finally rendered incapable of coherent thought or speech. Intoxicating liquors are deceptive in another way. A man considers them quite harmless and believes that he can take them or leave them at will, yet drink gains an almost unshakable grip on its victims (see Prov. 23:29-35. Isa. 28:7; Eph. 5:18).