Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: Isaiah 28 · Commentary
Isaiah chapter 28 is the opening of the "Six Woes" section (chapters 28-33). In the time of Hezekiah (approximately 715-701 BC), the prophet Isaiah witnessed the overthrow of the northern kingdom of Samaria (722 BC), yet the southern kingdom of Judah still sought to rely on Egypt's chariots and horses to escape the Assyrian threat. This chapter begins with a series of "Woe!" pronouncements, starting with the drunken crown of the northern kingdom, then turning to the disgraceful drunkenness of Judah's priests and prophets, followed by an accusation against Jerusalem's political calculations of making a "covenant with death," and finally returning to the hope of God's foundation stone laid in Zion and the farmer's wisdom. This is a prophet's sermon with a rigorous structure and intense tension, juxtaposing the cost of "mocking God's word" with the security of "trusting the foundation stone."
Book One: The Book of Judgment and Hope (Isaiah 1-39) · Opening of the Six Woes (Isaiah 28-33)
Chapter Position: The opening and tone-setting of the Six Woes. The "Six Woes" are six consecutive oracles beginning with "Woe!" (הוֹי, hoi) in 28:1 / 29:1 / 29:15 / 30:1 / 31:1 / 33:1. These six pronouncements hammer Judah's political calculations, religious superficiality, and evasive strategy of allying with Egypt under the Assyrian threat onto the table of history, one blow after another. As the opening chapter, it first speaks of the overthrown northern kingdom as a contrast, then turns the gaze of judgment toward Jerusalem, laying the theological framework for the entire unit: "mocking the word → not understanding foreign tongues → making a covenant with death → laying the Zion foundation stone."
This chapter can be divided into the following six sections:
Woe to the Drunken Crown (28:1-6) Ephraim's (northern kingdom's) pride will wither, but "in that day" God will be a glorious crown for the remnant.
The Irony of Drunken Priests and Prophets (28:7-8) Even the priests and prophets, who should teach, are drunk and vomit, defiling every table.
"Precept upon Precept" Mockery and Foreign Tongues (28:9-13) The people mock the prophet's teaching as kindergarten babble, so God will use strange tongues to make them not understand.
Jerusalem's Covenant with Death (28:14-15) Officials believe political calculations can help them escape judgment, unaware that their covenant is an alliance with death.
The Stone of Zion's Foundation (28:16-22) God's own laid foundation stone; those who trust will not be in a hurry; God's work is a "strange work."
The Parable of the Farmer's Wisdom (28:23-29) God deals with people according to their needs, just as a farmer uses different tools for different crops; the counsel of Yahweh of Armies is wonderful.
The arc of the entire chapter is "mocking the word → losing the word → the only trustworthy word." Sections 1-6 first use the drunken crown of the northern kingdom as a warning example; sections 7-13 expose that the priests and prophets of the southern kingdom are also drunk, and satirize the people for treating the prophet's teaching as babble; sections 14-15 are the central accusation, making a covenant with death; sections 16-22 are the central declaration, God personally lays the Zion foundation stone, forming a sharp contrast with the "covenant of death"; sections 23-29 conclude with the farmer's parable, revealing that God's judgment, though seemingly severe, is always measured, like a farmer who would not crush cumin with a threshing sledge. The entire chapter repeatedly oscillates between "mockery vs. trust" and "covenant of death vs. foundation stone."
When people mock God's word as kindergarten babble, God makes them unable to understand any word; when people think they can make a deal with death through political calculations, God has already laid a truly stable foundation stone in Zion. Those who trust this stone will never be in a hurry; this is a prophecy that would resound 800 years later before the cross.
| Segment | Scripture | Content |
|---|---|---|
| First Woe (Call to Attention) | 28:1-6 | Ephraim's drunken crown overthrown; in that day God will be the glorious crown for the remnant |
| Focus Shifts: Priests and Prophets Drunk | 28:7-8 | Those who should teach truth are all intoxicated |
| The Audience's Mockery | 28:9-10 | "Is Isaiah teaching us like kindergarteners?" |
| Ironic Pronouncement | 28:11-13 | God will speak to you with foreign tongues so you won't understand; those who mock the word are consumed by the word |
| Central Accusation | 28:14-15 | You have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are in agreement |
| Central Declaration | 28:16-17 | "Behold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone": those who trust will not be in a hurry |
| Fulfillment of Pronouncement | 28:18-22 | The covenant with death will be annulled; God will do a strange work |
| Concluding Parable | 28:23-29 | The farmer deals with crops according to their needs; the wisdom of Yahweh of Armies is wonderful |
Brothers and sisters, please allow me to first place before us the most difficult sentence in this chapter: the priest and the prophet are drunk. Those who should teach truth, those who should proclaim the word, are staggering, swaying, misinterpreting revelation, and executing judgment wrongly. The prophet is not accusing some external group; he is accusing those on the temple pulpit. Reading this, as a preacher, my heart tightens; Isaiah points the finger at my position and that of my co-workers.
But what is even more piercing is what follows: the audience mocks the prophet. The drunken priests and prophets, in turn, ridicule the sober Isaiah: "Is he going to teach us like kindergarten children?" In Hebrew, the phrase "precept on precept, line on line" is originally the babble of an adult teasing an infant: "goo, goo, goo, ga, ga, ga." The people feel they are politically mature adults, understanding international situations, capable of calculating chariots and horses; why do they need a prophet to speak basic gospel truths like soothing a child?
This scene is not unfamiliar in today's Chinese church. When we hear a most basic gospel truth in a small group: "God is your Father, your sins have a ransom, your security is not in your own ability": how many times have we had the thought, "I know all this," or "tell me something deeper"? Isaiah says: Do you despise the gospel as babble? Then God will make your life unable to understand any words. When the Assyrian army is at the gates, all they hear is Akkadian, that is the true unintelligible babble, it is judgment.
But please look up at 28:16. God does not only have judgment; at the same time, He lays in Zion a stone, a tested, firm, precious cornerstone. This stone was born in a manger in Bethlehem eight hundred years later, established on the cross thirty-three years later, and rose from the grave on the third day—that is Jesus Christ. Peter directly quotes this verse in 1 Peter 2:6 to tell us: this stone is Christ, "He who believes in him will not be disappointed."
Please listen carefully to the tone of this promise: "He who believes will not be in a hurry." The picture of "not in a hurry" in the Hebrew original is: when a great fire approaches, everyone flees in panic, but one person stands steadily on that stone, unhurried. The prophet is not saying that those who believe will not experience suffering (the Assyrian army will still come); he is saying that those who believe have a place underfoot that will stand firm forever in suffering.
Do you have this feeling of "will not be in a hurry" today? Or are you also like the officials in 28:15, quietly making a deal with some "covenant with death," relying on some relationship to keep yourself from being lonely, relying on some job to keep yourself from being eliminated, relying on some achievement to keep yourself valuable? These are not bad in themselves, but when they become your "refuge" and "hiding place" (28:15), the prophet says that is a covenant with death. The day the Assyrian army arrives, they will shatter at a single blow.
The gentlest words in chapter 28 are left for last: the farmer's wisdom. God will not crush dill with a threshing sledge, nor will He beat wheat with a rod. He knows what kind of crop you are; He disciplines you with tools you can bear. What you are enduring at this moment may not be light, but please believe: the wisdom of Yahweh of Armies is vast, He has measured your thickness, He knows when to stop, and He has already carved out the path of salvation in judgment.
That stone is in Zion, it has never moved. Please stand on it today.
Section Placement: In the sermon structure, this section is "Call to Attention, First Woe." Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) is named as a cautionary example, the "proud crown of drunkards." But at the end of the section, a promise is hidden: "In that day" God will be a glorious crown for the remnant.
28:1 "Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!"
Isaiah 28:1（World English Bible）
"Woe": The Hebrew הוֹי (hoi) is a typical lament and warning in prophetic literature, originally an opening cry of mourning for the dead at a funeral. The prophet uses it to mourn a group that is not truly dead yet but is heading towards death: a pre-emptive lament. This opening cry will sound five more times in 29:1, 29:15, 30:1, 31:1, and 33:1, forming a rhythmic sequence of six woes.
"Drunkards of Ephraim": Ephraim is a metonym for the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom (because Ephraim, son of Joseph, was the strongest tribe in the Northern Kingdom). "Drunkards" (שִׁכֹּרִים, shikkorim) literally means "heavy drinkers." The city of Samaria was built on a small hilltop between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, appearing from afar like a green crown worn on top of a fertile valley; this was its natural beauty. The prophet uses "crown of pride" ironically: the city you are proud of, in God's eyes, is just a fading flower crown on a drunkard's head. Though the flower is beautiful, it is already withering, foreshadowing the fall of Samaria in 722 BC.
"Fat valley": Samaria was surrounded by olive groves, vineyards, and wheat fields, making it the most fertile agricultural belt in Palestine at the time. But this prosperity became an irony of judgment; the fertile land produced not piety, but pride and drunkenness.
28:2 "Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one. Like a storm of hail, a destroying storm, and like a storm of mighty waters overflowing, he will cast them down to the earth with his hand."
Isaiah 28:2（World English Bible）
The Assyrian army is described by the prophet as "the Lord's mighty and strong one": God's rod in hand. This image is consistent with Isaiah 10:5, "Assyria is the rod of my anger": foreign empires are not historical accidents but tools in God's hand for discipline.
The triple natural disaster images of "hail, storm, overflowing waters" are layered one upon another: hail shatters crops, storms blow down houses, and floods submerge fields. Samaria's "crown" will eventually be cast down to the earth, which is precisely the outcome after Sargon II's three-year siege in 722 BC.
28:3-4 "The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot. The fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley, shall be like the first-ripe fig before the summer; which someone picks and eats as soon as he sees it."
Isaiah 28:3-4（World English Bible）
"Trodden under foot" is a standard scene in the ancient Near East where victorious nations humiliated defeated nations, trampling the opponent's crown underfoot to declare a change of sovereignty. Samaria, as the proud "crown," will be trampled underfoot by the Assyrian soldiers.
"First-ripe fig": A vivid image. Figs ripen twice a year; the first-ripe figs mature in June, two months earlier than the regular harvest, and are especially sweet. Farmers see the first-ripe figs hanging on the branches from afar, reach out, pick them, and eat them. Samaria is this early-ripe fig, utterly defenseless. This forms a bitter contrast with Hosea 9:10, "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig tree at its first season." Once the first-ripe fruit beloved by God, it now becomes the first-ripe fruit devoured by the enemy army.
28:5-6 "In that day, Yahweh of Armies will become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people; and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate."
Isaiah 28:5-6（World English Bible）
The writing suddenly shifts: "In that day" (בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, bayom hahu) is a marker in prophetic literature, often referring to the end times, the Messianic day. Hope is hidden within judgment: when Ephraim's "crown of pride" is trampled, God Himself will be a glorious crown for the remnant.
Note the rhetorical beauty: the drunkard wears a "fading flower crown," while God is a "crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty" (עֲטֶרֶת צְבִי וּצְפִירַת תִּפְאָרָה, ateret tsevi utsefirat tif'arah, "crown of splendor, and diadem of beauty"). The former withers, the latter endures forever.
"Spirit of justice, strength to those who turn back the battle": The restoration of judgment and victory in war. This foreshadows the miracle of the Assyrian siege disappearing overnight in Hezekiah's time (Isaiah 37:36), and also foreshadows the Messiah's ultimate victory.
Section Placement: In the sermon structure, this section is "The Camera Turns to the Southern Kingdom." The prophet has just accused the drunkards of the Northern Kingdom and immediately turns the camera to the Southern Kingdom, where the same ailment exists, and even the priests and prophets who should be teaching truth are drunk.
28:7 "They also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment."
Isaiah 28:7（World English Bible）
"These also" clearly refers to Judah, the Southern Kingdom. The prophet uses an almost cruel brushstroke to depict the leaders' disgraceful state: "reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink" (שָׁגוּ, תָּעוּ, shagu, ta'u). These two verbs in Hebrew have a double meaning: literally, the body swaying from drunkenness; metaphorically, "to be confused in judgment, to deviate from the path." The prophet uses a double entendre; the physical drunkenness is a visible mark of spiritual intoxication.
"Priest and prophet": This is the most ironic accusation. Priests were supposed to teach the law in the temple (cf. Malachi 2:7, "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth"); prophets were supposed to deliver God's word. Now both types of people are drunk; those who should be the most sober are the most intoxicated.
"Err in vision" (שָׁגוּ בָּרֹאֶה, shagu ba-ro'eh): Visions should be clear, but they sway and see incorrectly in the vision. "Stumble in judgment" (פָּקוּ פְּלִילִיָּה, paqu peliliyah): Judgment should be just, but they waver and lose their footing at the judgment table. When leaders are drunk, the entire society loses its anchor of truth.
28:8 "For all tables are completely full of filthy vomit and filthiness."
Isaiah 28:8（World English Bible）
The scene is extremely embarrassing: tables full of vomit and filthiness, no clean place. This is not just a description of the mess at a banquet, but an allegory for the spiritual condition: the sacred table that should provide truth is now covered with vomit. This echoes the accusation against defiled sacrifices in Malachi 1:7-8. The prophet uses the most repulsive image to make the audience unable to escape reality.
Section Placement: In the sermon structure, this section is "The Audience's Rebuttal, God's Ironic Pronouncement." The people mock the prophet's teaching, and God uses foreign tongues to make them unable to understand. This section is directly quoted in 1 Corinthians 14:21 to explain the phenomenon of tongues in the New Testament.
28:9 "Whom will he teach knowledge? To whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?"
Isaiah 28:9（World English Bible）
This verse is the drunken priests and prophets mocking Isaiah in return. As they sat at a banquet with tables full of filth, they heard Isaiah come to preach and laughed, saying, "Is Isaiah teaching us like kindergarten children?" "Weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts" (גְּמוּלֵי מֵחָלָב עַתִּיקֵי מִשָּׁדָיִם, gemulei mehalav atiqei mishadayim) literally means "infants just weaned from milk, just moved from the breasts."
28:10 "For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little."
Isaiah 28:10（World English Bible）
This verse is the mockers imitating the prophet's teaching style. Grasping two short, repeated syllables is enough: צַו לָצָו (tzav latzav) and קַו לָקָו (qav laqav). These syllables, to Hebrew ears, were precisely the baby talk adults use to teach infants to speak: "goo, goo, goo, ga, ga, ga, da, da, da." The prophet's teaching was mocked as kindergarten babble.
The people's subtext was: "Do you think we are children? We are adults; we understand politics and diplomacy. Why do we need your elementary-level admonitions?" This is a common phenomenon in Chinese churches as well, where mature congregants do not listen to basic gospel truths, considering them "milk for new believers."
28:11 "But he will speak to this nation with stammering lips and in another language;"
Isaiah 28:11（World English Bible）
God's ironic response: "You complain that my words are like kindergarten babble? Fine, I will let you hear real babble: the language of the Assyrian soldiers." "Stammering lips and another tongue" (בְּלַעֲגֵי שָׂפָה וּבְלָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת, bela'agei safah uvlashon aheret) literally means "lips of mockery and another tongue": referring to the Akkadian language of Assyria-Babylon, a completely foreign language to the Hebrews.
The irony is that the people refused to listen to clear words in their mother tongue, so God would make them hear the judgment of a foreign tongue. This foreshadowed that after the Assyrian invasion, the people of Judah would be taken captive and hear only commands in Akkadian, which was the "kindergarten babble" they deserved.
28:12 "to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to weary”; and “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear."
Isaiah 28:12（World English Bible）
God had already spoken: "This is the rest" (זֹאת הַמְּנוּחָה, zot hamenuhah). Rest (מְנוּחָה, menuhah) is a key word in Deuteronomy, referring to "a peaceful dwelling place with God" (cf. "place of rest" mentioned in Deuteronomy 12:9-10). God had long invited His people into true rest, to rely on Him, treat the weary kindly, and find refreshing. But the people refused to listen, instead pursuing political alliances and the intoxication of drunkenness.
"Give rest to the weary" points out the mark of true rest: not personal enjoyment, but allowing the toilers to also rest. This strongly echoes Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28-29, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." Jesus is the inviter in Isaiah 28:12.
28:13 "Therefore Yahweh’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken."
Isaiah 28:13（World English Bible）
God's word, in turn, becomes a force of judgment. The people mocked the prophet's words as "precept on precept," so God made His words truly become "precept on precept": but not for teaching, but as a stumbling curse. "Go, and fall backward, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken"—three verbs that progressively intensify, depicting the people being consumed by the very words they mocked.
This is the most profound ironic theology in prophetic literature: despise God's word, and it becomes a stumbling block; trust God's word, and it becomes a cornerstone. The cornerstone in 28:16 below forms a sharp contrast with the stumbling block here. In the New Testament, Paul combines these two verses in Romans 9:33, applying them to Israel's acceptance and rejection of Christ—the same stone, leading to two outcomes based on human response.
Section Placement: In the sermon structure, this section is the center of the entire chapter: "Accusation, Central Proclamation." It first exposes the political calculations of Jerusalem's officials who "made a covenant with death," then proclaims the cornerstone God Himself laid in Zion. The contrast between two "covenants" and two "stones" runs throughout this section.
28:14 "Therefore hear Yahweh’s word, you scoffers, that rule this people in Jerusalem:"
Isaiah 28:14（World English Bible）
"Scoffers" (אַנְשֵׁי לָצוֹן, anshei latson), literally "men of mockery, scoffers." These are the same people who mocked the prophet's teaching in 28:9-10. The prophet names "those who rule this people who are in Jerusalem": referring to the officials and nobles in the Judahite court who formulated political and diplomatic strategies. The focus shifts from the drunken crown of the northern kingdom to the council chambers of Jerusalem.
28:15 "“Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood.’”"
Isaiah 28:15（World English Bible）
This verse is one of the most sinister accusations in the entire chapter. "Made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement": one can grasp the words בְרִית (berit, covenant) and שְׁאוֹל (she'ol, Sheol). It directly points out what the officials were doing: on the surface, an alliance with Egypt against Assyria; at a deeper level, a covenant with death itself.
Why say this? In ancient Near Eastern religions, death and Sheol were often personified as forces that could be negotiated with. Mot (the god of death) in Canaanite mythology was Baal's adversary and could be appeased through sacrifice. The Judahite officials discarded God's word as babble and turned to the "refuge" of political calculations and pagan thinking: this was essentially making a deal with death itself.
"Lies, falsehood" (כָזָב, שֶׁקֶר, kazav, sheqer). They thought these "refuges" could block the "overflowing scourge" (referring to the approaching Assyrian army). The prophet preemptively exposes: you are grasping at air.
28:16 "Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily."
Isaiah 28:16（World English Bible）
This is one of the most messianically prefigurative passages in the entire chapter, and indeed in the entire book of Isaiah, proclaimed here. "Therefore" (לָכֵן, lachen) creates a strong contrast: your false covenant with death vs. God's true cornerstone laid by Himself.
"I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone": the verb is "יִסַּד" (yissad, "to lay a foundation, to place"). In ancient Near Eastern construction, the cornerstone (פִּנָּה, pinnah) was the most crucial stone, determining the angle and stability of the entire building. It had to be the highest quality, hardest, and most perfectly aligned stone. The prophet uses four modifiers to describe this stone: "tried" (בֹּחַן, bohan, already quality-tested), "sure foundation" (מוּסָד מוּסָּד, musad musad, doubly emphasized), "precious" (יִקְרַת, yiqrat, valuable), "cornerstone" (determining the entire building).
"He who believes shall not be in a hurry": in Hebrew, הַמַּאֲמִין לֹא יָחִישׁ (ha-ma'amin lo yachish). The verb "believes" (אָמַן, aman) is from the same root as "if you will not believe, you will not be established" in 7:9. Shall not be in a hurry (יָחִישׁ, yachish) literally means "will not be flustered, will not rush": the image is of others frantically fleeing when fire approaches, while the one who trusts the cornerstone stands firm.
This verse is quoted four times in the New Testament:
This stone has two destinies: for believers, it is a foundation; for mockers, a stumbling block that shatters them. This is precisely the contrast between 28:13 (mockers fall) and 28:16 (believers stand firm)—the same stone, two outcomes, foreshadowing the division among the Jews at Christ's coming.
28:17 "I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place."
Isaiah 28:17（World English Bible）
"Measuring line, plummet" are building tools. The measuring line (קָו, qav) straightens horizontally, and the plummet (מִשְׁקֶלֶת, mishqelet) measures vertical alignment. God uses "justice (mishpat)" and "righteousness (tsedaqah)" as tools to measure Jerusalem. These twin words have appeared repeatedly in Isaiah 1:17, 21, 27, and are emphasized again in this section. Only by building under these two measuring lines can one be aligned with the "cornerstone."
"Hail will sweep away, waters will overflow": God's tools are not gentle persuasion, but the flood of the approaching Assyrian army. The people thought their "refuge of lies" could withstand the wind and rain, unaware that the entire structure would be swept away.
28:18 "Your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it."
Isaiah 28:18（World English Bible）
This directly declares the annulment of the "covenant with death" from 28:15. Those who make a covenant with death cannot escape death; this is a spiritual law. The people thought political calculations could protect them, but when the Assyrian army trampled through, their "covenant" shattered at a single blow.
28:19 "As often as it passes through, it will seize you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be nothing but terror to understand the message.”"
Isaiah 28:19（World English Bible）
The invasion of the Assyrian army was not a one-time event, but came repeatedly "morning by morning": in 701 BC, Sennacherib swept through 46 cities of Judah and besieged Jerusalem, a sustained terror that gave them no peace "by day and by night."
"it will be a terror only to understand the message": This is deeply ironic. Those who once mocked the prophet's "childish" message now truly understand what the prophet was saying, but by then it was terror, not comprehension.
28:20 "For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in."
Isaiah 28:20（World English Bible）
A vivid proverbial metaphor: the bed is too short to stretch one's legs, and the blanket is too narrow to cover one's body. The "political refuge" the people designed for themselves was just like this: no matter how much they twisted and turned, it was never enough. This is a rare humorous touch in prophetic literature, using an everyday image to expose the ridiculousness of political fantasies.
28:21 "For Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his unusual work, and bring to pass his act, his extraordinary act."
Isaiah 28:21（World English Bible）
"Mount Perazim": refers to the place where David defeated the Philistines in 2 Samuel 5:20 ("David broke through like a bursting flood"). "valley of Gibeon": refers to the place where Joshua defeated the Amorite coalition in Joshua 10:10-11 (God sent hailstones from heaven). Both place names are iconic battlefields where God "did his strange work" in history.
But the most astonishing irony in this passage is: God previously defeated foreign nations for Israel at Perazim and Gibeon; this time He will "do his work" in the same manner, but the object is His own people. The prophet calls this "his strange work, and his strange act" (זָר מַעֲשֵׂהוּ, zar ma'asehu נָכְרִיָּה עֲבֹדָתוֹ, zar ma'asehu, nokhriyyah avodato): "strange work, alien act." God originally chose Israel, but now He will strike Israel. This "sense of alienation" shatters all false security that "God will surely favor us."
28:22 "Now therefore don’t be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, on the whole earth."
Isaiah 28:22（World English Bible）
The discourse concludes with the prophet's final warning: "don't be scoffers" (אַל־תִּתְלוֹצָצוּ, al-titlotzatzu). If they continue to mock, their bonds will become stronger. The word "decree" (נֶחֱרָצָה, neherazah) carries extremely heavy weight in Hebrew, meaning "already decided, irreversible": judgment has been pronounced.
Positioning of this section: In the discourse structure, this section is the "concluding parable." The prophet uses a parable of a farmer's wisdom to reveal the depth of God's discipline. God administers according to the object, not treating everyone with the same method. This is a rare "teaching parable" in prophetic literature, sharing a theme with Jesus' parable of the sower.
28:23-24 "Give ear, and hear my voice! Listen, and hear my speech! Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?"
Isaiah 28:23-24（World English Bible）
"Give ear, and hear": A classic opening of wisdom literature (cf. Proverbs 1:8, 4:1). The prophet suddenly shifts tone, moving from prophetic oracle to a wisdom dialogue between "teacher and apprentice." This change in register is itself an art of teaching.
"Does he continually open and break the clods of his ground?": A rhetorical question. If a farmer plowed from year-end to year-start, he would never be able to sow or harvest. Plowing has its season, and stopping has its wisdom. This implies that God's work of judgment also has its season and will not plow endlessly.
28:25 "When he has leveled its surface, doesn’t he plant the dill, and scatter the cumin seed, and put in the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place?"
Isaiah 28:25（World English Bible）
Four crops: dill (קֶצַח, qetzah, black cumin), cumin (כַּמֹּן, kammon, caraway), wheat (חִטָּה, hittah), barley (שְׂעֹרָה, se'orah), spelt (כֻּסֶּמֶת, kussemet, emmer wheat). The farmer does not mix all seeds together and scatter them, but sows them separately according to the characteristics of the crop: spices are sown in shallow soil, staple grains are deep-sown in rows, and spelt is planted at the edge of the field to block wind. This is the wisdom passed down through generations of ancient farmers.
28:26 "For his God instructs him in right judgment, and teaches him."
Isaiah 28:26（World English Bible）
A crucial sentence: the farmer's wisdom also comes from God. In ancient Near Eastern polytheistic beliefs, agriculture was considered a gift from various harvest deities (such as Baal and Asherah); Isaiah here declares that Yahweh, the one God, is the source of all wisdom given to farmers. This foreshadows "the counsel of Yahweh of Armies is wonderful" in verse 29.
28:27-28 "For the dill are not threshed with a sharp instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned over the cumin; but the dill is beaten out with a stick, and the cumin with a rod. Bread flour must be ground; so he will not always be threshing it. Although he drives the wheel of his threshing cart over it, his horses don’t grind it."
Isaiah 28:27-28（World English Bible）
Harvesting also follows the same wisdom; the tools for threshing crops are determined by the crop's characteristics:
The "cart wheel" was an ancient threshing tool, consisting of a stone wheel mounted on a wooden frame and pulled by oxen, extremely heavy. The prophet points out: delicate spices must never be put under the cart wheel, otherwise both grain and powder would be crushed; staple grains go under the cart wheel for threshing, but with restraint, not endless crushing.
This is the mystery of God's discipline: He knows whether you are cumin or wheat, and disciplines you in a way you can bear. Heavy pressure is not applied indiscriminately; light beating is not overlooked without reason. This is the same theology as 1 Corinthians 10:13, "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able."
28:29 "This also comes out from Yahweh of Armies, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom."
Isaiah 28:29（World English Bible）
The entire chapter concludes with the highest praise: "Yahweh of Armies, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom" (הִפְלִיא עֵצָה הִגְדִּיל תּוּשִׁיָּה, hifli etzah higdil tushiyah). The root of the word "wonderful" (הִפְלִיא) is the same as "Wonderful Counselor" (פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ, pele yo'etz) in Isaiah 9:6, referring to the attributes of the Messiah. The prophet skillfully connects the image of "Yahweh of Armies" with the future "Wonderful Counselor," allowing people to taste in advance the wisdom of the coming King.
God's discipline of His people is not crude or violent, but like a farmer's precise wisdom. When to plow, when to stop, when to beat lightly, when to press heavily—all are part of His arrangement. This offers the deepest comfort to the remnant suffering in judgment: what you endure is not meaningless torment, but God's precisely measured shaping.
| Vocabulary | Original | Transliteration | Verse References | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woe | הוֹי | hoi | 28:1 | Opening word of lament/warning; prophet laments in advance |
| Drunkards | שִׁכֹּרִים | shikkorim | 28:1, 3, 7 | Those who drink excessively; metaphor for spiritual intoxication |
| Ephraim | אֶפְרַיִם | Ephraim | 28:1, 3 | Representative name for the ten northern tribes |
| Crown of pride | עֲטֶרֶת גֵּאוּת | ateret ge'ut | 28:1, 3 | The city of Samaria built on a hilltop like a crown |
| Fading flower | צִיץ נֹבֵל | tzitz novel | 28:1, 4 | A crown of flowers about to wither |
| In that day | בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא | bayom hahu | 28:5 | Prophetic marker for the eschatological/Messianic day |
| Crown of glory and diadem of beauty | עֲטֶרֶת צְבִי | ateret tsevi | 28:5 | God Himself as the glorious crown for the remnant |
| Rest | מְנוּחָה | menuhah | 28:12 | A peaceful dwelling place to abide with God |
| Precept on precept | צַו לָצָו | tzav latzav | 28:10, 13 | Babble, like an adult teasing an infant |
| Strange tongue | לָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת | lashon aheret | 28:11 | Unfamiliar tongue (Akkadian) |
| Scornful men | אַנְשֵׁי לָצוֹן | anshei latson | 28:14, 22 | Mockers, scoffers |
| Covenant with death | בְּרִית אֶת־מָוֶת | berit et-mavet | 28:15, 18 | Political calculations abandoning God, essentially a deal with death |
| Sheol | שְׁאוֹל | she'ol | 28:15, 18 | General term in the Old Testament for the abode of the dead |
| Lies | כָזָב | kazav | 28:15, 17 | False refuge |
| Cornerstone | פִּנָּה | pinnah | 28:16 | Key stone that determines the angle of the entire building |
| Tested stone | אֶבֶן בֹּחַן | even bohan | 28:16 | Stone whose quality has already been tested |
| Sure foundation | מוּסָד מוּסָּד | musad musad | 28:16 | Doubly emphasized stability |
| Precious | יִקְרַת | yiqrat | 28:16 | Valuable, treasured |
| Trust | אָמַן | aman | 28:16 | Same root as "believe" in Isaiah 7:9 |
| Not be in a hurry | יָחִישׁ | yachish | 28:16 | Steadiness, not panicking when fire is at the door |
| Justice | מִשְׁפָּט | mishpat | 28:17 | Righteous judgment (one of a twin pair) |
| Righteousness | צְדָקָה | tsedaqah | 28:17 | Relational integrity (the other of a twin pair) |
| Line | קָו | qav | 28:17 | Tool for leveling in construction |
| Plummet | מִשְׁקֶלֶת | mishqelet | 28:17 | Tool for vertical alignment in construction |
| Strange work | נָכְרִיָּה | nokhriyyah | 28:21 | Literally "foreign": God striking His own people is strange |
| Yahweh of Armies | יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת | YHWH Tseva'ot | 28:5, 22, 29 | Appears three times in the chapter, setting the theological tone |
| Wonderful in counsel | הִפְלִיא עֵצָה | hifli etzah | 28:29 | Same root as "Wonderful Counselor" in 9:6, prefiguring the Messiah |
| Black cumin | קֶצַח | qetzah | 28:25, 27 | Spice, requires light threshing |
| Cumin | כַּמֹּן | kammon | 28:25, 27 | Spice, requires light threshing |
| Threshing cart | עֲגָלָה | agalah | 28:27, 28 | Stone-wheeled threshing tool |
(See the structure diagram in Chapter Guide / Paragraph Structure.)
Observation of Main Structure: This chapter has a typical diamond layout:
"Words → Stone → Wisdom" runs through three layers. The prophet's spoken words are fixed as an eternal foundation stone, ultimately unfolding into the precise wisdom of the farmer. This is a masterpiece of prophetic discourse.
| Theme | Ancient Near Eastern Context | Presented in This Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Samaria's Topographical Advantage | Samaria was built on an isolated hilltop between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, built by Omri in 880 BC, with extremely strong natural defenses | 28:1 calls it "crown of pride": natural beauty exaggerated as a guarantee of safety |
| Assyrian Siege Tactics | Sargon II (722 BC) besieged Samaria for three years before it fell; Sennacherib (701 BC) swept through 46 cities of Judah | 28:2, 18-19 "hail, storm, overflowing waters," "every morning he will pass through": a terrifying image of the Assyrian army at the gates |
| Unfamiliarity with Akkadian | The language of the Assyrian-Babylonian Empire was Akkadian (cuneiform), completely unfamiliar to the Hebrews | 28:11 God uses "lips of foreigners and another tongue" for judgment: the people will hear commands in Akkadian |
| Canaanite Worship of the God of Death | In Canaanite mythology, Mot was the god of death, who could be appeased through sacrifice; the religious idea of negotiating with the forces of death was widespread in the Ancient Near East | 28:15 "made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are in agreement": the prophet points out the pagan soul of political calculation |
| Cornerstone Building Craftsmanship | In large Ancient Near Eastern buildings (such as Solomon's Temple, Babylonian city walls), the cornerstone required the best stone material, personally laid by the king | 28:16 God personally lays a cornerstone in Zion: foreshadowing the Messianic King established by God's own hand |
| Ancient Agricultural Wisdom | Ancient Near Eastern farmers passed down methods of selecting, sowing, and harvesting according to crop characteristics for generations; different tools were used for different spices and staple crops | 28:23-29 uses farmer's wisdom to metaphorically describe God's precise administration according to the object |
| Historical Memory of Perazim and Gibeon | 2 Samuel 5:20 David defeated the Philistines at Perazim; Joshua 10:10-11 Joshua defeated the Amorite coalition in the Valley of Gibeon (God sent hail from heaven) | 28:21 God previously struck down foreigners for Israel, now He will strike Israel in the same manner: "strange work" |
The most brilliant puns in this chapter are in 28:10 and 13, centered on the two repeated syllables צַו לָצָו and קַו לָקָו. These short, repeated sounds are both like a summary of the prophet's teaching (command, measure, a little teaching) and like baby talk babble from an adult to an infant. The people use this pun to mock the prophet; the prophet, in turn, uses the same pun to warn the people that the "kindergarten babble" they despise will become the judgment babble they cannot understand.
28:7 "They reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink; they are swallowed up by wine; they stagger with strong drink": synonymous actions are repeatedly stacked, the image is a slow-motion replay of a drunkard's swaying.
28:16 describes the foundation stone with four modifiers: "a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation": layered reinforcement, bringing the stone's trustworthiness to the extreme.
This chapter switches between three genres:
This genre switching demonstrates the multi-layered linguistic nature of the prophetic sermon, both severe and gentle, both oracular and didactic.
This chapter continues several main threads from Isaiah and introduces a crucial theme for the first time: the Messiah as the cornerstone of Zion.
The divine name "the Holy One of Israel" does not appear directly in this chapter, but "Yahweh of Armies" (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת) appears three times in 28:5, 28:22, and 28:29, forming the theological anchor of this chapter. These two divine names often appear interchangeably in Isaiah, emphasizing God's holiness and sovereignty.
28:5 "In that day Yahweh of Armies will be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people": "the residue of his people" (שְׁאָר עַמּוֹ, she'ar ammo) appears again. Starting from 1:9 "a very small remnant," and continuing in 10:20-22, 11:11, 37:31-32, this chapter again reinforces the theology that "a remnant will be preserved in judgment." This remnant will have God as their glorious crown (replacing their once-proud crown of Samaria).
The most important theological contribution of this chapter: 28:16 is the first clear appearance of the "stone" theme in the Messianic chain. The Isaiah Messianic chain so far includes:
Now added:
Subsequent additions will include:
The "stone" theme holds a unique place in the Messianic chain, being both a key to building (cornerstone), an instrument of judgment (stumbling stone), and ultimate stability (everlasting rock). The New Testament connects all three aspects to Christ.
28:17 "I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line": The twin words appear with the imagery of building tools. Starting from 1:17, 21, 27, and continuing in 5:7, 9:7, this chapter again reinforces: God builds His people with two measuring lines, and neither can be lacking.
This chapter introduces a new theme: the response to God's word determines the outcome. In 28:13, the mockers are broken, while in 28:16, those who trust will not be in a hurry. This contrast will continue to develop in 29:13 "honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me," and 30:12-14 "despise this word," ultimately becoming Jesus' most severe accusation against the Pharisees in the New Testament (Matthew 15:8-9).
28:12 "This is the rest": The keyword "rest" (מְנוּחָה, menuhah) appears here for the first time. This aligns with the "place of rest" theme in Deuteronomy 12:9-10, and also foreshadows Jesus' "I will give you rest" in Matthew 11:28 of the New Testament: Jesus is precisely the rejected inviter to rest in Isaiah 28:12.
This chapter is a typical example of the prophetic genre's "double rhythm": the first four verses are a severe pronouncement, immediately followed by the hope of "God as the glorious crown for the remnant" in verses 5-6; the middle section is the exposure of the covenant with death, immediately followed by the declaration of the foundation stone; the final section is a prophecy of judgment, then turning to the comfort of the farmer's wisdom. Mercy is hidden in judgment, and righteousness is contained in mercy.
| Old Testament | New Testament Echo | Related Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 28:11-12 "For with stammering lips and with another tongue he will speak to this people" | 1 Corinthians 14:21 "In the law it is written, 'By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people; and even then they will not listen to me,' says the Lord." | Paul directly quotes Isaiah 28:11-12 in the Corinthian church's dispute over tongues: explaining that tongues (foreign languages) are essentially a sign of judgment for unbelievers, not for displaying talent in gatherings; this quotation determines the root of New Testament theology of tongues |
| Isaiah 28:13 "precept on precept, that they may go, and fall backward" | Romans 9:32-33 "They stumbled over the stumbling stone" | Paul combines Isaiah 28:16 and Isaiah 8:14 to explain Israel's rejection of Christ: the same stone, resulting in two outcomes due to people's response |
| Isaiah 28:16 "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily." | Romans 9:33 "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed." ; Romans 10:11 "For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.'" ; 1 Peter 2:6 "Because it is contained in Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.'" ; Ephesians 2:20 "being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone" | One of the most important Old Testament quotations in the New Testament: four explicit quotations, clearly pointing to Christ as the foundation stone of Zion; the promise that those who trust in him will "not be ashamed, not be in a hurry" in judgment extends directly from Isaiah 28:16 to New Testament justification by faith |
| Isaiah 28:12 "This is the rest. Give rest to him who is weary" | Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." | Jesus' famous invitation echoes Isaiah 28:12: He is precisely the rejected inviter to rest by Israel |
| Isaiah 28:15 "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are at agreement" | 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 "Death is swallowed up in victory. 'Oh death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory?'" | Paul declares in the resurrection chapter that Christ has overcome death: the ancient "covenant with death" is now completely abolished by Christ's resurrection |
| Isaiah 28:21 "He will be angry... to do his work, his strange work" | Luke 7:30 "But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him." | God's "strange work" continues to come to the Jewish religious elite in the New Testament in a "strange" way: they thought they knew God's will, but rejected God's own work |
| Isaiah 28:29 "Yahweh of Armies: his counsel is wonderful; his wisdom is great" | Romans 11:33-34 "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!" | Paul's doxology at the end of Romans 11 is the New Testament unfolding of Isaiah 28:29 under the theme of Gentile salvation |
Authoritative Commentaries
Further Reading
Chinese Resources
Background Positioning This chapter was likely written in the early to mid-reign of Hezekiah (approximately 715-705 BC), a time when the Assyrian Empire was at its peak of expansion: Sargon II (722-705 BC) had just destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Samaria, and Sennacherib (705-681 BC), after succeeding him, was preparing to march south into Judah.
By the end of the eighth century BC, the political landscape of the ancient Near East had been completely reshaped by Assyria. After Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BC) broke a century of balance, Sargon II continued the expansion, conquering Samaria in 722 BC, deporting the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom to Mesopotamia, and replacing them with immigrants: "Ephraim" thus disappeared from the historical map. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was like a lone goose, caught between the iron hooves of Assyria and the remaining forces of Egypt. King Hezekiah faced a choice: either submit to Assyria and pay annual tribute, or ally with Egypt and rebel. He chose the latter, and formally rebelled against Assyria in 705 BC after Sargon's death in battle (cf. 2 Kings 18:7).
It was in this atmosphere, where Judah's leaders were eagerly discussing "how many chariots Egypt had and how strong its horses were," that Isaiah began the series of oracles known as the six woes (chapters 28-33). This chapter uses the overthrown Northern Kingdom as a cautionary tale: Ephraim's former "crown of pride" (the city of Samaria was built on a small hill, looking like a crown worn on the hilltop) had withered under Assyria's iron hooves; yet the priests and prophets of the Southern Kingdom were equally drunk, their tables covered with vomit. The people mocked the prophet's teaching as kindergarten babble; they thought they could make a deal with death through political calculations. The prophet responded with a resounding declaration: "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone."
Eight hundred years later, this statement would echo repeatedly in Matthew, Romans, and 1 Peter, becoming one of the most important Old Testament typologies of Christ in the New Testament. To understand Isaiah 28 is to understand how God arranged that eternally stable stone, between "mocking words" and "trusting the foundation stone."
| Dimension | Content |
|---|---|
| Era | 715-705 BC, early to mid-reign of Hezekiah; Northern Kingdom of Samaria already overthrown (722 BC) |
| Reigning King | Hezekiah |
| Main Threat | Continued expansion of the Assyrian Empire (Sargon II; preparation for Sennacherib's march south) |
| Internal Crisis | Priests and prophets drunk, officials mocking words, political calculations and alliance with Egypt |
| Audience | Officials and nobles of Jerusalem (28:14), priests and prophets (28:7), the entire nation |
| Contemporary Prophets | Micah (Southern Kingdom, contemporary); Hosea (Northern Kingdom, just finished); Nahum (slightly later) |
| Parallel in 2 Kings/2 Chronicles | 2 Kings 18:7 (Hezekiah's rebellion against Assyria); 2 Chronicles 29-32 |
| Theme | Content |
|---|---|
| "Woe" as Pre-emptive Lament | The prophet not only foretells disaster but also laments in advance for a people not yet dead but already heading towards death. |
| Drunkenness as a Metaphor for Spiritual Intoxication | Both Northern and Southern Kingdoms are drunk: the sobriety of leaders determines society's sense of truth. |
| Ironic Judgment of Mocking Words | You mock words as babble, so God makes you hear true babble (foreign tongues): the root of the theology of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:21. |
| The Sadness of a Covenant with Death | Political calculations, if separated from God, are essentially a transaction with death itself. |
| The Messianic Typology of the Zion Foundation Stone | 28:16 is one of the most important New Testament citations of the Old Testament concerning Christ (Romans 9:33 / Romans 10:11 / 1 Peter 2:6 / Ephesians 2:20). |
| Two Fates for the Same Stone | Trust brings stability, mockery brings shattering: foreshadowing the two extreme reactions of people at Christ's coming. |
| God's Strange Work | God once struck down foreign nations at Perazim and Gibeon; now He will strike His own people with the same posture: "strange work" shatters the illusion of "certain favoritism." |
| The Farmer's Wisdom in Discipline | God disciplines according to the object, not roughly and indiscriminately; this is the deepest comfort for the suffering remnant. |