Focused Passage

Isaiah 28:23-29

The Woe Against Proud Leaders and the Tested Cornerstone

Isaiah 28 moves from a woe against drunken Ephraim, to a rebuke of Judah’s mocking leaders, to the LORD’s promise of a sure foundation stone in Zion, and finally to a wisdom parable showing that God’s judgment is measured, purposeful, and perfectly governed.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

23 Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say.

24 Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?

25 When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border.

26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

27 Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

28 Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it.

29 This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 23

Original words

Listen הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ H238 Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural and hear וְשִׁמְע֖וּ H8085 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural my voice קוֹלִ֑י H6963 Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Pay attention הַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ H7181 Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural and hear וְשִׁמְע֖וּ H8085 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural what I say אִמְרָתִֽי׃ H565 Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Verse 24

Original words

Does the plowman יַחֲרֹ֥שׁ H2790 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular plow הַחֹרֵ֖שׁ H2790 Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular for planting לִזְרֹ֑עַ H2232 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct every הֲכֹ֣ל H3605 Article | Noun - masculine singular construct day הַיּ֔וֹם H3117 Article | Noun - masculine singular Does he continuously loosen יְפַתַּ֥ח H6605 Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular and harrow וִֽישַׂדֵּ֖ד H7702 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular the soil אַדְמָתֽוֹ׃ H127 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Verse 25

Original words

When אִם־ H518 Conjunction he has leveled שִׁוָּ֣ה H7737 Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular its surface פָנֶ֔יהָ H6440 Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular does he not הֲלוֹא֙ H3808 Adverb - Negative particle sow יִזְרֹ֑ק H2236 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular caraway קֶ֖צַח H7100 Noun - masculine singular and scatter וְהֵפִ֥יץ H6327 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular cumin וְכַמֹּ֣ן H3646 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular He plants וְשָׂ֨ם H7760 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular wheat חִטָּ֤ה H2406 Noun - feminine singular in rows שׂוֹרָה֙ H7795 Noun - feminine singular and barley וּשְׂעֹרָ֣ה H8184 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular in plots נִסְמָ֔ן H5567 Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular and rye וְכֻסֶּ֖מֶת H3698 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular within its border גְּבֻלָתֽוֹ׃ H1367 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Verse 26

Original words

For his God אֱלֹהָ֥יו H430 Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular instructs וְיִסְּר֥וֹ H3256 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular and teaches him יוֹרֶֽנּוּ׃ H3384 Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular properly לַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט H4941 Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Verse 27

Original words

Surely כִּ֣י H3588 Conjunction caraway קֶ֔צַח H7100 Noun - masculine singular is not לֹ֤א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle threshed י֣וּדַשׁ H1758 Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular with a sledge בֶֽחָרוּץ֙ H2742 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular and the wheel וְאוֹפַ֣ן H212 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct of a cart עֲגָלָ֔ה H5699 Noun - feminine singular is not rolled יוּסָּ֑ב H5437 Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular over עַל־ H5921 Preposition the cumin כַּמֹּ֖ן H3646 Noun - masculine singular But כִּ֧י H3588 Conjunction caraway קֶ֖צַח H7100 Noun - masculine singular is beaten out יֵחָ֥בֶט H2251 Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular with a stick בַמַּטֶּ֛ה H4294 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular and cumin וְכַמֹּ֥ן H3646 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular with a rod בַּשָּֽׁבֶט׃ H7626 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Verse 28

Original words

Grain for bread לֶ֣חֶם H3899 Noun - masculine singular must be ground יוּדָ֔ק H1854 Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular but כִּ֛י H3588 Conjunction it is not לֹ֥א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle endlessly threshed יְדוּשֶׁ֑נּוּ H1758 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular . . . לָנֶ֖צַח H5331 Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular . . . אָד֣וֹשׁ H156 Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute Though the wheels גִּלְגַּ֧ל H1536 Noun - masculine singular construct of the cart עֶגְלָת֛וֹ H5699 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular roll over it וְ֠הָמַם H2000 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular the horses וּפָרָשָׁ֖יו H6571 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular do not לֹֽא־ H3808 Adverb - Negative particle crush it יְדֻקֶּֽנּוּ׃ H1854 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Verse 29

Original words

This זֹ֕את H2063 Pronoun - feminine singular also גַּם־ H1571 Conjunction comes יָצָ֑אָה H3318 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular from מֵעִ֛ם H5973 Preposition-m the LORD יְהוָ֥ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular of Hosts צְבָא֖וֹת H6635 Noun - common plural [who] is wonderful הִפְלִ֣יא H6381 Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular in counsel עֵצָ֔ה H6098 Noun - feminine singular [and] excellent הִגְדִּ֖יל H1431 Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular in wisdom תּוּשִׁיָּֽה׃ס H8454 Noun - feminine singular

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.