Isaiah 28:10

For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept,.... Signifying, that they must be dealt with as children were, when first instructed in the rudiments of a language, first had one rule given

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, -The prophet now turns to Judah, a gracious promise to the remnant

Precept must be upon precept; they must be taught, like little children, slowly, and by leisure; the same things being oft repeated, because of their great dulness. Line upon line; one line of the book after another, as children are taught to read.

Isaiah 28:10 For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little:Ver. 10. For precept must be upon precept.] Children are of weak understanding and of short memories, and, Hebraei dicunt hisce verbis infantilitatem signifieari, they must also have short words and sentences prescribed unto them (such as are kau and flau) and inculcated upon them, that something at least may stick. So must most of our hearers, or little good will be done. Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. Heb., ‘ Thou shalt whet, or repeat them by often going over the same thing,’ as the knife goeth over the whetstone till it be sharp. But very many of our common hearers are not only unteachable, but untameable, deriding sound doctrine, and making a mocking stock of their godliest ministers. And so some very good expositors - haec ειρωνικως et μιμητικως a propheta dici tradunt - make these words here recited to be the scoffs and taunts of those profane mockers, which they put upon the prophet; q.d., We have nothing but rule upon rule, precept upon precept, &c. Zau lazau, kau lakau; the very sound of the words carrieth a jeer, like as scornful people by the tone of their voice and rhyming words scorn at such as they despise. Thus this good prophet became the drunkard’ s song. Any man may be witty in a biting way, and those that have the dullest brains have commonly the sharpest teeth to that purpose. Rightly said the comedian: “ Homine imperito nunquam quicquam iniustius; Qui, nisi quod ipse fecit, nihil rectum putat. ” - Terent.

Verse 10. For precept must be upon precept] The original is remarkably abrupt and sententious. The hemistichs are these: - לצו צו לצו צו כי latsav tsav latsav tsav ki לקו קו לקו קו lakav kav lakav kav שם זעיר שם זעיר sham zeeir sham zeeir For, - Command to command, command to command. Line to line, line to line. A little there, a little there. Kimchi says צו tsav, precept, is used here for מצוה mitsvah, command, and is used in no other place for it but here. צו tsav signifies a little precept, such as is suited to the capacity of a child; see Isaiah 28:9. קו kav signifies the line that a mason stretches out to build a layer of stones by. After one layer or course is placed, he raises the line and builds another; thus the building is by degrees regularly completed. This is the method of teaching children, giving them such information as their narrow capacities can receive; and thus the prophet dealt with the Israelites. See Kimchi in loc., and see a fine parallel passage, Hebrews 5:12-14, by which this may be well illustrated. My old MS. Bible translates oddly: - For sende efter sende, sende efter sende: Abide efter abiide, abiide efter abiide: Lytyl ther, lytyl ther. Coverdale is also singular: - Commande that may be commanded; Byd that maye be bydden: Foorbyd that maye be forbydden; Kepe backe that maye be kepte backe: Here a litle, there a litle.

10. The topers proceed to mock, in stammering drunken tones, the excited utterance and the wearisome iterations of the prophet’s teaching. Translate with R.V. (marg.) For it is precept upon precept … rule upon rule … here a little, there a little. The Hebr. is a series of monosyllables (ηav lβ-ηβv ηav lβ-ηβv qav lβ-qβv qav lβ-qβv z‘κr shβm z‘κr shβm); the sense is not quite certain, but the tones sufficiently represent at once the disgust of the speakers with the restless persistency of their monitor and their own inability to express themselves distinctly.

For precept must be upon precept - This is probably designed to ridicule the concise and sententious manner of the prophets, and especially the fact that they dwelt much upon the same elementary truths of religion.

9, 10. These verses appear to imply an interruption on the part of those against whom the prophet is inveighing.