Isaiah 28 1

Isaiah 28:1 kjv

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

Isaiah 28:1 nkjv

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To those who are overcome with wine!

Isaiah 28:1 niv

Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley? to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

Isaiah 28:1 esv

Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!

Isaiah 28:1 nlt

What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria ?
the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel.
It sits at the head of a fertile valley,
but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower.
It is the pride of a people
brought down by wine.

Isaiah 28 verses

Isaiah 28 1 Meaning

Isaiah 28:1 pronounces a divine judgment, a "Woe," upon the Northern Kingdom of Israel, specifically its capital, Samaria, symbolized by Ephraim. It denounces their arrogant pride, literal and spiritual drunkenness, and decadent lifestyle. Their magnificent position, like a crown on a fertile hill, and their glorious beauty are metaphorically described as a rapidly fading flower, signifying their imminent destruction and the transient nature of their self-reliant glory in the face of God's impending judgment. The verse highlights their moral corruption and foolish revelry that led to their downfall.

Isaiah 28 1 Context

Isaiah 28:1 is part of a larger section in the book of Isaiah (chapters 28-33) often referred to as a series of "woes" primarily directed at the nations around Judah, and critically, at Judah itself. While these chapters mostly address Judah's reliance on foreign alliances rather than God, Chapter 28 opens with a strong condemnation of Ephraim, the leading tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which by this point in Isaiah's ministry was nearing its destruction by Assyria (which occurred in 722 BCE). The prophet uses the recent, impending, or already executed judgment upon Israel as a warning and object lesson for Judah. The verse serves to highlight the spiritual and moral depravity that precedes divine judgment, specifically emphasizing the drunkenness, pride, and misplaced confidence that characterized Ephraim's leadership and people, in contrast to the coming "precious cornerstone" (Isa 28:16) that Judah should build upon.

Isaiah 28 1 Word analysis

• Woe (הוֹי - hoy): An exclamation used frequently in prophetic books, signaling impending doom, lamentation, or a solemn pronouncement of judgment. It is not merely an expression of sorrow but a prophetic indictment that signifies severe divine displeasure and the dire consequences of sinful behavior. It immediately grabs attention and indicates a grave situation.
• to the crown of pride (עֲטֶרֶת גֵּאוּת - 'ateret ge'ut):
  • 'ateret (עֲטֶרֶת): A crown, wreath, or diadem. It symbolizes honor, glory, beauty, and authority. Here, it refers metaphorically to Samaria, the capital city of Israel, renowned for its beautiful, elevated position, or possibly to its ruling elite.
  • ge'ut (גֵּאוּת): Pride, arrogance, loftiness, majesty. It denotes an inflated self-esteem and haughtiness, often leading to a defiance of God and His ways. The phrase together critiques Samaria's perceived glory and self-confidence as rooted in arrogance rather than God. Their very symbol of grandeur is tainted by sinful pride.
• to the drunkards of Ephraim (שִׁכּוֹרֵי אֶפְרַיִם - shikkorei Ephrayim):
  • shikkorei (שִׁכּוֹרֵי): Drunkards, those overcome by alcohol. This refers to literal intoxication, indicating widespread debauchery among the leadership and populace.
  • Ephrayim (אֶפְרַיִם): The dominant tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often used as a metonymy for the entire kingdom itself. This signifies that the leadership and the nation as a whole were characterized by moral laxity and impaired judgment, not just isolated individuals. It can also imply a spiritual stupor or blindness to divine warnings.
• whose glorious beauty (צְבִי תִפְאָרְתּוֹ - tzvi tif'arto):
  • tzvi (צְבִי): Ornament, beauty, glory, splendor, gazelle (implies swiftness and beauty).
  • tif'arto (תִפְאָרְתּוֹ): His/its glory, splendor, praise, or renown. The two words combined emphasize the peak of Samaria's beauty, magnificence, and impressive appearance or prosperity. It refers to the city's enviable position and reputation.
• is a fading flower (נֹבֶל צִיץ - novel tziez):
  • novel (נֹבֶל): To fade, wither, languish, perish. It speaks of something transient, perishable, and quickly declining.
  • tziez (צִיץ): A flower, blossom. It symbolizes beauty and freshness, but also inherent fragility and a short lifespan. This metaphor starkly contrasts their perceived enduring glory with its inevitable and swift destruction.
• which are on the head of the fat valleys (עַל רֹאשׁ גֵּיא שְׁמָנִים - 'al rosh gei sh'manim):
  • 'al rosh (עַל רֹאשׁ): On the head, at the top, or summit. This denotes Samaria's elevated and prominent location, situated on a hill or mountain.
  • gei (גֵּיא): A valley.
  • sh'manim (שְׁמָנִים): Fat, rich, fertile, opulent. This describes the surrounding fertile valleys that contributed to Samaria's wealth, prosperity, and comfort. The imagery paints a picture of a city luxuriating in its prosperity and strategic, rich location, which became a source of their overconfidence.
• and them that are overcome with wine (הַלּוּמֵי יָיִן - halumei yayin):
  • halumei (הַלּוּמֵי): Those smitten, struck down, overcome, stunned. This suggests an advanced state of intoxication where one is rendered senseless or paralyzed.
  • yayin (יָיִן): Wine. This phrase reiterates and reinforces the previous accusation of drunkenness, underscoring its pervasive and debilitating effect on the people, leading to a spiritual and moral stupor that blinds them to God's impending judgment. It implies their state of weakness and vulnerability due to indulgence.
• Words-group Analysis:
  • "Woe to the crown of pride... to the drunkards of Ephraim": The double "to the" emphasizes two primary targets of judgment: the arrogance of their power structure ("crown of pride") and the pervasive moral corruption of its people, particularly their indulgence in excess ("drunkards of Ephraim"). This is a dual condemnation of both leadership and the populace, reflecting a society permeated by sin.
  • "whose glorious beauty is a fading flower": This striking metaphor illustrates the transient and ephemeral nature of their perceived splendor. Despite their material wealth and strong position, their beauty, analogous to a blooming flower, possesses an inherent impermanence that God's judgment will swiftly reveal. It highlights the fleetingness of all earthly glory compared to the eternal nature of God's power and Word.
  • "on the head of the fat valleys, and them that are overcome with wine": This pairing describes both the context of their sin and the depth of their spiritual malaise. Samaria's prime location on rich, fertile land allowed for abundant produce, leading to self-indulgence and complacency. This physical location enabled their luxurious lifestyle, which devolved into debauchery, as shown by their being "overcome with wine." The description creates a vivid image of opulence turning into spiritual and physical stupor.

Isaiah 28 1 Bonus section

The "crown of pride" can also be interpreted as a derisive title, sarcastically referring to Samaria's arrogant self-assessment. While they saw themselves as a magnificent diadem, the prophet labels it as a "crown of pride," implying that pride itself forms its very essence and foundation, making it inherently unstable and an abomination in God's eyes. This prophetic denunciation reveals a deeper theological truth: that reliance on worldly strength, material prosperity, and self-aggrandizement leads inevitably to a fall. It also serves as a strong foreshadowing of the New Testament's warnings against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), which are not from the Father but are of the world and pass away.

Isaiah 28 1 Commentary

Isaiah 28:1 opens a prophecy of impending judgment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel, particularly its capital, Samaria, depicted as "the crown of pride" due to its elevated and prosperous position. This crown, representing their boastful self-reliance and the source of their perceived invincibility, is paradoxically a symbol of their undoing. The leadership and populace are collectively condemned as "drunkards of Ephraim" – a reference not only to literal revelry but also to a deeper spiritual intoxication, a moral blindness and stupor that rendered them insensible to divine warnings and politically reckless in their dealings. Their "glorious beauty" and prominent setting on the fertile "head of the fat valleys" allowed for extensive wealth, but this very prosperity fueled their decadent indulgence. The stark image of this beauty as a "fading flower" serves as a poignant reminder that all earthly glory built on human pride and indulgence is transient and destined for destruction. God's judgment swiftly and irrevocably diminishes their grandeur, showing the ultimate fragility of human kingdoms not founded on divine principles.