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ISAIAH 28

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. Isaiah 28:1-33:24 forms a unit (six "woe" pronouncements) that deals with Judah's alliance with Egypt against Assyria in the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah (for the dates of his reign see SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM). I use the dates of these three scholars: John Bright, 715-687; E. J. Young, 727-699; R. K. Harrison, 716/15-687/86). The historical background is apparently the time surrounding (i.e., 705-701 B.C.) the invasion of the Assyrian monarch Sennacherib in 701 B.C.
   
   
2. Isaiah 28:1-6 deals with the fall of Israel (i.e., the northern tribes after 922 B.C.) to Assyria. Israel's capital, Samaria, fell in 722 B.C. to Sargon II after a three-year siege.
   
   
3. Sargon II died in 705 B.C. Many of the vassal nations took this opportunity to rebel against Assyria. Sennacherib, the next Assyrian monarch, invaded Judah in 701 B.C. We know from Assyrian documents that he captured forty-six walled villages in Judah and put down the revolt.
   SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF ASSYRIA
   
   
4. Brief Outline of this Chapter
   1. woe to drunkards of Ephraim, Isa. 28:1-6
   2. woe to drunk priests and prophets of Judah, Isa. 28:7-13
   3. woe to the civic leadership of Judah, Isa. 28:14-22
   4. a parable from agriculture, Isa. 28:23-29

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 28:1-8
¹Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the fertile valley
Of those who are overcome with wine!
²Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent;
As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,
He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.
³The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.
⁴And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the fertile valley,
Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer,
Which one sees,
And as soon as it is in his hand,
He swallows it.
⁵In that day the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown
And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people;
⁶A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.
⁷And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink:
The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink;
They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment.
⁸For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.

28:1 "Woe" This term (BDB 222) characterizes this entire section (six "woes," cf. Isa. 28:1; 29:1,15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1, similar to the six woes of Isa. 5:8-22). The term "woe" reflects the poetic meter of a funeral dirge.

▣ "the drunkards of Ephraim" Isaiah 28:1-4 is the prophet's words of judgment to the religious and political leadership of the Northern Ten Tribes. There is a series of references to their abuse of alcohol (cf. Isa. 28:1 (twice), 3,7; Hos. 7:5). Alcohol abuse is often used as imagery of poor judgments which result in divine judgment. See SPECIAL TOPIC: WINE AND STRONG DRINK.

Since the division of the united monarchy (under David and Solomon) in the time of Rehoboam (i.e., 922 B.C.), the northern group was known by three names.

1. Israel (collective title)
2. Ephraim (the largest tribe)
3. Samaria (the capital city)

This ambiguous phrase might refer to

1. Samaria located on a high hill
2. the heads of the wealthy, powerful drunkards

The REB follows the DSS manuscript of Isaiah.

28:2 "the Lord has a strong and mighty agent" This refers to the Assyrian empire sent by YHWH (cf. Isa. 8:7; 10:5-6) to punish Israel. The destruction of the Northern Ten Tribes was consummated in the fall of the capital city Samaria after a three year siege by Sargon II in 722 B.C. (cf. 2 Kgs. 17:6; 18:9-12). All her people were exiled to Media. The vast majority never returned.

Notice how the Lord's agent is characterized.

1. strong
2. mighty
3. a storm of hail (cf. Isa. 30:30)
4. a tempest of destruction
5. a storm of mighty overflowing waters (cf. Isa. 8:7-8)
6. "He has cast it down to earth with His hand" (i.e., YHWH sent it)

28:4 This is agricultural imagery related to the greatly prized first ripe figs (cf. Hos. 9:10; Mic. 7:1). These fruits were eaten quickly and gone. So too, the fertile land of the Northern Ten Tribes is captured and occupied by foreigners.

28:5 "In that day" See note at Isa. 2:11. The day of YHWH's visitation.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THAT DAY

▣ "a beautiful crown" This is obviously in contrast to "the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim" in Isa. 28:1. In Isa. 28:1 it refers to Samaria, here possibly a restored Jerusalem where the Messiah reigns (cf. Isa. 28:16-17).

▣ "diadem" This is a rare NOUN (BDB 862) which is parallel to "crown" (BDB 742), used of the royal line in Samaria (cf. Isa. 28:1) and of Judah (Isa. 62:3).

God's appointed leaders, even of the Davidic family, failed. YHWH Himself will be their king, as it should be (cf. 1 Sam. 8:7; 10:19).

▣ "the remnant of His people" This verse is still in the strophe referring to Israel. This may refer to those (few) of the northern tribes who will one day return to Jerusalem.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE REMNANT, THREE SENSES

28:6 This verse describes God's new appointed Davidic leader (cf. Isa. 9:1-7; 11:1-5,10).

1. a spirit of justice (esp. Isa. 11:2)
2. a rallying of the defenders of the city (i.e., Jerusalem)

28:7 I agree with JPSOA, TEV, and NJB that a paragraph break should occur between Isa. 28:6 and Isa. 28:7. Verses 7 and 8 describe the current drunken leadership of Judah (cf. Isa. 28:14; Jer. 13:12-14, seven of the VERBS are Qal PERFECTS, which denotes a settled state), similar to Isa. 28:1-4, which describe the drunken leadership of Israel.

The VERB in BDB 118 (Niphal PERFECT) means "swallow down" or "swallow up" (cf. Isa. 25:8; Gen. 41:7,24; Exod. 7:12; 15:12; Num. 16:30,32,34; 26:10; Deut. 11:6; Jer. 51:34).

However, NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 666-668 and KB 135-136 list three possible roots.

1. KB 135 I, swallow, engulf
2. KB 136 II, announce, communicate
3. KB 136 III, Niphal confuse; Piel in Isa. 3:12; Pual in Isa. 9:16

Number 3 fits this context best.

SPECIAL TOPIC: WINE AND STRONG DRINK

28:8 "tables" This term (BDB 1020) can refer to

1. the king's table, cf. Isa. 21:5
2. governor's table, cf. Neh. 5:17
3. private parties
4. sacrifices, cf. Exod. 25:23; Lev. 24:6; Num. 3:31; 4:7 (in tabernacle)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 28:9-22
⁹"To whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰For He says,
'Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.'"
¹¹Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
¹²He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary,"
And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen.
¹³So the word of the Lord to them will be,
"Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,"
That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.
¹⁴Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, O scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
¹⁵Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we have made a pact.
The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by,
For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception."
¹⁶Therefore thus says the Lord God,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed.
¹⁷I will make justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
¹⁸Your covenant with death will be canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
Then you become its trampling place.
¹⁹As often as it passes through, it will seize you;
For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means."
²⁰The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in.
²¹For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon,
To do His task, His unusual task,
And to work His work, His extraordinary work.
²²And now do not carry on as scoffers,
Or your fetters will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts
Of decisive destruction on all the earth.

28:9-10 Isaiah's words (or YHWH's words through him) were attacked by

1. the religious leadership
2. those he addressed in Isa. 28:7-8 (cf. Jer. 26:9-15; Amos 7:12; Mic. 2:6-11)

28:10,13 This is a very cryptic reference. It involved the repetition of צו (BDB 846, in Hos. 5:11 it means "command") and קו (BDB 876 II, in Isa. 28:17 it means "a measuring line"). The religious drunkards were accusing Isaiah's messages of being childish and difficult to understand (KB 1081 I #2). Isaiah 28:11 is God's reaction to their reaction to Isaiah's message.

28:11-13 This is Isaiah's response to the religious elite and arrogant of his day in Jersualem.

28:11 "Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue" This is God's response to their rejection of His prophet. In essence He says, "If you are having a hard time understanding his basic ABC's, wait until you hear the Assyrian language" (cf. Isa. 28:13; 33:19; Jer. 5:15). Paul quotes this verse in 1 Cor. 14:21 in his discussion of "speaking in tongues."

See my commentary on 1 Corinthians 14 online at www.freebiblecommentary.org.

28:12 "Here is rest, give rest to the weary" YHWH wanted His people to have "rest" (BDB 629) and peace (cf. Isa. 11:10; 30:15; 32:17,18). The VERB (BDB 628, KB 679) is a Hiphil IMPERATIVE. This refers to Isaiah's messages of hope and restoration, if only they would turn to YHWH, but they would not (Isa. 28:12b)!

Jesus gave a similar call to them in Matt. 11:28-29.

28:13 YHWH's only message to them was Isaiah's message, which they rejected to their ruin.

1. stumble backward, BDB 505, KB 502, Qal PERFECT with waw, cf. Isa. 3:8; 59:14
2. be broken, BDB 990, KB 1402, Niphal PERFECT with waw, cf. Isa. 8:15
3. be snared, BDB 430, KB 432, Niphal PERFECT with waw, cf. Isa. 8:15
4. be taken captive, BDB 539, KB 530, Niphal PERFECT with waw, cf. Isa. 8:15; 24:18

28:14 "hear" This VERB (BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE) was both a call to obedience and an introduction to judgment but they would not listen (cf. Isa. 28:12,14,22,23 [twice]; 29:18; 30:9,19,21,30; 32:3, 9; 33:13,15,19; 34:1 [twice]). What a recurrent theme; God tries to instruct, but they refuse to listen!

"Hear the word of the Lord" is the literary marker of a "judgment oracle."

▣ "O scoffers" This is a CONSTRUCT ("men," BDB 35 and "scorning" BDB 539). They are mentioned often in Proverbs (i.e., Prov. 1:22; 24:9). How surprising that this refers to the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem who should have known better and trusted more! Crisis reveals true leadership or lack of it.

The MT is relfected in the NASB. The secondary option in JPSOA is an attempt to tighten the parallelism.

28:15 "We have made a covenant with death" Isaiah sarcastically characterizes the thoughts of the leaders of Jerusalem. This refers to a treaty (i.e., "covenant," BDB 136, and the parallel rare term, "pact," BDB 302, cf. Isa. 28:18; lit. "vision," used only here in this sense) that Judah made with the Egyptians (cf. Isa. 30:1-7). It is a theological play on God's word through Moses of providing His people with a choice of life or death in Deut. 30:15-20 (see notes from Deuteronomy online at www.freebiblecommentary.org.). In this instance, the choice involved choosing protection from an earthly military source or trusting in God. They chose death.

For "death" (mot) see SPECIAL TOPIC: ANGELS AND DEMONS

▣ "Sheol" This refers to the holding place of the dead and is synonymous with the Greek term "Hades." See SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD? (Sheol/Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus), I. B.

The first term is a PARTICIPLE (BDB 1009, KB 1474, Qal ACTIVE). It is the second term that presents options (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 64-65)

1. שׁטף, BDB 1009, "overflow," cf. Isa. 8:8; 10:22 (i.e., an invading army)
2. שׁוט, BDB 1002, "scourge," "whip," cf. Isa. 10:26; 1 Kgs. 12:11,14

▣ "passes by" This VERB (BDB 716, KB 778) is either a Qal IMPERFECT (qere) or a Qal PERFECT (kethiv, cf. Isa. 26:20). The VERB means "to pass over," "to pass through," or "to pass by." It is used thirty-four times in Isaiah in this literary unit (i.e., chapters 28-35, cf. Isa. 28:15,18,19 [twice]; 29:5; 31:9; 33:8,21; 34:10; 35:8).

▣ "For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception" What a tragedy for God's people: a self induced state of trusting in the arm of flesh!

1. falsehood, BDB 469, cf. Isa. 28:17 (common in Psalms and Proverbs)
2. deception, BDB 1005, cf. Isa. 9:15; 32:7; 44:20; 57:4; 59:3,13 (common in Psalms and Proverbs, used often in Jeremiah)

The VERB form of "refuge" (BDB 340) denotes placing confidence and trust in something or someone. It is often used of taking refuge in YHWH.

1. YHWH as the rock, Deut. 32:37; Ps. 18:2
2. YHWH as a mother bird, Ruth 2:12; Ps. 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 91:4
3. YHWH as shield, 2 Sam. 22:3,31; Ps. 18:30; 144:2; Pro. 30:5
4. in Him, Ps. 2:12; 5:11; 7:1; 11:1; 16:1; 25:20; 31:1,19; 34:8,22; 37:40; 57:1; 64:10; 71:1; 118:8,9; 141:8; Isa. 57:13; Nah. 1:7
5. YHWH's right hand, Ps. 17:7
6. Zion, Isa. 14:32
7. YHWH's name, Zeph. 3:12

SPECIAL TOPIC: REFUGE (OT)

28:16 This verse is a shocking change of mode, a theological reversal of hope amidst judgment. YHWH's redemptive universal plan reveals itself again. Messiah will come! It is only one verse, but what a verse!

This is a series of Messianic titles using "construction" imagery.

1. The term "stone" (BDB 6) is often used of God; however, the term "cornerstone" (BDB 819) has a unique connection with the Messiah (cf. Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42, 44: Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Rom. 9:33; 10:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6-8).
2. The term "tested" (BDB 103) is an Egyptian loan word for a fine grain stone suitable for carving. This seems to mean that God is going to inscribe the cornerstone with the phrase found in 16d. The key to this thought is the term "believes" (cf. Isa. 30:15 for a similar emphasis on "trust").
3. The term "foundation" (BDB 414) is found only here and 2 Chr. 8:16, where it refers to Solomon's laying the foundation of the temple. Notice that this foundation is "firmly placed" (NASB margin, "well-laid"). The Hebrew has another doubling of a word. This is where the description "firmly" or "well-laid" comes from.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CORNERSTONE

SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT

The MT has

1. he who believes ‒ BDB 52, KB 63, Hiphil PARTICIPLE
2. will not be in haste ‒ BDB 301, KB 300k Hiphil IMPERFECT

The BDB #2 suggests "hasten away (flee)," or "hasten about destractedly." YHWH's actions (or His Messiah) will bring peace and stability!

28:17 "justice" See SPECIAL TOPIC: JUDGE, JUDGMENT, JUSTICE.

▣ "measuring line. . .level" These were ways of measuring the straightness (cf. 2 Kgs. 21:13) of the horizontal (BDB 876 II) and vertical (BDB 1054).

▣ "righteousness" See SPECIAL TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS.

▣ Lines c and d are again plays on water (cf. Isa. 27:12). The "refuge of lies" and "the secret place" may refer to the practice of idolatry in the temple itself (cf. Ezekiel 8 and Deut. 27:15). YHWH does not act or speak in a secret, dark place, but openly in the light (cf. Isa. 45:19; 48:16).

28:18 There is a parallelism in the first two lines.

1. canceled ‒ BDB 497, KB 493, PualPERFECT with waw. This VERB normally means "to cover over," but here, "to nullify" or "to cancel" (KB, "be disolved"); a meaning found only here
2. will not stand ‒ This Hebrew VERB (BDB 877, KB 1086,Qal IMPERFECT) means "to arise," "to stand," or "to stand up." It is imagery for that which will not happen (cf. Isa. 7:7; 8:10; 28:18; Prov. 15:22). God's will and plan supersede human plans (cf. Isa. 14:24-27; 40:8; 46:10; 55:8-10; Ps. 35:10-11; Prov. 19:21; Jer. 44:28)!

28:19 This verse relates to "the overwhelming scourge" of Isa. 28:18. It (the invader, cf. 2 Kgs. 24:2) will come again and again and bring terror and confusion. They will not be able to understand why (in contrast to Isa. 50:4).

28:20 This proverb reflects the inadequacy of human plans.

28:21 "Mount Perazim. . .the valley of Gibeon" These locations both refer to the place where YHWH helped David in his battle against the Philistines. However, in the current situation God is not on Judah's side, but on Assyria's (cf. 2 Sam. 5:17-21; 1 Chr. 14:13-17). What a shock to YHWH's covenant people.

▣  "To do His task, His unusual task,

And to work His work, His extraordinary work" Many people refer this unusual task to God's judgment of His own people. However, I think, because of the context, the unusual task is God's judgment, but through the use of the godless Assyrian Empire (cf. Habakkuk, NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 775).

The VERB (BDB 358 I, KB 356, Niphal PARTICIPLE) in the Qal stem denotes "to cut," "decree," or "to determine," but the Niphal stem means "a decisive decision."

1. human life span, Job 14:5
2. future events, Isa. 10:22-23; Dan. 9:26-27

History is not undirected; it is teleological. It has a divine plan and purpose (i.e., the redemption of fallen humanity, cf. Gen. 3:15). Notice the statements of

1. Luke 22:22
2. Acts 2:23
3. Acts 3:18
4. Acts 4:28
5. Acts 13:29

▣ "on all the earth" The universal judgment seen in Isaiah 24-27 is repeated, but thank God, there will also be a universal redemption (i.e., Isa. 28:16)!

SPECIAL TOPIC: LAND, COUNTRY, EARTH

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 28:23-29
²³Give ear and hear my voice,
Listen and hear my words.
²⁴Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed?
Does he continually turn and harrow the ground?
²⁵Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter cummin
And plant wheat in rows,  
Barley in its place and rye within its area?
²⁶For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
²⁷For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
Nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club.
²⁸Grain for bread is crushed,
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
²⁹This also comes from the Lord of hosts,
Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

28:23-29 This is a parable using agricultural imagery about how to sow and reap certain crops. This speaks of the fact that God knows what He is doing. He is working with His people in appropriate purposeful ways. He has an eternal redemptive plan that is working itself out in human history!

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

28:23 This verse has a series of IMPERATIVES from God (cf. Isa. 28:29) through His prophet to His people.

1. give ear, BDB 24, KB 27, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
2. hear my voice, BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Isa. 28:12,14,22
3. listen, BDB 904, KB 1151, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
4. hear my words, same as #2

But they would not; they could not (cf. Isa. 6:9-10)!

The MT has שׂורה (BDB 965), which states that the meaning is unknown but suggests a scribal error in reading the following word, שׂערה (BDB 972, NET, p. 1231, #11).

The JPSOA in a footnote, accepts "in a row" and mentions that some grain was planted (i.e., in a row), not sown or scattered.

28:28 "he does not continue to thresh it forever" This is the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 190, KB 218) used for intensity. YHWH administers just the right amount of judgment, not too much, not too little!

28:29 Hope, help, and happiness come in hearing and honoring God's Word!

SPECIAL TOPIC: WONDERFUL THINGS

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