Isaiah 28 - Printer Friendly

What does Isaiah 28 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

Prior chapters looked forward to the glorious end times when Israel will be fully restored and thriving during the Lord's reign as king on the earth. Isaiah 28 returns to describing the judgment to come on the people of Israel and Judah in Isaiah's time.

These two judgments were written before Assyria had fully conquered Samaria and the northern ten tribes of Israel, carrying the people off into exile. Samaria was still the beautiful, prosperous capital of Israel, also called Ephraim. Isaiah describes the city as a wreath or crown on the head of the rich, fertile valley below.

Israel's leaders are proud, drunk, and complacent. They seem unconcerned about Isaiah's warning that the Lord is sending a mighty leader against them. Assyria's approach is described as a hailstorm and tempest that will overwhelm Samaria with flood waters. The Assyrian army will trample Samaria underfoot like a discarded wreath of fading flowers. They will swallow Samaria up like one picks and immediately eats a first-ripe fig in June (Isaiah 28:1–4).

After the destruction of Israel and the exile of most of the people, the Lord will once again be the crown of glory to the few who are left behind. He will be the spirit of justice behind the judgment of those in power and the strength of those who battle the enemy at the gates (Isaiah 28:5–6).

Isaiah describes Israel's priests and prophets as drunkards at a party, staggering and reeling about. All the wine they have swallowed now swallows them—an apt picture of alcoholism. They are drunk while receiving visions from the Lord and while rendering priestly judgments. There is no place among them that isn't covered in vomit (Isaiah 28:7–8).

Still, these religious leaders don't want to hear Isaiah's correction or his warnings about the Lord's judgment. They accuse him of lecturing them as if they were little children. They chant a children's rhyme to mock him. Because they won't hear the truth from him, Isaiah says, they will hear the Lord's message in the unfamiliar language of the Assyrians when the judgment falls on them. Following the Lord's message would have brought them rest and peace. Because they would not hear, they will learn it the hard way when they are broken, captured, and taken away (Isaiah 28:9–13).

Next Isaiah turns to the leaders of Jerusalem and Judah in the south. They have apparently made an alliance with Egypt (Isaiah 30:1–2). They trust this to save them from the Assyrians. Instead, they should trust the Lord for salvation. Isaiah describes their alliance as a covenant with death; their hope in Egypt is a shelter made of falsehood. The Lord says He has established a reliable foundation in Zion. Those who trust His cornerstone will not be stricken with panic (Isaiah 28:14–16).

Because these leaders have not trusted Him, the Lord will annul their covenant with death. Like a hailstorm, the Assyrians will sweep away Israel's refuge of lies. The overwhelming scourge of the enemy will flood their lands and then return to beat them down again. The Lord who has fought for them before is about to do the strange work of fighting against His own people (Isaiah 28:17–22).

Isaiah calls for the leaders of Jerusalem to think of farming. The farmer follows a careful process for making the ground ready, planting crops, and threshing them after harvest. The farmer does what is wise, and by this example the leaders of Israel should not resist the Lord's wonderful counsel (Isaiah 28:23–29).

Isaiah 28:1–13 poetically describes Israel's capital Samaria as a crown or wreath on the head of a beautiful valley. Its leaders, though, are drunkards, and the wilted wreath will be trampled by the hailstorm of the Lord's judgment. This comes in the form of Assyrian invaders. Then God will be the glorious crown of Israel once more. Israel's prophets and priests live in a drunken stupor, staggering, vomiting, and mocking Isaiah's warning message from the Lord. Isaiah assures them they will hear the message firsthand from foreign lips when the Lord's judgment falls on them.

Isaiah 28:14–29 describes God's warning to the leaders of Jerusalem and Judah. They are trusting what Isaiah calls "a covenant of death." They are sheltering from the coming Assyrian invasion under a "refuge of lies." Because they have not trusted the foundation the Lord has laid, He will work against His own people. Using a parable, Isaiah tells Judah's leaders to notice how the farmer follows the Lord's instructions to get the best crop.

Chapter Summary:

Samaria, the capital of Israel, also called Ephraim, is the beautiful crown on the head of the rich valley below. Her leaders are proud and drunk. The Lord will send the Assyrians to trample the crown and send the people into exile. Israel's religious leaders mock Isaiah, but they will hear the Lord's message from the Assyrians. Isaiah warns Jerusalem's leaders not to mock his warning to them from the Lord about the same fate. Their covenant with death will fail. The hailstorm of the Assyrians will beat them down. The Lord's counsel is wonderful.

Chapter Context:

Isaiah 28 begins a new section following the previous four chapters about Israel's glorious future with the Lord as her king. Now, though, the Lord is sending the Assyrians to judge His own people, first in Ephraim, which is Israel, and then in Judah. The beautiful capital city of Samaria will be trampled like a wilted wreath. Israel's religious leaders mock Isaiah but will hear the Lord's message from the Assyrians themselves. Isaiah warns Jerusalem's leaders not to scoff at his message. Despite Judah's agreements with other nations, the Lord will send the overwhelming scourge to wash away their refuge of lies. The next three chapters of Isaiah (29—31) predict siege and distress for Jerusalem but also promise that God will destroy Judah's enemies and bless them if they return to Him.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 5/24/2026 5:32:29 AM