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Isaiah 28

1

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

2

Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

3

The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

4

And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

5

In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

6

And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

7

But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8

For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

9

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

13

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

14

Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

15

Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

16

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

17

Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

18

And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

19

From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

20

For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

21

For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

22

Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

23

Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

24

Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

25

When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

26

For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

27

For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

28

Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

29

This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

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Isaiah 28

Isaiah pronounces woes against the leaders and people of both Israel and Judah, condemning their pride and drunkenness and their false alliance with Egypt rather than trust in God. The oracle mocks the drunkards of Ephraim whose glorious beauty will fade like a flower withering in the heat of summer, establishing that human pride and material prosperity are temporary and subject to divine judgment. The passage criticizes the priests and prophets who are confused by wine and are unfaithful to their calling, establishing that even religious leaders have compromised covenant faithfulness. The prophecy announces that the Lord will establish a sure foundation in Zion—a stone that has been tested—upon which faithful belief will be established, introducing the promise of a righteous remnant and the foundation of renewed covenant. The oracle warns against making a covenant with death (Sheol) and with lies, suggesting that false security and reliance on deceptive practices invite judgment. The passage employs the image of a bed too short to stretch on and a blanket too narrow to cover, conveying the inadequacy and futility of human attempts at security and comfort apart from God. Yet within the message of judgment lies the promise of God's faithfulness and the establishment of a foundation in Zion upon which the righteous remnant will be established. Isaiah 28 demonstrates that authentic faith requires both recognition of human inadequacy and trust in God's gracious establishment of a sure foundation. The chapter establishes that judgment aims at the purification and renewal of covenant community through the removal of false confidence.

Isaiah 28:1

Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those overcome by wine, introducing the series of woe oracles against unfaithful Israel (chapters 28-33) and establishing that judgment will fall on the Northern Kingdom Ephraim and its leaders. The crown of pride represents the royal insignia and the dignity of rule, yet it is associated with drunkenness and spiritual blindness. The fading flower imagery suggests that what appears glorious and permanent will wither and lose its beauty. The fertile valley suggests the land's abundance yet the people's inability to receive it rightly, being overcome by wine rather than by reverence for God. The woe oracle establishes that proximity to blessing—the fertile land—without moral and spiritual faithfulness leads to judgment.

Isaiah 28:2

Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty one; like a hailstorm, a storm of destruction, like a flooding downpour and an overflowing torrent, he will hurl it down to the earth with his hand, establishing that God's judgment against Ephraim will be delivered through a strong and mighty instrument—perhaps Assyria—with overwhelming and destructive force. The imagery of hail, storm, and flood suggests natural disaster and overwhelming power. The hurl down to earth suggests the violent subjugation and humiliation of the proud. The specificity of the judgment's character emphasizes its totality and the impossibility of resistance. This verse describes the mechanism through which God's woe against Ephraim will be accomplished in history.

Isaiah 28:3

The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled under foot, establishing the humiliation of Ephraim's rulers through the destruction of their royal insignia and the subjugation of their power. The trampling under foot suggests the totality of conquest and the public shaming of the proud. The return to the crown of pride (mentioned in verse 1) creates a frame around the judgment, suggesting that what had been the source of Ephraim's confidence becomes the instrument of its humiliation. This verse emphasizes the reversal and the justice of the judgment: those who had prided themselves on their crown and dignity are stripped of both and subjected to the humbling power of military conquest.

Isaiah 28:4

And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley, will be like the first-ripe fig before the summer; which, when one sees it, he eats it up while still in his hand, establishing that Ephraim's beauty and glory, far from being durable, are like an early fig—desirable but ephemeral, easily consumed. The first-ripe fig imagery suggests something prized yet fragile, something that disappears once possessed. The eating of the fig from the hand suggests the quick consumption and the loss of permanence. The return to the fertility of the valley emphasizes the incongruity: a land of abundance yields only ephemeral fruit. This verse suggests that Ephraim's apparent prosperity and beauty offer no protection against judgment; they are merely transient conditions that will quickly pass.

Isaiah 28:5

In that day the LORD of hosts will become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people, establishing a contrast between the fading crown of Ephraim and the enduring crown that God Himself will become for the faithful remnant. The crowning of the remnant by God Himself represents their exaltation and honor in God's sight, a glory that transcends and replaces the fading glory of the nations. The emphasis on the remnant suggests that salvation is not for all Israel but for those who maintain faith. The becoming of God as crown and diadem establishes that true glory and beauty flow from relationship with God rather than from human achievement or power. This verse introduces the positive note of salvation for the faithful even as judgment falls on the unfaithful.

Isaiah 28:6

And a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate, establishing that the remnant that is crowned with God's glory is empowered with justice for leadership and strength for defense. The spirit of justice for the judge ensures righteous governance. The strength for those who turn back the battle suggests military prowess, yet grounded in God's presence and power. The gate imagery suggests the gathering point for judgment and defense, the place where leaders exercise authority and defend the community. This verse emphasizes that salvation includes not merely the individual's relationship with God but the capacity for just governance and effective defense of the community. The remnant becomes God's instrument for establishing justice and righteousness in the world.

Isaiah 28:7

These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment, establishing that the leadership—priests and prophets—are corrupted by drunkenness and their judgment is impaired and untrustworthy. The paralleling of priest and prophet suggests that all who speak for God have been compromised. The reeling and staggering imagery emphasizes their lack of steadiness and reliability. The confusion of vision and the stumbling in judgment establish that drunkenness affects both the prophetic office and the judicial function. This verse represents an indictment of leadership that should maintain clarity and sobriety to serve God's purposes. The corruption of the prophetic and priestly offices by drunkenness represents the spiritual corruption of the entire community's guidance.

Isaiah 28:8

For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a place clean, establishing that the drunkenness of leadership pervades all levels of communal life, that tables—places of gathering and decision-making—are fouled by the results of drunkenness. The filthy vomit imagery is deliberately repulsive, emphasizing the degradation and corruption. The absence of clean places suggests the totality of the contamination, that there is nowhere to turn for clean and reliable authority. The focus on tables suggests both the literal tables of feasting and metaphorically the places where important matters are decided. This verse emphasizes the comprehensiveness of the corruption and the impossibility of maintaining standards of propriety and judgment.

Isaiah 28:9

To whom will he teach knowledge? And to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast, establishing that those who are mature and able to receive instruction represent the constituency for the prophetic word, yet the preceding verses show that the current leadership has rendered itself incapable of receiving or conveying such instruction. The questions suggest irony: to whom indeed can knowledge be taught when all leaders are drunk and confused? The reference to those weaned from milk suggests maturity and the capacity for solid food. The oracle implicitly indicts the current community for its immaturity and resistance to the teaching of God's word. The rhetorical questions demand that the hearers recognize their own spiritual condition.

Isaiah 28:10

For it is: 'Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,' establishing that God's instruction comes in manageable pieces, building upon previous instruction in a pedagogical process designed for those capable of learning. The repetition and the progression suggest the patient accumulation of wisdom and understanding. Yet the context suggests that the oracle is quoting what the prophet's critics had said dismissively—that Isaiah's teaching is too elementary, repeated too often. The irony is that this very method is actually appropriate to the spiritual condition of the people, who are like children needing basic instruction repeated multiple times. This verse may reflect complaints against Isaiah's repeated warnings and simple messages, yet it affirms that such pedagogical approach is necessary and appropriate.

Isaiah 28:11

Indeed, He will speak to this people with lips of a foreigner and with a tongue of a stranger, establishing that God's instruction, rejected when offered in familiar language through Israel's own prophets, will come through foreign conquerors and the humiliating experience of exile. The foreigners and strangers refer to Assyrians and other nations through whose conquest and domination Israel will be forced to learn obedience to God. The speaking through foreign lips and tongues emphasizes the shame of learning from those whom Israel considers enemies. Yet the irony is that God will effect instruction through these agents despite Israel's rejection of the prophetic word offered in its own language. This verse suggests that God's commitment to Israel's instruction is so profound that if the people will not learn from prophets, they will be taught by conquest and exile.

Isaiah 28:12

To whom He said, 'This is the rest, give rest to the weary,' and, 'This is the refreshment,' yet they would not listen, establishing that God had offered Israel rest and refreshment—the basic goods of salvation—yet the people refused to heed the prophetic call. The rest and refreshment imagery suggests the peace and security that come from covenantal faithfulness and trust in God. The refusal to listen establishes the willfulness of the people's rejection, that they have been offered the good and spurned it. The oracle's connection of offered rest with the refusal of instruction suggests that the people are being called to accept a message and the way of life it entails. The rejection of this offer has consequences: since the people will not accept the offered rest, they will experience restlessness and turmoil.

Isaiah 28:13

So the word of the LORD will be to them: 'Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,' that they may go and stumble backward, and be broken and snared and taken captive, establishing that God's word, rejected when offered with clarity and compassion, becomes an instrument of judgment, leading to stumbling and captivity. The repetition of the precepts now becomes not a pedagogical tool for learning but an instrument of confusion and judgment. The stumbling backward suggests regression and loss of way. The breaking, snaring, and captivity suggest the consequences of persistent rejection: the people who will not accept God's offered rest are thrust into suffering and subjugation. This verse transforms the instruction offered for blessing into a judgment that leads to destruction.

Isaiah 28:14

Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, addressing the leadership of Judah—rulers and scoffers—and calling them to hear the word of the LORD despite their apparent confidence and dismissiveness. The designation as scoffers establishes their spiritual condition: they mock and ridicule the prophetic word and the call to covenant faithfulness. The rule over the people establishes their responsibility: as leaders, they bear responsibility for guiding the people in the ways of righteousness. The oracle shifts from the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) to Judah (Jerusalem), extending the series of woes. The address challenges their presumed confidence and calls them to genuine hearing.

Isaiah 28:15

Because you have said, 'We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place,' establishing that Jerusalem's leaders have falsely assured themselves of safety through reliance on foreign alliances and false confidence, comparing their false security to a covenant with death itself. The covenant with death and agreement with Sheol suggest a self-deceptive confidence that death and the underworld will not touch them. The overwhelming scourge refers to the Assyrian invasion and conquest. The making of lies and falsehood into refuge represents a fundamental spiritual inversion: instead of trusting in God, they trust in deceptions and false assurances. This verse exposes the false confidence of political leadership that believes human diplomacy and alliance can substitute for covenant faithfulness.

Isaiah 28:16

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation; whoever believes in it will not be ashamed,' establishing that God will establish in Zion a sure foundation—the tested and precious cornerstone—upon which those who believe will build with confidence. The stone imagery, drawing on Old Testament themes of foundation and building, represents both a physical reality (perhaps the rebuilt temple) and the spiritual reality of God's presence and promise. The testing of the stone suggests its proven reliability and worthiness. The assurance that those who believe will not be put to shame contrasts sharply with the shame that awaits those who trust in false covenants. This verse presents God's counter-proposal to the false security of political alliances: a foundation in God's promise and presence.

Isaiah 28:17

I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb bob; and the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place, establishing that God's judgment will employ justice and righteousness as the standard by which all things are measured, and that the false refuges and hiding places—the deceptions and false alliances—will be destroyed. The measuring line and plumb bob are tools for straightness and accuracy, suggesting that God's judgment is accurate and properly aligned with justice and righteousness. The hail and waters represent the destructive force of judgment, sweeping away what is not built on a true foundation. This verse promises that God's judgment will expose and destroy the false securities and deceptive covenants that humans construct.

Isaiah 28:18

Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it, establishing the reversal and failure of the false confidence, showing that the covenant with death will be dissolved and those who trusted in it will be subjected to the very scourge they thought they had avoided. The annulling of the death covenant suggests its utter unreliability and the futility of reliance upon it. The trampling by the scourge suggests that those who thought themselves safe through false covenants become the victims of conquest. The direct reversal of verse 15 establishes the oracle's logic: the confidence born of deception will be utterly dispelled by the reality of judgment. This verse demonstrates the futility of seeking security apart from God.

Isaiah 28:19

Whenever it passes through, it will seize you; for morning after morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the report, establishing that the judgment will be relentless and continuous, passing through again and again, leaving no respite or hope of escape. The day and night passing through suggests the totality and continuity of affliction. The sheer terror of understanding the report suggests that knowledge of the disaster and loss becomes unbearable. The oracle's accumulation of horror imagery—seizing, constant passing, unrelenting terror—emphasizes the totality of judgment and the failure of any defense.

Isaiah 28:20

For the bed is too short on which to stretch out, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in, establishing through the imagery of inadequate covering that none of the false refuges or protective measures will prove sufficient against the judgment. The bed too short and blanket too narrow suggest a situation of exposure and vulnerability despite attempts to find protection. The domestic imagery makes the crisis concrete and personal: even in one's own home, there is no adequate shelter from judgment. This verse emphasizes that judgment penetrates to the most intimate spaces and that no human provision can shield from it.

Isaiah 28:21

For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon, to do His deed—strange is His deed, and to perform His work—alien is His work, establishing that God will act in judgment against Judah as God acted against Judah's enemies, suggesting that Judah has become God's opponent requiring the same divine opposition that once protected it. Mount Perazim and the Valley of Gibeon are sites of divine victories against enemies, yet now God will use these same forms of action against Judah itself. The strangeness and alienness of God's deed and work suggest that it runs counter to what the people had expected: the God who had been their defender becomes their judge. The oracle suggests that apostasy transforms the nation's status from beneficiary of God's protection to object of God's judgment.

Isaiah 28:22

Now do not be scoffers, or your bonds will be tightened; for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts, a decree of destruction determined for the whole earth, addressing the scoffers and warning them that mockery will result in increased punishment, while affirming that judgment is determined by God for all the earth. The tightening of bonds suggests increased constraint and confinement. The decree of destruction determined for the whole earth suggests that the judgment is cosmic in scope and irrevocable. The call not to be scoffers suggests that the immediate response demanded is the cessation of mockery and the acceptance of the seriousness of the prophetic word. This verse appeals to the leadership to recognize the futility of scoffing in the face of determined divine judgment.

Isaiah 28:23

Give ear and hear my voice, pay attention and hear my word, establishing the prophet's urgent appeal to be heard, creating a rhetorical pause in the woe oracles and calling for attentive listening to what follows. The escalating imperatives—give ear, hear, pay attention, hear—emphasize the importance and urgency of what is being communicated. The shift from judgment to appeal suggests the prophet's desire to reach the people despite their resistance. The call to listen introduces a change in tone and focus in the oracle.

Isaiah 28:24

Does the plowman plow continually all day to plant? Does he continually open and harrow the ground, establishing a parable drawn from agricultural practice to illustrate God's purposes and methods, asking whether the plowman's entire work consists of plowing or whether plowing serves a larger purpose. The questions draw the reader into recognition of the purpose behind the plowman's labor: plowing is means to an end, not an end in itself. The oracle uses this familiar activity to suggest that just as the plowman's work includes varied tasks aimed at the harvest, so also God's work includes judgment (plowing) aimed ultimately at blessing and fruitfulness.

Isaiah 28:25

Does he not level its surface and sow black cummin and scatter cummin, and plant wheat in rows and barley in its place and rye within its area, establishing that the plowman's work includes careful planning and the placement of different seeds in their proper places, each receiving attention and cultivation. The variety of seeds and their specific placement suggest purposeful agricultural planning. The return to attention to the ground after plowing suggests the resumption of cultivation after the destructive labor of preparation. The oracle's cataloging of seeds emphasizes the diversity of God's work and the care with which different purposes are accomplished. The agricultural imagery suggests that what appears chaotic or destructive (the plowing) actually serves fruitfulness and blessing.

Isaiah 28:26

For his God instructs him with proper judgment; his God teaches him, establishing that the plowman's knowledge and skill are divinely granted, that the wisdom to work the land properly flows from God. The dual reference to God as instructor and teacher emphasizes God's role in providing the knowledge and discernment necessary for the work. The proper judgment suggests accuracy and correctness in the execution of agricultural tasks. The oracle establishes a pattern: as God teaches the plowman how to work the land effectively, so also God instructs the people and their leaders in the ways of righteousness and covenant faithfulness. The failure of leadership to heed God's instruction represents a refusal of the teaching that is offered.

Isaiah 28:27

For black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin; but black cummin is beaten out with a staff, and cummin with a rod, establishing that different crops require different treatment, that the plowman's knowledge includes understanding the proper method for each, suggesting an appropriate proportionality in God's judgment. The differentiation of treatment—threshing sledge for some crops, staff for others—suggests that judgment is calibrated to what is being judged. The oracle prepares for the final affirmation: just as the plowman knows what treatment each crop needs, so also God knows what judgment each situation requires. The careful and differentiated treatment suggests that judgment is not indiscriminate but precisely calibrated.

Isaiah 28:28

Grain is crushed; indeed, he does not thresh it continually, nor drive his cartwheel and horses over it, establishing that even the grain—the most important crop—is not subjected to excessive threshing but receives appropriate treatment, emphasizing further the principle of proportionality in judgment. The refusal to over-thresh suggests respect for the grain and understanding of what is needed to extract the kernel. The oracle's point becomes clear: judgment is not merely destructive but purposeful, measured, and calibrated to produce the intended result. The care exercised in threshing grain illustrates the care and proportion that characterize God's judgment.

Isaiah 28:29

This also comes from the LORD of hosts, who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great, establishing that the parable of the plowman and the teaching about differentiated judgment all flow from God's wonderful counsel and great wisdom. The affirmation of God's wonderful and wise purposes suggests that what might appear to the people as arbitrary or destructive judgment actually reflects carefully considered purposes aimed at the ultimate good. The oracle concludes the series of woes and judgments with this affirmation of the wisdom undergirding even the harsh judgments. The reference to God's counsel and wisdom connects to the opening promises of chapter 28 and establishes that all God's actions—judgment and salvation—flow from perfect wisdom and benevolent purposes.