28:1 As already mentioned, this commentary views verses 1–13 as a unit, not least because “also” in verse 7 suggests that the same group is being addressed, while Jerusalem is then specifically addressed in verse 14. Hoy (cf. Overview of Isaiah 28–39) suggests a pronouncement of judgment with an undertone of lament; the Lord takes no pleasure in this action. The “proud crown” is Samaria, built by Omri (1 Kings 16:24). It is a strong city, strategically situated on a hill amid lush countryside. There is probably also the nuance of garlands on the heads of partygoers, which now look bedraggled as the party comes to an end. The rich valley will soon be a desolate ruin. “Overcome with wine” is another example of the vineyard imagery; this is probably a deliberate contrast to Isaiah 25:6, comparing the enjoyment of wine as a gift in the new creation with its abuse here in Samaria. Like the drunken revelers in Daniel 5, people are wining and dining away from reality as the enemy approaches the gates. Their eyes are closed to the reality of what is happening.

28:2 What will happen is totally in the hands of the sovereign Lord. The agent he uses here is Assyria (Isa. 10:5–19), but the indeterminate clause “One who is mighty and strong” shows that the Lord always has instruments to carry out his will. The imagery used here of storm, hail, and waters is a reminder that he also controls the forces of nature—this is the language of theophany. The words, as always, are chosen carefully. “Mighty” relates to control, “strong” is an intrinsic quality, and “hand” shows the personal involvement of the Lord in history.

28:3–4 The party will end in disaster; the garlands will be trampled underfoot, and Samaria will be consumed like a fig. This will all happen with devastating swiftness, as there seems to be no time between the plucking and eating of the fig: “He swallows it as soon as it is in his hand.”

28:5–6 “In that day” introduces a note of hope and new beginnings; there is a true crown that is not fading and a remnant that in every age prefigures the final great gathering of all the Lord’s people. The Lord is King, and he will create a beautiful and just society marked by justice and security against enemies, echoing the strong city whose walls and bulwarks are salvation (26:1).

28:7–8 By contrast, not only are Ephraim’s civil leaders corrupt, but priests and prophets who ought to give guidance and teaching are similarly dissolute. Note the irony of “swallowed by wine”; wine has taken over and swallowed its drinkers. The priests and prophets are incapable of giving the people vision, for they have no vision themselves. The imagery of verse 8 is deliberately disgusting, for false teaching is sordid and ugly. Prophets were to call people to right living and guide them toward wise decisions, but no such leadership is found here.

28:9–10 The “he” is the prophet, and thus some imagine that this must be Isaiah himself addressing the leaders of Judah. But that is not necessarily the case. Hosea and Amos had addressed the northern kingdom and warned of judgment. Earlier the great prophets Elijah and Elisha had spoken powerfully to the godless dynasty of Ahab, as had others such as Micaiah in 1 Kings 22. The indefinite “he” draws attention to the fact that it is the message and not the messenger that is important. In any case, people complain about the prophets’ treating them like young children being taught the rudiments of education via simple and repetitive language. The word tsav is probably a shortened form of mitsvah, meaning “commandment” (cf. Hos. 5:11). Qav is a measuring line, used in 1 Kings 7:23 of measurements in the temple. “Here a little, there a little” exactly conveys the gradual building up of knowledge.

28:11–12 Here the people’s mocking words are turned against them. Since they refused to listen to the gentle teacher, they will have a harsh one. The message of rest has been rejected, as the people have not trusted and obeyed. The Lord’s word echoes the speech of the scoffers but gives it an ironic twist: now it will be spoken in the language of the Assyrians, which is different enough from Hebrew to require an interpreter. This interpreter will be the harsh reality of exile.

28:13 This will result in a path of stumbling and in brokenness and captivity. There is no security outside the path of obedience, which, while it may be hard, leads home.

28:14–15 Israel is doomed; there is no cause for rejoicing in Judah, which can be saved only if it recognizes where its true security lies. The “scoffer” is the one who fails to see reality, the cynic who mocks the truth. Isaiah has already provided a picture of such a person in Shebna, the steward in Isaiah 22:15–19, and it may well be that Shebna and others are at the heart of the faction pushing for an alliance with Egypt. The covenant with Yahweh has been replaced with an alliance with “death” and “Sheol.” The “overwhelming whip” is the Assyrian invasion (cf. similar metaphor in 8:6–8); the image combines the metaphors of a whip and a flood, and no alliance with Egypt will help Judah.

28:16 The Lord speaks into this situation with words that remind his people where true security lies and thus call the scoffers to abandon false hopes. Echoing Moses (Deut. 30:19), Isaiah calls on the people to choose life, not death. The stone laid in Zion can be understood as a “stone, namely, Zion,”64 referring to the city as the center of God’s promises (cf. Psalm 87; Isa. 2:2–4). The prophet here offers a rich cluster of ideas emphasizing the faithfulness of Yahweh and the need to trust him. At its heart is the Davidic monarchy and the Messiah. In a later age Zechariah 3:9 will use the stone as a messianic symbol, which would one day find fulfillment in Christ himself (1 Pet. 2:4–6). The “tested stone” could mean one that, having been tested, now tests others to build on it as a secure foundation. “Precious” refers to its intrinsic value as a “sure foundation” on which people can build their lives. “In haste” (Hb. hus) may refer to ambassadors’ hurrying off to Egypt and in general to a fretful and hectic lifestyle, which is the opposite of resting in the Lord.

28:17 The standards for measurement for God’s building will be justice and righteousness, on which alone a structure will stand, with false structures in contrast being swept away. So Jesus describes houses with true and false foundations (Matt. 7:24–27).

28:18–19 In this situation, the people’s only protection is the true covenant with Yahweh, not its counterfeit with death and Sheol, which will collapse when the Assyrians come like a flood. This will not simply be a single calamity; the Assyrian annals show abundant evidence of repeated attacks. “Pass through” is the verb used in the Passover story (Ex. 12:12), but now it is used in the sense of judgment on God’s people.

28:20 A popular proverb is used here to reinforce the inadequacy of trusting in any security other than Yahweh. An alternate refuge will prove to be unfit for its intended purpose.

28:21–22 “For” sums up the section by evoking the overwhelming reality of God’s presence. “The Lord will rise up”; unless the people repent, they will be overwhelmed. This recalls the Davidic victories at Mount Perazim and the Valley of Gibeon (2 Sam. 5:17–25). Unless the scoffers repent, they will experience a judgment that is strange and alien because it is involves God’s punishing his people. Without such repentance, the land is doomed. Isaiah 36–37 shows that such repentance did happen and that the land was saved, at least for a while.

28:23 The language here recalls wisdom literature and its emphasis on how the processes of nature follow God’s patterns. Isaiah used a similar approach in 1:3 in contrasting the natural behavior of the ox and the donkey with the unnatural behavior of God’s people.65 “Give ear” occurs in Proverbs 4:1; 7:24 in the context of avoiding seductive temptations and is thus particularly appropriate here.

28:24–25 The Lord reveals himself in the created order, including in the rhythms of sowing, plowing, and reaping. Everything has a purpose: plowing and sowing are not ends in themselves but natural stages on the way to harvest. Careful and considered action is indicated by these verbs, as the farmer knows that the natural world is not random but has a controlling mind behind it. Thus seeds have different characters: dill and cumin are scattered while the larger seeds are placed in marked rows with a specific border. This may appear simplistic, like the prophetic teaching in Isaiah 28:9–10, but attention to detail makes sense and produces a harvest. Behind this idea lies the covenant with creation after the flood (Gen. 8:9–17), in which God commits himself again to the creation he will one day make new.

28:26 Creation itself reveals God not only in the marvels of the heavens (Ps. 19:1) but also in the everyday business of cultivating land. The God who speaks in his Word is the same God who shows his ways in the created order.

28:27–28 The same principles operate in the practice of threshing, which discriminates between small and larger grains. The threshing sledge would be disastrous for dill and the cartwheel or roller for cumin, which must be harvested by hand with stick and rod. Similarly, grain is threshed only when the wheat is separated from the chaff, in order that bread can be made. A similar process is followed if horses are used for threshing. It has also been suggested that a parallel is being drawn between the mechanized threshing and the invading horsemen of an enemy army.66

28:29 This revelation of wise behavior in the natural realm comes from the Lord just as much as spiritual revelation does. He is the Wonderful Counselor of Isaiah 9:6 and the source of all true wisdom. Only those who are blind will refuse a God like this.