Isaiah 28:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, when the prophets delivered God’s messages of warning and promises of future blessings, and yet the Israelites remained unaffected, the question arose: to whom shall we announce the misfortunes, and to whom shall we convey the good news? When the holy prophets appeared silent and ceased their proclamations, the Almighty Himself interjects, stating: Those who have grown beyond infant nourishment and those who have been severed from their origins. Expect sorrow for sorrow and hope for hope. For those who are heedless of admonition and have embraced gross disobedience have justly been forsaken; devoid of the salvation found in Christ, they are destined for destruction. But you, who have been called through faith to grasp the truth, like those who have been weaned from a nurturing source and have grown out of childish guidance with the assistance of the Law, and who once partook of the rudimentary provisions of spiritual infancy, but have now matured into a full expression of the stature of Christ, transitioning beyond the elementary teachings, are not lacking in the knowledge of divine truth. Prepare your hearts to embrace the new proclamation of the gospel life aligned with the teachings of Christ. Though troubles may come upon you frequently, and trials beset you repeatedly, and you are faced with the harshness of persecution, endure a little while, so that you might be enriched with a hope that transcends human understanding; for eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9).

Then we reveal the nature of the first trial that will confront them. For He states, by the delicacy of their mouths and in another tongue. The prophetic significance is as follows: In the Acts of the Apostles, it is recorded that on the day of Pentecost, all the gathered people were united, and suddenly a sound came from heaven, resembling a mighty wind (Acts 2:1, 2). It is then described that the Gentiles appeared as divided flames of fire, resting upon each individual. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:3, 4). For Christ instructed them not to leave Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father until they were endowed with power from on high (Acts 1:4). Subsequently, they descended and communicated with the Israelites and others from foreign lands in the diverse languages bestowed upon them by God, and their listeners were amazed, exclaiming: Are not these all Galileans, and how is it that we hear them speaking in our own languages? And some mocked, claiming they were filled with sweet wine (Acts 2:7, Acts 8:13). This reflects the prophecy: ‘With delicacy of mouth and in a different tongue.’ They spoke in various languages, for with God, all things are possible, as foretold: I will speak to this people with different tongues and lips, and yet they will not understand (1 Cor. 14:21). Even though they understood the divine prediction regarding this event and should have embraced this miracle enthusiastically, they instead reproached the apostles for drunkenness and continued in their disobedience.

As they addressed these men, they expressed their scorn, questioning them about the peace offered and the brokenness evident among them, yet they refused to listen. In indignation at the folly of the Jews, God declared: I will send not plagues of bread or thirst for water, but a famine for hearing the words of the Lord, and they shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it (Am. 8:11, 12). Thus, a spiritual famine fell upon the Israelites, for they failed to receive in faith the bread of life descended from heaven that nourishes the world, justly lacking the heavenly sustenance, as it is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). They committed a grave offense against the Savior and Redeemer of all; however, in His goodness, He called the exceedingly wicked (the nation of Israel) to repentance through the holy apostles. Therefore, blessed Peter proclaimed that they had denied the Holy and Righteous One and had slain the Author of life, asking for a murderer to be released to them (Acts 3:14, 15). He further remarked: And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders (Acts 3:17); repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children (Acts 3:19, Acts 2:38, 39). He asserted that those who are weaned from the breast and have moved on from basic teachings, having answered the call to apostleship and become dispensers of the new message, will address these people, clearly demonstrating the peace that awaits the greedy and the destruction that leads to ruin. Yet, they did not heed their words. A certain saint, filled with righteous zeal, rebuked them, saying: O stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51). Observe how, despite their extreme ungodliness, they had the leaders of the holy Apostles urging them toward repentance and imparting wisdom beneficial for them; yet they remained arrogant and shockingly unresponsive, persistently inclined to stubbornness and rebellion against the truth.

Who, He asks, is fit for the Lord's teachings, who is deserving of the Savior’s words, proclaiming, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear' (Matt. 13:9), so that what is heard may be understood within the heart? The subsequent verse reveals their identity: weaned from the milk of infancy, weaned from the breast. They do not feed on the milk of immaturity but consume solid nourishment; they have matured spiritually with Isaac, for which joy brought Abraham to celebrate (Genesis 21:8): they are fit to be separated from the breast. These individuals are worthy to delve into the mysteries of the Lord, grasping what the priest and prophet, who are intoxicated and lost in wine, fail to recognize, for their tables overflow with filth and impurities. To the prophets, who declared future events and threatened punishment for disobedience, they mockingly said: command, command; command, command; command, command, meaning specify, specify, what actions we should undertake. They, abusing God's patience—who withholds judgment to extend mercy—insultingly urged the prophets: wait a little, wait a little: let what we prophesied come to pass. This was communicated to the people due to their disbelief in God’s words. The prophet then declares: God will not instruct you with such commands nor call you to await the fulfillment of promises; instead, He will speak with present fury. He had previously told the people, This is My rest, offer solace to the weary. I have toiled long without finding rest; the foxes have dens, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head (Matt. 8:20, Lk. 9:58). And My delight is to find rest in you wholly. They were unwilling to listen and disregarded My calls. As a consequence of their mockery—by saying to the prophets: command, command; command, command; command, command: wait, wait again; wait, wait again; wait, wait a little, here a little, mocking My patience and assuming My threats will not materialize—let them understand that the outcomes will be actualized, resulting in their ruin as they stumble and fall backward due to their unhealed affliction, never progressing, unable to echo the apostolic words: 'forgetting what lies behind, I press forward' (Phil. 3:13): instead, they will be broken and ensnared, overwhelmed by either the Babylonian or Roman forces. Where we previously noted: command, repeat command; command, repeat command; command, repeat command: wait, wait again; wait, wait again; here a little, there a little, the Hebrew expresses: sau lasau (צו לצו), sau lasau (צו לצו); cau lacau (קו לקו), cau lacau (קו לקו): zer sam (זעיר שם), zer sam (זעיר שם); these phrases are often used by moral heresies, misleading the simple and deceived into believing that acknowledgment of these words will guarantee entry into the kingdom of heaven. The Apostle states: I will speak to these people through foreign tongues and with other lips, yet they will not heed me, says the Lord (1 Cor. 14:21). I believe this is derived from the Hebrew text in this passage. Concerning the Old Testament more broadly—aside from a few references utilized by Luke—apostles quote not from the Septuagint but adhere to the Hebrew text, interpreting the Hebrew essence into their language. Various translators, such as Simmachus, Theodotion, and the LXX, have differing views on this matter; however, as it requires extensive discussion, we will briefly address the reading of LXX in the Commentaries utilized in the churches. Following the rejection of the Jewish people, the priests and prophets, drunk with indulgence and misled, faced the consequences of their chosen path of greed; to whom can we declare the tribulations destined for Christ? To whom shall we proclaim the trials which lead to the crown of virtues? Clearly, they will be delivered to those who are weaned from the complexes of early growth, indicating, no doubt, the apostles. Expect trials upon trials. However, he addresses the assembly of apostles and all believers, urging them to prepare not for a singular tribulation but for many, reminding them that amidst afflictions, they still possess hope. If the promises seem delayed, let them not despair; for soon, and very soon, the promises shall come to fruition. Because affliction brings about perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope: yet hope does not lead to disappointment (Rom. 5:3-4). Yet this very tribulation will be intensified by slanderous words and blasphemies, as persecutors rage against God’s people with vitriol. The apostles and apostolic figures will declare to the Jewish people: This is rest for the one who craves righteousness, and this is the brokenness and constriction that leads to life. In response to their exhortation, the wicked would not heed them. Consequently, the exhortation given by God’s people, Endure affliction, endure affliction; wait for hope, wait for hope; hold on a little longer, a little longer, has morphed into punishment for those who ignored God’s words, leading them to stumble and fall, exposed to siege and death, and ensnared by innumerable calamities. Furthermore, the Hebrew term dea (דעה), which translates knowledge, is inaccurately rendered calamities by the Septuagint—a clear mistake. For the first letters dalet (ד) and resh (ר) differ simply by a small mark; thus, if read as dea (דעה), it signifies knowledge, while if read as rea (רעה), it signifies calamity—not in the sense of being evil, but as misfortune.