Isaiah 28
28
The Fate of Samaria#These verses once constituted an independent oracle against the Northern Kingdom, probably originally spoken during the time between its overthrow by Assyria in 732 and its destruction in 722/721. Isaiah has reused them as an introduction to his oracle against Judah (vv. 7–22), because the leaders of Judah were guilty of the same excesses that had once marked Ephraim’s leadership.
1Ah! majestic garland
of the drunkards of Ephraim,#Ephraim: the Northern Kingdom. Its capital, Samaria, was built upon a hill, suggestive of a majestic garland adorning a human head. The characterization of the leadership of Ephraim as drunken underscores its inattention to justice and good government (cf. 5:11–13; Am 6:1–6).
Fading blooms of his glorious beauty,
at the head of the fertile valley,
upon those stupefied with wine.#Hos 7:5; Am 6:1–6.
2See, the Lord has a strong one, a mighty one,#A strong one, a mighty one: Assyria (cf. 8:7–8).
who, like an onslaught of hail, a destructive storm,
Like a flood of water, great and overflowing,
levels to the ground with violence;#Is 25:4–5; 28:17–18; 30:30.
3With feet that will trample
the majestic garland of the drunkards of Ephraim.
4The fading blooms of his glorious beauty
at the head of the fertile valley
Will be like an early fig before summer:
whoever sees it,
swallows it as soon as it is in hand.#Is 17:6; Na 3:12.
5On that day the Lord of hosts
will be a glorious crown
And a brilliant diadem
for the remnant of his people,
6A spirit of judgment
for the one who sits in judgment,
And strength for those
who turn back the battle at the gate.
Against Judah
7But these also stagger from wine
and stumble from strong drink:
Priest and prophet stagger from strong drink,
overpowered by wine;
They are confused by strong drink,
they stagger in their visions,
they totter when giving judgment.#Is 5:11–12; Mi 2:11.
8Yes, all the tables
are covered with vomit,
with filth, and no place left clean.
9#The words of those who ridicule Isaiah. The Hebrew of v. 10, by its very sound, conveys the idea of mocking imitation of what the prophet says, as though he spoke like a stammering child: “sau lasau, sau lasau, kau lakau, kau lakau, ze’er sham, ze’er sham.” But in v. 13 God repeats these words in deadly earnest, putting them in the mouth of the victorious Assyrian army. “To whom would he impart knowledge?
To whom would he convey the message?
To those just weaned from milk,
those weaned from the breast?
10For he says,
‘Command on command, command on command,
rule on rule, rule on rule,
here a little, there a little!’”
11#God will answer the mockers and defend Isaiah. Strange language: spoken by the invading army. Yes, with stammering lips and in a strange language
he will speak to this people,#Jer 5:15; 1 Cor 14:21; Dt 28:49; Bar 4:15.
12to whom he said:
“This is the resting place,
give rest to the weary;
And this is the place of repose”—
but they refused to hear.#Is 30:9.
13So for them the word of the Lord shall be:
“Command on command, command on command,
Rule on rule, rule on rule,
here a little, there a little!”
So that when they walk, they shall stumble backward,
broken, ensnared, and captured.#Is 8:15.
14Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who rule#Who rule: there is a play on words; the same expression could also mean, “Proverb makers,” that is, scoffers of this people. this people in Jerusalem:#Is 3:1–4; 5:18–21.
15You have declared, “We have made a covenant with death,
with Sheol#28:15, 18] A covenant with death, with Sheol: an alliance with foreign powers, such as Egypt and Babylon. Have made lies…a hiding place: this confidence in human aid will prove to be false and deceitful, incapable of averting the dreaded disaster. Raging flood: the Assyrian invasion; cf. 8:7–8. we have made a pact;
When the raging flood passes through,
it will not reach us;
For we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have found a hiding place,”—#Wis 1:16; Jer 5:12.
16Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
See, I am laying a stone in Zion,#A stone in Zion: the true and sure foundation of salvation, i.e., the presence of God, who had chosen and founded Zion as his city (Ps 78:68–69; Is 14:32) and had chosen the Davidic dynasty to rule over his people (Ps 78:70–72; Is 9:1–6; 11:1–10). Cornerstone: the assurance of salvation, rejected by the people of Judah in the prophet’s time, is picked up in Ps 118:22 and later applied to Christ; cf. Mt 21:42; Lk 20:17; Acts 4:11; Rom 9:33; 1 Pt 2:7. Chapters 28–31 alternate between threats of the danger of rebelling against Assyria (with implied trust in Egypt) with assurances of the power and protection of the Lord.
a stone that has been tested,
A precious cornerstone as a sure foundation;
whoever puts faith in it will not waver.#Ps 118:22; Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; Rom 9:33; 1 Pt 2:6.
17I will make judgment a measuring line,
and justice a level.—#Line…level: instruments used in constructing a building, to keep it true. They are used metaphorically here to refer to the qualities that Zion, the city of God, must manifest, judgment and justice, not bloodshed (Mi 3:10), nor deceit and violence, which would result in a bulging unstable wall doomed to destruction (Is 30:12–14). Cf. 1 Cor 3:10–17.
Hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters shall flood the hiding place.
18Your covenant with death shall be canceled
and your pact with Sheol shall not stand.
When the raging flood passes through,
you shall be beaten down by it.#Is 28:2–3.
19Whenever it passes, it shall seize you;
morning after morning it shall pass,
by day and by night.
Sheer terror
to impart the message!
20For the bed shall be too short to stretch out in,
and the cover too narrow to wrap in.
21For the Lord shall rise up as on Mount Perazim,
bestir himself as in the Valley of Gibeon,#Mount Perazim…Valley of Gibeon: where David defeated the Philistines; cf. 2 Sm 5:20, 25; 1 Chr 14:11, 16. God’s new work will be strange, because instead of fighting for Judah as the Lord did in David’s time, God will now fight against Jerusalem (see 29:1–4).
To carry out his work—strange his work!
to perform his deed—alien his deed!
22Now, cease scoffing,
lest your bonds be tightened,
For I have heard a decree of destruction
from the Lord, the God of hosts,
for the whole land.#Is 5:18–19; 10:23.
The Parable of the Farmer
23#The practical variation of the farmer’s work reflects the way God deals with his people, wisely adapted to circumstances; he does not altogether crush them in their weakness. Give ear and hear my voice,
pay attention and hear my word:
24Is the plowman forever plowing in order to sow,
always loosening and harrowing the field?
25When he has leveled the surface,
does he not scatter caraway and sow cumin,#Caraway…cumin: herbs used in seasoning food. Spelt: a variety of wheat.
Put in wheat and barley,
with spelt as its border?
26His God has taught him this rule,
he has instructed him.
27For caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor does a cartwheel roll over cumin.
But caraway is beaten out with a staff,
and cumin with a rod.
28Grain is crushed for bread, but not forever;
though he thresh it thoroughly,
and drive his cartwheel and horses over it,
he does not pulverize it.
29This too comes from the Lord of hosts;
wonderful is his counsel and great his wisdom.#Rom 11:33.
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Isaiah 28
28
The Lord Will Judge Samaria
1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed,#tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.
the withering flower, its beautiful splendor,#tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.
situated#tn Heb “which [is].” at the head of a rich valley,
the crown of those overcome with wine.#tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.
2 Look, the sovereign master#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). sends a strong, powerful one.#tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”
With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm,#tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”
with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm,#tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”
he will knock that crown#tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text. to the ground with his hand.#tn Or “by [his] power.”
3 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,
situated at the head of a rich valley,
will be like an early fig before harvest –
as soon as someone notices it,
he grabs it and swallows it.#tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”
5 At that time#tn Or “in that day” (KJV). the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown
and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.
6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions,
and strength to those who defend the city from attackers.#tn Heb “and [he will become] a spirit of justice for the one who sits [i.e., presides] over judgment, // and strength [for] the ones who turn back battle at the city gate.” The Lord will provide internal stability and national security.
7 Even these men#tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later. stagger because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer –
priests and prophets stagger because of beer,
they are confused#tn According to HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע, the verb form is derived from בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”), not the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”). See earlier notes at 3:12 and 9:16. because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer;
they stagger while seeing prophetic visions,#tn Heb “in the seeing.”
they totter while making legal decisions.#tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”
8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit;
no place is untouched.#tn Heb “vomit, without a place.” For the meaning of the phrase בְּלִי מָקוֹם (bÿli maqom, “without a place”), see HALOT 133 s.v. בְּלִי.
9 Who is the Lord#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity. trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining a message?#tn Heb “Who is he teaching knowledge? For whom is he explaining a message?” The translation assumes that the Lord is the subject of the verbs “teaching” and “explaining,” and that the prophet is asking the questions. See v. 12. According to some vv. 9-10 record the people’s sarcastic response to the Lord’s message through Isaiah.
Those just weaned from milk!
Those just taken from their mother’s breast!#tn Heb “from the breasts.” The words “their mother’s” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation assumes that this is the prophet’s answer to the questions asked in the first half of the verse. The Lord is trying to instruct people who are “infants” morally and ethically.
10 Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there.#tn The meaning of this verse has been debated. The text has literally “indeed [or “for”] a little there, a little there” ( כִּי צַו לָצָו צַו לָצָו קַו לָקָו קַו, ki tsav latsav, tsav latsav, qav laqav, qav laqav). The present translation assumes that the repetitive syllables are gibberish that resembles baby talk (cf v. 9b) and mimics what the people will hear when foreign invaders conquer the land (v. 11). In this case זְעֵיר (zÿ’er, “a little”) refers to the short syllabic structure of the babbling (cf. CEV). Some take צַו (tsav) as a derivative of צָוָה (tsavah, “command”) and translate the first part of the statement as “command after command, command after command.” Proponents of this position (followed by many English versions) also take קַו (qav) as a noun meaning “measuring line” (see v. 17), understood here in the abstract sense of “standard” or “rule.”
11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue
he will speak to these people.#sn This verse alludes to the coming Assyrian invasion, when the people will hear a foreign language that sounds like gibberish to them. The Lord is the subject of the verb “will speak,” as v. 12 makes clear. He once spoke in meaningful terms, but in the coming judgment he will speak to them, as it were, through the mouth of foreign oppressors. The apparent gibberish they hear will be an outward reminder that God has decreed their defeat.
12 In the past he said to them,#tn Heb “who said to them.”
“This is where security can be found.
Provide security for the one who is exhausted!
This is where rest can be found.”#sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.
But they refused to listen.
13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like
meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there.#tn Heb “And the word of the Lord will be to them, ‘tsahv latsahv,’ etc.” See the note at v. 10. In this case the “Lord’s word” is not the foreigner’s strange sounding words (as in v. 10), but the Lord’s repeated appeals to them (like the one quoted in v. 12). As time goes on, the Lord’s appeals through the prophets will have no impact on the people; they will regard prophetic preaching as gibberish.
As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk,#tn Heb “as a result they will go and stumble backward.” Perhaps an infant falling as it attempts to learn to walk is the background image here (cf. v. 9b). The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) could be taken as indicating purpose (“in order that”), rather than simple result. In this case the people’s insensitivity to the message is caused by the Lord as a means of expediting their downfall.
and be injured, ensnared, and captured.#sn When divine warnings and appeals become gibberish to the spiritually insensitive, they have no guidance and are doomed to destruction.
The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem
14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word,
you who mock,
you rulers of these people
who reside in Jerusalem!#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
15 For you say,
“We have made a treaty with death,
with Sheol#sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view. we have made an agreement.#tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by#tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).
it will not reach us.
For we have made a lie our refuge,
we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.”#sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.
16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:
“Look, I am laying#tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense. a stone in Zion,
an approved#tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved. stone,
set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation.#sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).
The one who maintains his faith will not panic.#tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.
17 I will make justice the measuring line,
fairness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge,#tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.
the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved;#tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.
your agreement#tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15. with Sheol will not last.#tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by,#tn See the note at v. 15.
you will be overrun by it.#tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”
19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;
indeed,#tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). every morning it will sweep by,
it will come through during the day and the night.”#tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.
When this announcement is understood,
it will cause nothing but terror.
20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself.#sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.
21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim,#sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon,#sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task.#sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.
22 So now, do not mock,
or your chains will become heavier!
For I have heard a message about decreed destruction,
from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land.#tn Or “the whole earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NCV).
23 Pay attention and listen to my message!#tn Heb “to my voice.”
Be attentive and listen to what I have to say!#tn Heb “to my word”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “hear my speech.”
24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time?#tn Heb “All the day does the plowman plow in order to plant?” The phrase “all the day” here has the sense of “continually, always.” See BDB 400 s.v. יוֹם.
Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground?
25 Once he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant,
sow the seed of the cumin plant,
and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places?#tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “place wheat [?], and barley [?], and grain in its territory.” The term שׂוֹרָה (shorah) is sometimes translated “[in] its place,” but the word is unattested elsewhere. It is probably due to dittography of the immediately following שְׂעֹרָה (sÿo’rah, “barley”). The meaning of נִסְמָן (nisman) is also uncertain. It may be due to dittography of the immediately following כֻסֶּמֶת (kussemet, “grain”).
26 His God instructs him;
he teaches him the principles of agriculture.#tn Heb “he teaches him the proper way, his God instructs him.”
27 Certainly#tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB). caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed.#sn Both of these seeds are too small to use the ordinary threshing techniques.
Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick,
and cumin seed with a flail.
28 Grain is crushed,
though one certainly does not thresh it forever.
The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it,
but his horses do not crush it.
29 This also comes from the Lord who commands armies,
who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom.#sn Verses 23-29 emphasize that God possesses great wisdom and has established a natural order. Evidence of this can be seen in the way farmers utilize divinely imparted wisdom to grow and harvest crops. God’s dealings with his people will exhibit this same kind of wisdom and order. Judgment will be accomplished according to a divinely ordered timetable and, while severe enough, will not be excessive. Judgment must come, just as planting inevitably follows plowing. God will, as it were, thresh his people, but he will not crush them to the point where they will be of no use to him.
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