Isaiah 28:27-28
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The passage highlights that God, like a wise farmer, uses different methods for different situations. The rougher tools for hardier crops represent how God applies discipline to the unrepentant, while gentler methods for delicate seeds show His tender care for His people who need a lighter touch.
This passage appears in the middle of a discourse where Isaiah contrasts God's measured, wise judgment with the reckless pride and false security of the leaders in Jerusalem. After detailing their foolish reliance on deception, the prophet shifts to a farming analogy, explaining how a skilled farmer uses different methods for different crops, demonstrating that God, the ultimate farmer, also applies His justice with precise wisdom.
Imagine a farmer carefully choosing how to harvest each crop. Why would one method be perfect for wheat but disastrous for dill?
God, in His wisdom, uses different methods for different situations. Just as a farmer wouldn't use a heavy threshing sledge on delicate herbs like dill or cumin, God doesn't treat all situations, or all people, with the same heavy hand.
This shows a principle of God’s wisdom: He adapts His methods to the nature of what He is working with.
If God uses different tools for different crops, does He also use different approaches for His people when they need correction?
This passage from Isaiah isn't just about farming; it's a parable about God's wisdom in dealing with humanity. The farmer's discernment in choosing his tools reflects God's discernment in how He applies discipline or judgment.
This shows that God's justice is not a one-size-fits-all blunt instrument, but a divinely intelligent process.
The verse uses agricultural imagery of careful threshing methods to illustrate God's precise and measured dealings with His people, contrasting the harshness of divine judgment with the gentleness suited to each situation.
c. 740 BC— this verse
Assyrian Campaigns in the Levant
The Assyrian Empire, under rulers like Tiglath-Pileser III, exerted increasing pressure on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, leading to political instability and fear.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimitic War
The Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria attacked Judah, which refused to join their anti-Assyrian coalition. This conflict highlights the fractured political landscape and the pressure on Judah.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, fell to the Assyrians, leading to the deportation of many Israelites and the end of the kingdom.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah, capturing many fortified cities but failing to conquer Jerusalem. This event deeply impacted Judah's sense of security and reliance on God.
This passage describes Ruth threshing grain, showing a practical application of these agricultural methods in ancient Israel.
Judges 6:11This verse mentions Gideon threshing wheat by hand in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites, illustrating a scenario where gentler methods are necessary.
Deuteronomy 25:4This law from Moses highlights the care for animals during threshing, pointing to a broader concern for appropriate treatment and methods in agricultural work.
Micah 4:13This prophetic passage uses the imagery of threshing to describe God's judgment and victory, connecting the agricultural process to divine action.
Isaiah 28:23-26These preceding verses set up the analogy by detailing the farmer's careful and varied methods, demonstrating that God's wisdom in judgment mirrors the farmer's discernment.
barnesIsaiah 28:27: "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."
For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument - The word used here (חרוּץ chârûts) denotes properly that which is pointed or sharp, and is joined with מורג môrag in Isaiah 41:15 - meaning there the threshing dray or sledge; a plank with iron or sharp stones that was drawn by…
bensonIsaiah 28:27: "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."
Isaiah 28:27-29 . “Four methods of thrashing are here mentioned, by different instruments: the flail, the drag, the wain, and the treading of cattle. The staff, or flail, was used for the grain that was too tender to be treated in the other methods. The drag consisted of a sort of frame of stro…
The passage highlights that God, like a wise farmer, uses different methods for different situations. The rougher tools for hardier crops represent how God applies discipline to the unrepentant, while gentler methods for delicate seeds show His tender care for His people who need a lighter touch.
This passage appears in the middle of a discourse where Isaiah contrasts God's measured, wise judgment with the reckless pride and false security of the leaders in Jerusalem. After detailing their foolish reliance on deception, the prophet shifts to a farming analogy, explaining how a skilled farmer uses different methods for different crops, demonstrating that God, the ultimate farmer, also applies His justice with precise wisdom.
This passage appears in the middle of a discourse where Isaiah contrasts God's measured, wise judgment with the reckless pride and false security of the leaders in Jerusalem. After detailing their foolish reliance on deception, the prophet shifts to a farming analogy, explaining how a skilled farmer uses different methods for different crops, demonstrating that God, the ultimate farmer, also applies His justice with precise wisdom.
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"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;…" — The passage highlights that God, like a wise farmer, uses different methods for different situations. The rougher tools for hardier crops represent how God applies discipline to the unrepentant, whil…
