Isaiah 28:3 kjv
The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:
Isaiah 28:3 nkjv
The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot;
Isaiah 28:3 niv
That wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.
Isaiah 28:3 esv
The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot;
Isaiah 28:3 nlt
The proud city of Samaria ?
the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel ?
will be trampled beneath its enemies' feet.
Isaiah 28 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 16:18 | Pride goes before destruction… | Pride's inevitable downfall. |
| Isa 5:11-12 | Woe to those who rise early… for strong drink… they do not regard the deeds of the LORD. | Condemnation of drunkenness and spiritual heedlessness. |
| Hos 7:5 | On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine... | Ephraim's rulers involved in drunken revelry. |
| Amos 6:1, 6 | Woe to those who are at ease in Zion… drink wine in bowls... | Rebuke for complacent luxury and indulgence in Israel. |
| Isa 2:12 | For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be against all that is proud… | God's judgment against all forms of human pride. |
| Jer 13:9 | Thus says the LORD: 'Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.' | God spoiling the pride of His people due to sin. |
| Obadiah 1:3 | The pride of your heart has deceived you… | Warning against spiritual arrogance. |
| Jas 4:6 | God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. | New Testament affirmation of God's opposition to pride. |
| Isa 10:6 | …to take plunder and to seize booty, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. | God using Assyria to trample sinful nations. |
| 2 Kgs 17:6 | In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria… | Historical fulfillment of Samaria's defeat. |
| Deut 28:52 | They shall besiege you… and they shall bring down your high and fortified walls… | Consequences for disobedience, foreshadowing siege and destruction. |
| Eph 5:18 | And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit… | New Testament command against drunkenness. |
| Rom 13:13 | Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness… | Call for moral conduct, shunning drunkenness. |
| Joel 1:5 | Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine… | Call to repentance for drunkards facing judgment. |
| Hab 2:15-16 | "Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink…! You will be sated with contempt instead of glory." | Judgment on those involved in drunken revelry, leading to disgrace. |
| Dan 7:23 | …and it shall devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces. | Metaphor of "treading down" signifying complete conquest and destruction. |
| Lk 21:24 | Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. | Future judgment involving being "trodden down." |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For not from the east or from the west… does promotion come… but it is God who executes judgment... | God is the source of all authority and judgment. |
| Isa 7:8 | …within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered… | Prophecy of Ephraim's specific destruction. |
| Hos 8:7-8 | They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind… Israel is swallowed up… | Consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness, leading to complete absorption. |
Isaiah 28 verses
Isaiah 28 3 Meaning
Isaiah 28:3 prophesies the inevitable, humiliating downfall of Samaria, the capital city and symbol of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim). Its perceived glory, symbolized by a "proud crown," which represents their arrogance, beauty, and elevated position, will be completely desecrated and destroyed, being "trodden underfoot." This verse specifically connects their impending judgment to their moral decay, particularly spiritual and literal drunkenness, which characterized their lifestyle and led to a profound spiritual blindness and arrogance. It underscores God's righteous judgment against nations whose pride and indulgence lead them away from Him.
Isaiah 28 3 Context
Isaiah 28 opens with a "Woe" pronouncement, initiating a series of prophecies primarily directed against Samaria (representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim) and later against Jerusalem (Judah). Verse 3 is part of a condemnation of Samaria's spiritual and moral degradation. The chapter depicts Ephraim as a people living in luxurious complacency, spiritual drunkenness, and misplaced pride, failing to recognize the looming Assyrian threat. Historically, Samaria was a powerful and strategic city, beautifully situated on a hill, contributing to their sense of security. Yet, internally, it was riddled with idolatry, intemperance, and political instability. This verse, therefore, directly precedes the prophecy of Samaria's downfall, which occurred in 722 BC when the Assyrian Empire besieged and conquered the city, leading to the deportation of the ten northern tribes. The immediate context of Isaiah 28:1-8 focuses on the swift and thorough destruction awaiting Ephraim due to their haughtiness and dissipation.
Isaiah 28 3 Word analysis
- The proud crown (עֲטֶרֶת גֵּאוּת, ateret ga'ut):
- עֲטֶרֶת ('ateret): Means "crown," "wreath," "garland," or "diadem." It signifies beauty, honor, glory, power, or a mark of festivity. Here, it alludes to Samaria's physical beauty, its strategic hilltop location often described as the "head" or "crown" of the surrounding valley, and the superficial splendor and wealth of its inhabitants.
- גֵּאוּת (ga'ut): Means "pride," "majesty," "haughtiness," "arrogance," "exaltation," or "swelling." It emphasizes the overweening self-confidence, self-importance, and disdain for God's warnings that characterized Ephraim. This was a pride rooted in their material prosperity, strong fortifications, and supposed alliances, rather than in their covenant relationship with God.
- Together, "proud crown" represents Samaria's self-glorifying arrogance and the outward show of their fading glory, which was ironically the object of divine judgment.
- of the drunkards (שִׁכּוֹרֵי אֶפְרַיִם, shikkorei 'ephrayim):
- שִׁכּוֹרֵי (shikkorei): Denotes "drunkards" or "intoxicated ones." This term literally refers to their widespread indulgence in excessive wine consumption, as detailed in Isaiah 28:7-8, highlighting their moral debauchery. Spiritually, it signifies a state of stupor, spiritual blindness, insensitivity to God's warnings, loss of moral discernment, and a focus on worldly pleasures rather than divine wisdom and obedience. This moral decay led to a chaotic society and rendered them incapable of heeding prophetic calls to repentance.
- אֶפְרַיִם ('ephrayim): "Ephraim" is the name of a prominent Israelite tribe, which after the division of the kingdom, often became a collective designation for the entire Northern Kingdom of Israel. It was characterized by idolatry (e.g., the golden calves at Bethel and Dan), reliance on foreign alliances (like Egypt and Assyria), and consistent rebellion against God's covenant, differentiating itself from the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
- The phrase describes the character and identity of the people: drunkards of Ephraim are those morally and spiritually intoxicated, typical of the northern kingdom's corruption.
- will be trodden underfoot (תֵּרָמַסְנָה, teramasnah):
- תֵּרָמַסְנָה (teramasnah): This verb means "to trample," "to tread down," "to stamp," or "to utterly defeat and humiliate." It is in the passive voice, indicating that this destructive action will be inflicted upon them, specifically by the Assyrians as instruments of God's judgment. The imagery of "treading underfoot" signifies complete conquest, subjugation, degradation, and the total annihilation of their former glory and pride. It conveys a violent, undignified, and inescapable downfall.
Isaiah 28 3 Bonus section
The "proud crown" can also evoke the image of a perishable flower, as referenced in Isaiah 28:1, underscoring the ephemeral nature of their perceived glory and security. Samaria, a beautiful and fertile region, was indeed like a fading flower that quickly withers under the scorching heat, symbolic of God's fiery judgment and the destructive force of the Assyrian invasion. The prophecy's vivid imagery functions not just as a historical forecast but as a timeless theological principle: divine judgment inevitably falls upon pride and persistent rebellion, regardless of material wealth or political prowess. This prophetic word contrasts worldly self-exaltation with the true honor that comes only through humility and dependence on God. It stands as a profound testament to God's sovereignty over nations and His unwavering commitment to righteousness.
Isaiah 28 3 Commentary
Isaiah 28:3 is a stark prophecy declaring the humiliating demise of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, epitomized by its capital, Samaria. The "proud crown" refers to Samaria's glorious reputation, fortified position, and its inhabitants' deep-seated arrogance and self-sufficiency. This glory, however, was stained by "drunkards," symbolizing not only their literal widespread intemperance but, more profoundly, their spiritual intoxication, which manifested as moral decay, spiritual blindness, and an inability to perceive God's warnings. Their self-indulgence blinded them to the impending divine judgment, to be executed by the Assyrian army. The phrase "trodden underfoot" vividly conveys a total and humiliating defeat, stripping away all dignity and perceived power. This was literally fulfilled when Samaria fell to Assyria in 722 BC, resulting in the deportation and loss of the ten tribes. The verse serves as a potent warning that pride, combined with unchecked indulgence and neglect of God's ways, inevitably leads to a complete and disgraceful downfall, regardless of perceived strength or earthly glory. It teaches that true stability and honor come only from God.