Isaiah 28:13
in Isaiah 28Then the word of the LORD to them will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Therefore shall the word of Jehovah be unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
KJV
But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
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This verse in Isaiah 28
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThird, he threatens destruction: and the word shall be to them, that is, they will suffer this punishment for their own words: by your words, I judge you, you wicked servant (Matt 12:37); that they may go, to destruction.
This site's exposition
with mocking lips and foreign tongues
on Isaiah 28:11-13
The LORD answers the mockery, "with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people", the speech of a foreign conqueror, Assyria. Paul quotes this verse at 1 Corinthians 14:21 on tongues as a sign to unbelievers. "Order on order" becomes their snare, and they "will go stumbling".
This site's exposition
the word of the LORD to them
The word of the LORD comes back to the scoffers in the very syllables they mocked. Thomas Aquinas reads it as punishment by their own words, and he cites Matthew 12:37 on being judged by what one has said. Their mockery becomes the sentence they stumble under.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Vers. 10 seqq.) Who will teach knowledge, and who will make understanding? Weaned from milk, pulled from the breasts: command, re-command; command, re-command; wait, re-wait; wait, re-wait; a little here, a little there. For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, to whom He said, 'This is the rest, give rest to the weary,' and 'This is the refreshing,' but they would not hear. And the word of the Lord will be to them, command, re-command; command, re-command; wait, re-wait; wait, re-wait; a little here, a little there, that they may go and fall backward, and be broken, snared, and caught. LXX: To whom shall we announce evil, and to whom shall we announce good news? Those who have been weaned from milk, those who have been taken away from the breast. Expect tribulation upon tribulation; wait for hope upon hope; still little, still little: because of the mockery of lips, because of the other tongue with which they will speak to this people, saying to them: This is the rest for the hungry, and this is the crushing, and they did not want to hear. The word of the Lord will come upon them: Tribulation upon tribulation: wait, wait; hope upon hope: still little, still little; so that they may go and fall backward, and be crushed, and be endangered, and be captured. Who, he says, is worthy of the teaching of the Lord, to whom are the words of the Savior saying: 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear' (Matthew 12:15), so that what he has heard with his ears, he may understand with his heart? […]
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
It should seem, they ridiculed the prophet's preaching, and bantered it. The word of the Lord was unto them Tsau latsau, kau lakau; in the original it is in rhyme; they made a song of the prophet's words, and sang it when they were merry over their wine. David was the song of the drunkards.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. 18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
As they were children in understanding, they shall still continue to be such; they shall be ever learning, and never come to the knowledge of the truth. That - This will be the event, or consequence of their sin: they will fall backward, which is the worst, and most dangerous way of falling; and so be broken to pieces.
But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The rulers of Jerusalem are reproved and threatened for their insolent contempt of God's judgments, and setting them at defiance; and, after a gracious promise of Christ and his grace, they are made to know that the vain hopes of escaping the judgments of God with which they flattered themselves would certainly deceive them,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
But--rather, "Therefore," namely, because "they would not hear" (Isa 28:12). that they might go--the designed result to those who, from a defect of the will, so far from profiting by God's mode of instructing, "precept upon precept," &c., made it into a stumbling-block (Ho 6:5;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
But the word of the Lord was unto them - Or, rather, but the word of Yahweh “shall be” unto them. This refers to the mode in which God said He would instruct them in a foreign land. They had complained Isa 28:9-10 that his instructions had been like a short lesson constantly repeated, as we instruct children.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
For he said The prophet said to them, “This is the rest,” that you should have rest, “give rest to the weary,” that you shall not rob him, “and this” shall be “tranquility” for them (var. for you).
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
the allegorists of this people who express their scorn as an allegory, such as:
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֨ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לָהֶ֜ם | lahem | to them | ||
| דְּבַר־ | devar- | [the] word of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צַ֣ו | tzav | command | H6673 → | 9 times |
| לָצָ֞ו | latzav | to [the] command | H6673 → | 9 times |
| צַ֤ו | tzav | command | H6673 → | 9 times |
| לָצָו֙ | latzav | to [the] command | H6673 → | 9 times |
| קַ֤ו | kav | line | H6957 → | 21 times |
| לָקָו֙ | lakav | to [the] line | H6957 → | 21 times |
| קַ֣ו | kav | line | H6957 → | 21 times |
| לָקָ֔ו | lakav | to [the] line | H6957 → | 21 times |
| זְעֵ֥יר | zeeir | a little | H2191 → | 5 times |
| שָׁ֖ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| זְעֵ֣יר | zeeir | a little | H2191 → | 5 times |
| שָׁ֑ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| לְמַ֨עַן | lemaan | so that | H4616 → | 272 times |
| יֵלְכ֜וּ | yelekhu | they may go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וְכָשְׁל֤וּ | vekhashelu | and they will stumble | H3782 → | 62 times |
| אָחוֹר֙ | ʾachor | backwards | H268 → | 41 times |
| וְנִשְׁבָּ֔רוּ | venishbaru | and they will be broken | H7665 → | 147 times |
| וְנוֹקְשׁ֖וּ | venokshu | and they will be ensnared | H3369 → | |
| וְנִלְכָּֽדוּ׃ פ | venilkadu | and they will be captured | H3920 → | 121 times |
וְהָיָ֨הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
לָהֶ֜םto them
lahem
דְּבַר־[the] word of
devar-H1697 →1440 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צַ֣וcommand
tzavH6673 →9 times
לָצָ֞וto [the] command
latzavH6673 →9 times
צַ֤וcommand
tzavH6673 →9 times
לָצָו֙to [the] command
latzavH6673 →9 times
קַ֤וline
kavH6957 →21 times
לָקָו֙to [the] line
lakavH6957 →21 times
קַ֣וline
kavH6957 →21 times
לָקָ֔וto [the] line
lakavH6957 →21 times
זְעֵ֥ירa little
zeeirH2191 →5 times
שָׁ֖םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
זְעֵ֣ירa little
zeeirH2191 →5 times
שָׁ֑םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
לְמַ֨עַןso that
lemaanH4616 →272 times
יֵלְכ֜וּthey may go
yelekhuH1980 →1546 times
וְכָשְׁל֤וּand they will stumble
vekhasheluH3782 →62 times
אָחוֹר֙backwards
ʾachorH268 →41 times
וְנִשְׁבָּ֔רוּand they will be broken
venishbaruH7665 →147 times
וְנוֹקְשׁ֖וּand they will be ensnared
venokshuH3369 →
וְנִלְכָּֽדוּ׃ פand they will be captured
venilkaduH3920 →121 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 13:14In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
it leads to
- Isaiah 6:9–10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
- Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
- 2 Corinthians 3:14
But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed.
- Luke 8:10
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing,…
- Acts 28:25–27
They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit was right when He spoke to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
- Isaiah 6:9–10
Through
Isaiah 28:10For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.”
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 3:7
who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
- Jeremiah 11:7
For from the time I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, I strongly warned them again and again, saying, ‘Obey My voice.’
- Jeremiah 25:3–7
“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again,…
- 2 Timothy 3:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Isaiah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.