Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 28:23–29

The NET BibleOther versions

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28:23Pay attention and listen to my message!51

Be attentive and listen to what I have to say!52

28:24Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time?53

Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground?

28:25Once he has leveled its surface,

does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant,

sow the seed of the cumin plant,

and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places?54

28:26His God instructs him;

he teaches him the principles of agriculture.55

28:27Certainly56 caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,

nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed.57

Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick,

and cumin seed with a flail.

28:28Grain is crushed,

though one certainly does not thresh it forever.

The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it,

but his horses do not crush it.

28:29This also comes from the Lord who commands armies,

who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom.58

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Footnotes

  1. 51 Heb “to my voice.”
  2. 52 Heb “to my word”; cf. , , “hear my speech.”
  3. 53 Heb “All the day does the plowman plow in order to plant?” The phrase “all the day” here has the sense of “continually, always.” See 400 יוֹם.
  4. 54 The Hebrew text reads literally, “place wheat [?], and barley [?], and grain in its territory.” The term שׂוֹרָה (shorah) is sometimes translated “[in] its place,” but the word is unattested elsewhere. It is probably due to dittography of the immediately following שְׂעֹרָה (séo’rah, “barley”). The meaning of נִסְמָן (nisman) is also uncertain. It may be due to dittography of the immediately following כֻסֶּמֶת (kussemet, “grain”).
  5. 55 Heb “he teaches him the proper way, his God instructs him.”
  6. 56 Or “For” (, , ).
  7. 57 Both of these seeds are too small to use the ordinary threshing techniques.
  8. 58 Verses 23–29 emphasize that God possesses great wisdom and has established a natural order. Evidence of this can be seen in the way farmers utilize divinely imparted wisdom to grow and harvest crops. God’s dealings with his people will exhibit this same kind of wisdom and order. Judgment will be accomplished according to a divinely ordered timetable and, while severe enough, will not be excessive. Judgment must come, just as planting inevitably follows plowing. God will, as it were, thresh his people, but he will not crush them to the point where they will be of no use to him.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Give ear, and hear my voice;

give attention, and hear my speech.

Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?

Does he continually open and harrow his ground?

When he has leveled its surface,

does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,

and put in wheat in rows

and barley in its proper place,

and emmer as the border?

For he is rightly instructed;

his God teaches him.

Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,

nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,

but dill is beaten out with a stick,

and cumin with a rod.

Does one crush grain for bread?

No, he does not thresh it forever;

when he drives his cart wheel over it

with his horses, he does not crush it.

This also comes from the Lord of hosts;

he is wonderful in counsel

and excellent in wisdom.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Listen and hear my voice;

pay attention and hear what I say.

When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?

Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?

When he has leveled the surface,

does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?

Does he not plant wheat in its place,

barley in its plot,

and spelt in its field?

His God instructs him

and teaches him the right way.

Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,

nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;

caraway is beaten out with a rod,

and cumin with a stick.

Grain must be ground to make bread;

so one does not go on threshing it forever.

The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,

but one does not use horses to grind grain.

All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,

whose plan is wonderful,

whose wisdom is magnificent.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Listen and hear my voice.

Pay attention and hear what I say.

Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed?

Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil?

When he has leveled its surface,

does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin?

He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots,

with spelt as their border.

His God teaches him order;

he instructs him.

Certainly black cumin is not threshed

with a threshing board,

and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin.

But black cumin is beaten out with a stick,

and cumin with a rod.

Bread grain is crushed,

but is not threshed endlessly.

Though the wheel of the farmer’s cart rumbles,

his horses do not crush it.

This also comes from the Lord of Armies.

He gives wondrous advice;

he gives great wisdom.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Listen to me;

listen, and pay close attention.

Does a farmer always plow and never sow?

Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?

Does he not finally plant his seeds—

black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat—

each in its proper way,

and each in its proper place?

The farmer knows just what to do,

for God has given him understanding.

A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin;

rather, it is beaten with a light stick.

A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin;

instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.

Grain for bread is easily crushed,

so he doesn’t keep on pounding it.

He threshes it under the wheels of a cart,

but he doesn’t pulverize it.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher,

and he gives the farmer great wisdom.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Listen, and hear my voice!

Listen attentively, and hear my word!

Is it all day that the plowman plows,

opens to sow seed, harrows his ground?

When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill,

and sow cumin seed,

and plant wheat in planted rows,

and barley in an appointed place,

and spelt grain as its border?

And his God instructs him about the prescription;

he teaches him.

For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,

nor is a wheel of a utility cart rolled over cumin,

but dill is beaten out with a stick,

and cumin with a rod.

Grain is crushed fine,

but certainly one does not thresh it forever;

and one drives the wheel of his cart,

but his horses do not crush it.

This also comes forth from Yahweh of hosts.

He is wonderful in advice;

he makes great wisdom.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Give ye ear, and hear my voice;

Hearken, and hear my speech.

Doth the plowman plow all day to sow?

Doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

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?

For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

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.

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.

This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts,

Which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

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