New Living Translation
Isaiah 28:13
13So the Lord will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.
Isaiah 28:13 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (NIV)So then, the word of the Lord to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there— so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the word of the Lord will be to 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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But the word of the Lord was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught.
Context of Isaiah 28:13
11So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! 12God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen. So the Lord will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured. 14Therefore, listen to this message from the Lord, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. 15You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”
Read all of Isaiah 28Isaiah 28:13 word by word
וְהָיָ֨ה לָהֶ֜ם דְּבַר־יְהוָ֗ה צַ֣ו לָצָ֞ו צַ֤ו לָצָו֙ קַ֤ו לָקָו֙ קַ֣ו לָקָ֔ו זְעֵ֥יר שָׁ֖ם זְעֵ֣יר שָׁ֑ם לְמַ֨עַן יֵלְכ֜וּ וְכָשְׁל֤וּ אָחוֹר֙ וְנִשְׁבָּ֔רוּ וְנוֹקְשׁ֖וּ וְנִלְכָּֽדוּ׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- was unto them preceptצַוtsav tsâv · commandH6673
- lineקַוqav qâv · cordH6957
- here a littleזְעֵירze‛êyr · littleH2191
- that they might goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- and fallכָּשַׁלkâshal · to stumbleH3782
- backwardאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268
- and be brokenשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
- and snaredיָקֹשׁyâqôsh · to snareH3369
- and takenלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920
Cross-references for Isaiah 28:13
- Isaiah 28:10He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”
- Jeremiah 23:36But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
- Hosea 6:5I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces— to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light.
- Isaiah 6:9And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’
- Isaiah 8:14He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.
- Psalms 69:22Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap.
- Matthew 13:14This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.
- Matthew 21:44Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”
- Romans 11:9Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve.
- 2 Corinthians 2:16To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
- 1 Peter 2:7Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”
- 2 Peter 3:16speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
Commentaries on Isaiah 28:13
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13But 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 Isaiah 28:9-10 that his instructions had been like a short lesson constantly repeated, as we instruct children. God here says that it should be as they said it was - they would be carried away to a distant land, and long abide among strangers; they would…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-15Verses 5-15 The prophet next turns to Judah, whom he calls the residue of his people. Happy are those alone, who glory in the Lord of hosts himself. Hence his people get wisdom and strength for every service and every conflict. But it is only in Christ Jesus that the holy God communicates with sinful man. And whether those that teach are drunk with wine, or intoxicated with false doctrines and notions concerning the kingdom and salvation of the Messiah…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there: The Hebrew text is hard to understand. The words might be intentional nonsense to illustrate the point that the people were so spiritually blind that God’s clearest revelation was nonsense to them (see Isaiah 6:9–10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-135-13. The prophet now turns to Judah; a gracious promise to the remnant ("residue"); a warning lest through like sins Judah should share the fate of Samaria. crown--in antithesis to the "fading crown" of Ephraim (Is 28:1, 3). the residue--primarily, Judah, in the prosperous reign of Hezekiah (2Ki 18:7), antitypically, the elect of God; as He here is called their "crown and diadem," so are they called His (Is 62:3); a beautiful reciprocity.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 28:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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