Isaiah 28:23 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Isaiah 28:23 kjv
Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
Isaiah 28:23 nkjv
Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my speech.
Isaiah 28:23 niv
Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
Isaiah 28:23 esv
Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech.
Isaiah 28:23 nlt
Listen to me;
listen, and pay close attention.
Isaiah 28 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 6:4 | "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." | Fundamental command to listen to God. |
| Psa 49:1 | "Hear this, all you peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world..." | Universal call to hear God's truth. |
| Psa 78:1 | "Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!" | Call to heed divine instruction and statutes. |
| Prov 1:8 | "Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching..." | Emphasizes importance of heeding instruction from authorities. |
| Prov 8:32-33 | "And now, O sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways... Hear instruction and be wise..." | Listening leads to wisdom and blessing. |
| Matt 11:15 | "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." | Call for spiritual receptivity and understanding. |
| Matt 13:9 | "He who has ears, let him hear." | Jesus' command to deeply understand parables. |
| Matt 13:16 | "But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear." | Blessing pronounced upon those who truly perceive. |
| Matt 17:5 | "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." | God's direct command to listen to Jesus. |
| Rev 2:7 | "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." | Call to heed the Spirit's message to believers. |
| Rev 3:20 | "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door..." | Hearing God's invitation to fellowship. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than to sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams." | Superiority of obedience and listening over ritual. |
| Isa 1:10 | "Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God..." | Urgent call to sinful leaders to listen. |
| Jer 7:23 | "But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people...’" | Covenant relationship based on hearing and obeying. |
| Ezek 3:10 | "Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears." | Command to internalize God's word completely. |
| Heb 3:7-8 | "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion..." | Warning against spiritual deafness and disobedience. |
| John 10:27 | "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." | True discipleship marked by hearing and following. |
| Jas 1:22 | "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." | Emphasizes action as a result of hearing God's word. |
| Rom 10:17 | "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." | Direct link between hearing the Gospel and faith. |
| Acts 2:37 | "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said... 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" | Example of transformative, repentant hearing. |
| Luke 8:18 | "Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given..." | Caution to discern and act upon what is heard. |
| Mic 6:1 | "Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains..." | Prophetic call to heed God's legal accusation. |
| Zech 7:11-12 | "But they refused to pay attention... and stopped their ears so that they could not hear the law and the words..." | Example of obstinate refusal to hear God's word. |
Isaiah 28 verses
Isaiah 28 23 meaning
Isaiah 28:23 is an emphatic and urgent summons from God, delivered through the prophet Isaiah, calling the people to a deep and complete attentiveness to His divine message. It emphasizes the critical need to move beyond mere physical hearing to actively listening with a heart inclined to understand and receive God's voice and His specific instruction. This serves as a vital call for genuine spiritual engagement before God proceeds to unveil deeper truths about His wise and ordered dealings with His people.
Isaiah 28 23 Context
Isaiah 28:23 acts as a critical preamble, ushering in the intricate agricultural parables in verses 24-29. This call to attentive listening follows severe denunciations of Jerusalem's leadership, whom Isaiah condemns as "scoffers" (Isa 28:14). These leaders demonstrated spiritual complacency and made a "covenant with death" (Isa 28:15) by relying on their own strategic alliances rather than God. They had previously rejected God's offer of rest, demonstrating their refusal to hear (Isa 28:12). Amidst this backdrop of spiritual rebellion and geopolitical turmoil in the 8th century BC, with Assyria threatening, the prophet issues an imperative for his audience to shift from their hardened, deaf posture to one of receptive hearing. This profound injunction sets the stage for God to unveil the orderly, purposeful wisdom behind His diverse methods of dealing with humanity, which the subsequent parable illustrates through a farmer's careful and varied agricultural practices.
Isaiah 28 23 Word analysis
- Give ear (הַאֲזִ֖ינוּ - Ha'azinu): This imperative verb stems from a root implying an active inclining of the ear, denoting deep attention and listening. It signifies an intentional and receptive posture towards the speaker, beyond passive hearing.
- and hear (וְשִׁמְע֣וּ - u-shim'u): A common Hebrew verb, shama', meaning to hear, to perceive, and frequently implying to obey or to respond to what is heard. In this paired structure, it reinforces the initial command, emphasizing both the perception and subsequent comprehension/response.
- my voice (קֹולִ֑י - qoli): Literally "my sound" or "my voice." This specific term attributes the message directly to God, underscoring its divine authority and origin, distinguishing it from any human pronouncements or worldly counsel.
- listen (הַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ - Haqshivu): A more intensive and demanding verb than "give ear." It conveys the idea of paying extremely close attention, to be alert and focused, as one would for an address of paramount importance. It suggests a call to silence other distractions and give full mental and spiritual focus.
- and hear (וְשִׁמְע֖וּ - u-shim'u): The repetition of "and hear" after "listen" further heightens the intensity of the command. This reiteration serves to ensure that the message is not merely heard but deeply understood and internalized.
- my word (אִמְרָתִֽי - imrati): Meaning "my saying, my speech, my utterance, my message." This term points to the specific content and substance of God's communication. It signals that God is about to disclose particular teachings, insights, and principles that require a prepared and discerning ear.
Words-group analysis:
- "Give ear and hear my voice": This double command initiates the call. "Give ear" demands an attentive stance, while "hear" asks for comprehension and reception of the divine source, "my voice." This phrase ensures that the audience recognizes the speaker as God and prepares them to listen deeply.
- "listen and hear my word": This parallel and intensified phrase repeats the command with stronger verbs. "Listen" indicates a highly focused and earnest attention, and "my word" specifies that it is the precise content and substance of God's revelation that they must grasp. The literary device of synonymous parallelism underscores the profound importance of engaging fully with the divine message.
Isaiah 28 23 Bonus section
The precise placement of Isaiah 28:23 is highly intentional within the chapter. It transitions the discourse from scathing condemnation of Judah's unhearing "scoffers" (Isa 28:1-22) to an invitation for all to truly listen before the wisdom of the "Parable of the Planter" is unveiled (Isa 28:24-29). This literary structure emphasizes that understanding God's intricate and varied methods of operating in the world – whether in judgment, chastisement, or fruitful provision – requires a prerequisite heart of attentive listening. The very wisdom that enables a farmer to know when to plow, when to plant different seeds, and how to thresh is then analogously applied to God’s supreme wisdom in governing His people and the world. Without the spiritual attentiveness demanded in verse 23, the deeper theological truths and the overarching lesson of God’s ordered providence in verses 24-29 would remain inaccessible to the unhearing. It highlights a recurring prophetic principle: divine instruction often precedes a deeper understanding of God's complex workings in history.
Isaiah 28 23 Commentary
Isaiah 28:23 is a deeply significant, imperative summons for Israel, standing at a pivotal juncture in Isaiah's prophecy. By using redundant and increasingly forceful calls—"Give ear and hear my voice; listen and hear my word"—God, through Isaiah, confronts the spiritual apathy and selective hearing that characterized Judah's leaders. This isn't an option but a command, demanding full mental, spiritual, and volitional engagement with God's message. It explicitly states that the upcoming revelation originates from God, demanding attention far surpassing that given to human pronouncements. This call anticipates the detailed illustration of God's ordered wisdom and purposeful actions through the analogy of a farmer's methods (Isa 28:24-29). Thus, the verse implies that truly comprehending God's intricate plans—whether in judgment, restoration, or daily guidance—is contingent upon a profound, receptive hearing of His explicit instruction. It acts as a divine interjection, piercing through the complacency and arrogance of those who refused to listen previously, to prepare hearts for wisdom that only God can impart.