Isaiah — Chapter 28
Synopsis Capitis
Synopsis: 'Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim' — oracle against the Northern Kingdom. Key Messianic verse: v.16, 'Ecce ego mittam in fundamentis Sion lapidem probatum' — the cornerstone prophecy, applied by Peter (1 Pet 2:6) and Paul (Rom 9:33, Eph 2:20) to Christ. The chapter also contains the famous 'precept upon precept, line upon line' (v.10, 13) — Lapide reads this as both a description of Isaiah's patient teaching method and a type of the Church's progressive doctrinal development.
Verse 1
Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower, the glory of his joy, who are on the head of the fat valley, staggering with wine. Ephraim/Samaria's drunken pride compared to a wilting garland on a drunk man's head — already fading. Lapide: drunkenness is the mother of all vices, especially pride; Samaria's political and spiritual drunkenness brought the Assyrian destruction.
Verse 9
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the hearing? Them that are weaned from the milk, that are drawn away from the breasts. The scorn of the Ephraimite drunkards: they mock Isaiah's teaching as suitable only for babies just weaned (v.9-10). God responds: if you won't hear My prophet speaking clearly, I will teach you through the unintelligible speech of the Assyrian conquerors (v.11: 'by men of other tongues').
Verse 11
For with the speech of lips, and another tongue, he will speak to this people. Paul quotes this in 1 Cor.14:21 as a prophecy of Pentecostal tongues — both as a sign to unbelievers and as a fulfillment of God speaking through unintelligible foreign speech to those who rejected His clear prophetic word.
Verse 16
Ecce ego mittam in fundamentis Sion lapidem angularem, pretiosum in fundamento
Behold, I will lay in the foundations of Zion a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. Christ is the cornerstone prophesied here (Mt 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Pet 2:6, Eph 2:20). Lapide: (1) 'Cornerstone' = the stone that unites two walls at right angles; Christ unites Jew and Gentile into one Church (Eph 2:14-22); (2) 'Tested stone' = tried by every temptation and tribulation without failing; (3) 'Precious' = of infinite value, the most precious of all stones; (4) 'Sure foundation' = the Church built on Him cannot fall. 'Qui crediderit non festinet' = 'he who believes shall not be put to shame' (Paul's rendering in Rom 9:33): faith in Christ, who is both cornerstone and stumbling-stone, is the great dividing reality of history.
Verse 18
And your league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with hell shall not stand. The covenant with death that the Scribes and Pharisees made (trusting in their legal cleverness rather than God) will be annulled by God's judgment. Fulfilled in the Roman destruction when Jerusalem's fortifications proved entirely useless.