Isaiah 28:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground?

NIV: When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?

NASB: Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and break up his ground?

CSB: Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil?

NLT: Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?

KJV: Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

NKJV: Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?

God warned Jerusalem's leaders about coming judgment for their unfaithfulness (Isaiah 28:17–18). Now Isaiah begins describing the best practices for farming. Most people in his agricultural society would be familiar with these. He begins by asking whether a farmer just keeps plowing and ripping up the ground? Or does he only do that for a while before moving on to the next stage of the process?

Plowing in the ancient world was essentially just dragging a pointed stick to break up the ground. This was usually done using animals like oxen. The farmer would then harrow the ground by dragging logs over the plowed ground to smooth it out for planting.

Isaiah's point is that nobody plows for the sake of plowing alone. There's a future purpose behind it. His larger lesson is not immediately clear. Commentators suggest two main possibilities. One is showing Jerusalem's leaders that even a simple farmer knows to follow God's design; so, too, should they follow the Lord's direction for their work. Another is that this expresses hope: God will not tear and break His people forever (Psalm 129:2–3), but only for a time and for a reason (Jeremiah 30:3).

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.

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.

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).