Lexical Summary
shethi: drunkenness
Original Word:שְׁתִי
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:shthiy
Pronunciation:sheh-thee
Phonetic Spelling:(sheth-ee')
KJV: drunkenness
NASB:drunkenness
Word Origin:[fromH8354 (שָׁתָה - drink)]
1. intoxicaion
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
drunkenness
Fromshathah; intoxicaion -- drunkenness.
see HEBREWshathah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shathahDefinitiona drinking, drinking bout
NASB Translationdrunkenness (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. ; —
Ecclesiastes 10:17.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Occurrenceשְׁתִי (sheti, Strong’s H8358) denotes drunkenness or a bout of excessive drinking. The single canonical occurrence isEcclesiastes 10:17, where it is contrasted with eating “for strength.” The setting is royal leadership, highlighting the moral difference between disciplined nourishment and unrestrained indulgence.
Context inEcclesiastes 10:17
Ecclesiastes pictures two kinds of rulers. One eats “at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness”. The rare term sheti caps the negative alternative. Drunkenness is presented as the antithesis of wisdom, undermining both personal vigor and national wellbeing. In a book that constantly probes what gives life meaning “under the sun,” the verse suggests that self-control, not self-gratification, marks a truly blessed land.
Drunkenness and Leadership
1. Moral clarity
Proverbs 31:4-5 warns rulers that intoxicants cloud judgment.Isaiah 28:7 indicts priests and prophets who “reel with strong drink,” illustrating how impaired discernment corrupts worship as well as governance.
2. Social responsibility
Ecclesiastes ties a leader’s private habits to public consequences. A court given to sheti dissipates resources, fosters injustice, and strips the populace of stability (cf.1 Kings 16:9-10;Hosea 7:5).
3. Covenant fidelity
Israel’s kings were to embody Torah ideals (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). Intemperance—symbolized here by sheti—betrays covenantal obligations, reflecting failure to love God with heart, mind, and strength.
Broader Scriptural Witness
•Proverbs 20:1: “Wine is a mocker… whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
•Isaiah 5:11: Woe to those who chase drink “from dawn until dusk.”
•Habakkuk 2:15: Judgment falls on one who makes his neighbor drunk.
•Ephesians 5:18: “Do not get drunk on wine… Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
•1 Peter 4:3: The believer’s past included “drunkenness,” but that era is over.
Together these passages show consistency from Old to New Testament: intoxication dulls spiritual perception, weakens moral fiber, and invites divine displeasure.
Historical and Cultural Insights
Ancient Near Eastern banquets often displayed power and luxury. Royal excess with wine appears in extra-biblical records and in Scripture (Esther 1:10;Daniel 5:1-4). Against that backdrop,Ecclesiastes 10:17 stands out as a counter-cultural call to restrained feasting that serves physical “strength” (Hebrew geburah) rather than selfish sheti.
Ministry Implications
• Personal discipleship
The rarity of sheti underscores its seriousness: even isolated indulgence can compromise testimony. Christian leaders today mirror the ancient warning—self-control authenticates ministry (1 Timothy 3:3;Titus 1:7).
• Corporate life
Congregations flourish when gatherings encourage sober joy rather than fleshly escape. The Lord’s Supper, for instance, demands reverence, not sheti (1 Corinthians 11:21-22).
• Societal witness
A restrained lifestyle models the kingdom ethic of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), offering a corrective to cultures that equate celebration with excess.
Theological Trajectory
Sheti embodies a broader biblical motif: humanity’s misuse of God’s good gifts. Wine gladdens the heart (Psalm 104:15), yet when the heart rules instead of God, blessing mutates into bondage. Ecclesiastes drives the reader toward the conclusion that true fulfillment is “to fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)—a life where physical appetite is governed by reverence, not by sheti.
Summary
Though appearing only once, שְׁתִי provides a strategic lens on leadership, wisdom, and discipleship. Scripture consistently contrasts Spirit-filled sobriety with the destructive folly of drunkenness, urging God’s people to steward every gift—food, drink, authority—for strength in service to the Lord rather than self-indulgence.
Forms and Transliterations
בַשְּׁתִֽי׃ בשתי׃ ḇaš·šə·ṯî ḇaššəṯî vashsheTi
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