Isaiah 28 10

Isaiah 28:10 kjv

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Isaiah 28:10 nkjv

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little."

Isaiah 28:10 niv

For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there."

Isaiah 28:10 esv

For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."

Isaiah 28:10 nlt

He tells us everything over and over ?
one line at a time,
one line at a time,
a little here,
and a little there!"

Isaiah 28 verses

Isaiah 28 10 Meaning

Isaiah 28:10 encapsulates the derision of Judah's arrogant and drunken leaders towards God's prophet Isaiah. This verse, a sarcastic imitation, mocks the prophet's consistent and direct delivery of divine messages. The leaders dismiss God's teachings as fragmented and infantile instructions, comparing them to repetitive lessons for infants learning to speak: "precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, a little here, a little there." Their scorn reveals their spiritual blindness and their preference for worldly revelry over God's clear revelation. Tragically, God's response (in Isa 28:11) declares He will indeed speak to them with "stammering lips and another tongue"—the language of their Assyrian invaders—turning their mockery into a terrifying reality of judgment.

Isaiah 28 10 Context

Isaiah chapter 28 initiates with a sharp rebuke of the northern kingdom of Ephraim's (Israel's) proud and drunken leaders, whose demise under Assyrian invasion is imminent. The prophecy then transitions to the equally culpable leadership of Judah in Jerusalem, who exhibit similar spiritual drunkenness, arrogance, and scorn. These leaders pride themselves on their earthly wisdom, mistaking their inebriated revelry for discernment. It is within this atmosphere of disdain for divine authority that Isaiah 28:10 finds its voice. The verse directly quotes the scoffing elite, who view Isaiah’s straightforward, repetitive warnings and commands as rudimentary babble, only suitable for infants and unworthy of their "sophistication." The broader historical backdrop is the burgeoning threat of the Assyrian Empire, God's chosen instrument to punish His rebellious people, culminating in an ironic judgment where the foreign tongue of the invaders becomes the very "teaching" they scorned.

Isaiah 28 10 Word analysis

• For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept:
  • "Precept" (צַו֙, tsav): From the Hebrew root meaning "to command" or "to enjoin." This denotes a distinct, authoritative instruction or a specific decree from God. It refers to a clear, foundational rule, not a general concept.
  • "upon precept" (לָצָ֑ו, la-tsav): The doubling, tsav la-tsav, tsav la-tsav, reflects the scornful perception of Isaiah's messages as tedious and monotonously repeated, much like overly simple instructions for a toddler. The sound mimics childish babble.
• line upon line, line upon line:
  • "line" (קַו֙, kav): This refers to a measuring line or a plumb line used for precision in building or establishing boundaries. Metaphorically, it represents a standard, a rule, a fixed principle, or exact demarcation.
  • "upon line" (לָקָ֔ו, la-kav): The repetition, kav la-kav, kav la-kav, similarly emphasizes the perceived rudimentary, rule-by-rule nature of the teaching. It suggests a methodical, incremental layering of instruction that the scoffers found insulting to their intellect and status. The sound contributes to the rhythmic, childlike mockery.
• a little here, a little there:
  • "a little" (זְעֵיר֙, ze'er): Means small or few.
  • "here" (כָּ֣א, ka) and "there" (שָׁ֖ם, sham): These adverbs underscore the perceived fragmented, piecemeal delivery of God's revelation. From the leaders' perspective, Isaiah's prophecies lacked the grandiosity or comprehensive wisdom they believed they deserved, coming instead in disjointed, seemingly trivial pieces.
• Words-group Analysis:
  • "Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line": The deliberate phonetic similarity and repetition in Hebrew (Tsaw La-Tsaw, Tsaw La-Tsaw, Kaw La-Kaw, Kaw La-Kaw) is a crucial element. This onomatopoeic structure sounds like children’s babble or basic teaching syllables. This serves as a potent sarcastic imitation, revealing the depth of the leaders' contempt. They dismiss God’s precise, authoritative laws as trivial nonsense, deeming His prophet a mere nursery school teacher.
  • "A little here, a little there": This phrase further compounds the contempt, portraying the divine messages as unsystematic, inconsistent, and ultimately insignificant in their eyes. They feel God is doling out fragmented, unimpressive bits of truth, failing to offer the sweeping revelations they believed befitted their supposed sagacity.

Isaiah 28 10 Bonus section

The sophisticated Hebrew wordplay in Tsaw Latsav Tsaw Latsav, Kaw Lakav Kaw Lakav goes beyond simple repetition; it creates an unmistakable aural mimicry of gibberish or infant babbling. This deepens the contempt shown by the leaders, as they perceive Isaiah’s serious, divinely-inspired messages as nothing more than nonsensical children's talk. This highlights the severe spiritual decline where God's very Word is reduced to mockery. This dynamic foreshadows other instances in biblical history where humanity rejects God’s clear message, often leading to a form of judicial hardening. Paul’s quotation of Isaiah 28:11-12 in 1 Corinthians 14, in the context of spiritual gifts (specifically speaking in tongues as a sign to unbelievers), reveals that God’s pattern of using an "unintelligible" sound as a sign to the unhearing continues into the New Testament era.

Isaiah 28 10 Commentary

Isaiah 28:10 is not a description of God’s actual teaching method, but a stinging expression of the leaders' contempt for God’s clear Word delivered through Isaiah. The scoffers, likely inebriated, found the consistent, fundamental instructions tedious and beneath their supposed intellectual and spiritual stature. They dismissed Isaiah’s authoritative warnings as overly simplistic, suitable only for infants. However, this human scorn sets the stage for profound divine irony. Because they spurned the clear words of a prophet in their own tongue, God would subsequently speak to them through "stammering lips and another tongue" – the language of their Assyrian oppressors (Isa 28:11-12). Their mockery would be fulfilled as judgment. The very fragmented and incomprehensible sounds they ridiculed would become the terrifying sounds of national downfall. This serves as a solemn warning against spiritual pride, the dismissal of clear biblical truth, and the dangerous consequences of refusing to receive divine instruction patiently.