E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Isaiah 28:9
Whom = Whom [say they]. milk. breasts? (Two questions.) read more
Whom = Whom [say they]. milk. breasts? (Two questions.) read more
"Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little."We might paraphrase this mockery of Isaiah by the drunken rulers and leaders of Ephraim thus: Why, who does this man think he is teaching, a group of babies who have just been weaned? Is he trying to teach us our ABC's? These silly... read more
Isaiah 28:9-10. Whom shall he teach knowledge?— This period, though different in words, is the same in sense with that preceding. The meaning is, that the teachers, priests, and elders of the people, whose duty it was to maintain the purity and integrity of the public doctrine and counsels, had deviated so far from the path of right, that they were entirely ignorant with respect to the true doctrine of salvation, which was to be found in the ancient patriarchal and Mosaic system; they could... read more
9, 10. Here the drunkards are introduced as scoffingly commenting on Isaiah's warnings: "Whom will he (does Isaiah presume to) teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand instruction? Is it those (that is, does he take us to be) just weaned, c.? For (he is constantly repeating, as if to little children) precept upon precept," &c. line—a rule or law. [MAURER]. The repetition of sounds in Hebrew tzav latzav, tzav latzav, qav laqav, qav laquav, expresses the scorn of the imitators of... read more
The folly of Judah’s leaders 28:7-22Isaiah now compared the pride and indulgence of the Ephraimite leaders to that of their Southern Kingdom brethren. The leaders of Judah were even worse. There is some debate among scholars about where reference to Ephraim’s rulers ends and where reference to Judah’s leaders begins. It seems to me that the context favors the change occurring between Isaiah 28:6-7. read more
These drunken leaders mocked Isaiah for the simplicity and repetition with which he presented the Lord’s messages (cf. Acts 17:18)."Verses 9, 10 give us the jeering reply of the pro-Assyrian party of King Ahaz, who resisted the impact of Isaiah’s words recorded in the previous paragraph. They scoffed at his remarks as ’Sunday School moralizing,’ appropriate for infants but quite irrelevant to grown men who understand the art of practical politics." [Note: Archer, p. 628.] "His [God’s] laws are... read more
Warnings to JudahThese chapters refer to the state of affairs during the reign of Hezekiah, when Palestine was threatened by Assyria, and an influential party in Judah favoured resistance, relying on the support of Egypt; a line of policy consistently opposed by Isaiah. read more
This chapter must be assigned (Isaiah 28:1) to a date prior to the capture of Samaria by the Assyrians (722 b.c.) and fall of the northern kingdom.1-6. Samaria’s luxury and self-indulgence pave the way to ruin. 7-10. Judah likewise is given up to indulgence and heeds not the prophet’s warning, 11-13. Therefore Jehovah will teach the people by means of foreign invasion and disaster. 14-22. Judah’s safety lies not in faithless diplomacy, but in trust in Jehovah. 23-29. A parable of Jehovah’s way... read more
(9) Whom shall he teach knowledge?—The two verses that follow reproduce the language of the drunkards as they talk scornfully of the prophet. “To whom does he come with what he calls his ‘knowledge’ and his ‘doctrine?’ (better, message, as in Isaiah 28:19). Does he think that they are boys just weaned, who are to be taught the first elements of the religion of the infant school?” Then in their mockery they describe (Isaiah 28:10) his teaching, with what was to them its wearisome iteration,... read more
Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 28:1-29
28:1-33:24 HEZEKIAH AND THE ASSYRIANSBefore reading Chapters 28-33, readers should be familiar with the historical background found in the introduction under the heading ‘Judah’s new policies under Hezekiah’. Hezekiah reversed the policies of his father Ahaz. Whereas Ahaz sought help from Assyria to oppose Israel and Syria, Hezekiah sought help from Egypt to oppose Assyria. Isaiah opposed both policies alike. Faith in God, not reliance on foreign powers, is Judah’s only hope for survival. The... read more