Isaiah 28: The Precious Cornerstone in Zion
Against the proud drunkards of Ephraim and the scoffers of Jerusalem, God lays in Zion a tried and precious cornerstone for all who believe.
Isaiah 28 (WEB)
1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one. Like a storm of hail, a destroying storm, and like a storm of mighty waters overflowing, he will cast them down to the earth with his hand.
3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot.
4 The fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley, shall be like the first-ripe fig before the summer; which someone picks and eats as soon as he sees it.
5 In that day, Yahweh of Armies will become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people;
6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 They also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment.
8 For all tables are completely full of filthy vomit and filthiness.
9 Whom will he teach knowledge? To whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?
10 For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little.
11 But he will speak to this nation with stammering lips and in another language;
12 to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to weary”; and “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear.
13 Therefore Yahweh’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken.
14 Therefore hear Yahweh’s word, you scoffers, that rule this people in Jerusalem:
15 “Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood.’”
16 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.
17 I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it.
19 As often as it passes through, it will seize you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be nothing but terror to understand the message.”
20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21 For Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his unusual work, and bring to pass his act, his extraordinary act.
22 Now therefore don’t be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, on the whole earth.
23 Give ear, and hear my voice! Listen, and hear my speech!
24 Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?
25 When he has leveled its surface, doesn’t he plant the dill, and scatter the cumin seed, and put in the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place?
26 For his God instructs him in right judgment, and teaches him.
27 For the dill are not threshed with a sharp instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned over the cumin; but the dill is beaten out with a stick, and the cumin with a rod.
28 Bread flour must be ground; so he will not always be threshing it. Although he drives the wheel of his threshing cart over it, his horses don’t grind it.
29 This also comes out from Yahweh of Armies, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.
Isaiah 28 (KJV)
1 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!
2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.
3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:
4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,
6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 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.
14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
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.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?
25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?
26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.
Isaiah 28 (ASV)
1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, will he cast down to the earth with the hand.
3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot:
4 and the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 In that day will Jehovah of hosts become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people;
6 and a spirit of justice to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.
7 And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
9 Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little.
11 Nay, but bymen of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people;
12 to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 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.
14 Wherefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scoffers, that rule this people that is in Jerusalem:
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation: he that believeth shall not be in haste.
17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness 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 annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 As often as it passeth through, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night: and it shall be nought but terror to understand the message.
20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
21 For Jehovah will rise up as in mount Perazim, he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, upon the whole earth.
23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
24 Doth he that ploweth to sow plow continually? doth he continually open and harrow his ground?
25 When he hath levelled the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and put in the wheat in rows, and the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in the border thereof?
26 For his God doth instruct him aright, and doth teach him.
27 For the fitches are not threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
28 Bread grain is ground; for he will not be always threshing it: and though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he doth not grind it.
29 This also cometh forth from Jehovah of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.
Summary
Woe falls on the proud drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious crown is only a fading flower soon to be trodden underfoot like a fig snatched and swallowed. In that day the Lord himself will be the true crown of glory and diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people. But the failure is not Ephraim's alone: even the priests and prophets of Judah reel with strong drink, erring in vision and stumbling in judgment, their tables covered with filth. They mock God's instruction as childish repetition—precept on precept, line on line—so God will speak to them through the stammering lips of a foreign invader. The scoffers who rule in Jerusalem boast of a covenant with death, a refuge of lies, but God exposes their false security. Into this crisis he speaks the chapter's great word of hope: he is laying in Zion a tried, precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, and the one who believes will not be put to shame. Justice and righteousness become his measuring line, sweeping away every refuge of falsehood. The chapter closes with a parable from the farmer's field: just as God teaches the plowman when to plow and how to thresh each grain, so his strange and varied dealings with his people flow from his perfect wisdom and counsel.
Key Figures
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who judges drunken pride yet lays a precious cornerstone in Zion, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom in all his dealings.
- The drunkards of Ephraim — The proud leaders of the northern kingdom whose glory is a fading flower, soon trodden underfoot by a mighty and strong one sent from the Lord.
- The priests and prophets — Judah's spiritual leaders who reel with strong drink, err in vision, and stumble in judgment, mocking God's word as mere childish repetition.
- The scoffers of Jerusalem — The rulers who boast of a covenant with death and make lies their refuge, trusting falsehood instead of the sure foundation God provides.
Key Verse
Isaiah 28:16 (WEB)
Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.
Lessons Learned
- Human glory is a fading flower; only what God establishes endures.
- Spiritual leaders are not exempt from the intoxication of pride and self-indulgence.
- False refuges—covenants with death and lies—cannot stand when God's judgment overflows.
- God lays a sure foundation in Zion, and faith in him, not panic, is the response of those who trust it.
- Pride wears a crown that quickly fades. Ephraim's “glorious beauty” is “a fading flower” soon trodden underfoot (Isaiah 28:1-3, WEB), while the Lord alone is an enduring crown to his remnant.
- God can be the believer's true glory. “In that day, Yahweh of Armies will become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people” (Isaiah 28:5, WEB).
- Scorning God's word invites judgment. Those who mock instruction as “precept on precept… line on line” will find it become a snare to trip them (Isaiah 28:13, WEB).
- Christ is the sure foundation for faith. God lays “a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation,” and “he who believes shall not act hastily” (Isaiah 28:16, WEB); the New Testament sees this fulfilled in Christ (1 Peter 2:6).
- God's wisdom governs his strange work. Like a farmer who knows when to plow and how to thresh each seed, God deals with his people in wisdom, for he is “wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom” (Isaiah 28:29, WEB).
- What is wrong with Ephraim's “crown,” and what crown does God offer instead?
- How do the priests and prophets in this chapter fail in their calling?
- What is the “covenant with death” the scoffers trust, and why is it a false refuge?
- How does the New Testament identify the cornerstone God lays in Zion (see 1 Peter 2:6)?
- What false security have you been tempted to lean on instead of the foundation God provides?
- Ephraim's crown is its proud, drunken glory, a flower that fades and is swallowed up. God offers himself as a crown of glory and diadem of beauty to his remnant (28:5)—a glory that does not wither.
- The priests and prophets “reel with strong drink,” err in vision, and stumble in judgment (28:7). Leaders meant to discern God's word are instead intoxicated and disqualified, a sobering warning to all who teach.
- The scoffers boast that they have made “a covenant with death” and hidden under “falsehood” (28:15). Trusting lies and political schemes feels safe, but when the overflowing scourge comes, false refuges are swept away (28:17-18).
- The cornerstone is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Peter quotes this verse, declaring that whoever believes in him “will in no way be disappointed” (1 Peter 2:6). Christ is the tried, precious, sure foundation for our faith.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage honest reflection on the “covenants with death” we trust—wealth, status, control—and invite the group to rest their weight instead on the cornerstone God has laid.