Isaiah 28:28

28 Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever;[a] when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it.

Isaiah 28:28 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 28:28

Bread [corn] is bruised
The corn which bread is made of is bruised and ground in a mill: because he will not always be threshing it;
for there is another way of bringing it to flour, that so it may be made bread, namely, by grinding it in a mill; and therefore the husbandman uses his discretion in threshing it; he will not thresh it too much, nor too long, no more than what is necessary to get out the grain, but will take care that he does not bruise and break it; as follows: nor break [it with] the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it [with] his
horsemen;
though he makes use of the above threshing instrument, drawn upon wheels by horses, or oxen, for the threshing out of wheat, barley, or rye, corn of which bread is made; yet he takes care that it is not crushed and spoiled by the wheels of the cart, or the feet of the horses, or oxen, going too often over it; by all which may be signified the tender regard of God in afflicting his own people; he will not always be chiding, striving, and contending with them, or be always angry, and ever afflicting, and, when he does afflict, it is in a tender and careful manner, ( Psalms 103:9 Psalms 103:13 ) ( 125:3 ) ( Isaiah 27:8 Isaiah 27:9 ) ( 57:16 ) .

Isaiah 28:28 In-Context

26 For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him.
27 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.
28 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.
29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.