“To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's really striking here is that the question, "Whom shall he teach knowledge?" isn't really a question at all. It's the mocking scoff of the religious leaders who think they're too sophisticated for God's message, sarcastically asking if God thinks they're just infants needing basic lessons. They're essentially dismissing God's guidance as childish, setting the stage for the powerful judgment that follows.
“To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaiah is addressing the leaders of Judah, specifically the priests and prophets, who are drunk with pride and spiritual delusion. They've been mocking God's messengers and His ways of teaching, treating divine instruction as childish babble. In response, the prophet sarcastically questions who God would even bother to teach, implying these leaders are so immature and foolish they're like infants still needing to be weaned.
Ever felt like your advice was dismissed as childish or annoying? The leaders in Jerusalem felt the same way about God's prophets.
The people, particularly the priests and prophets, were treating God's messages with utter contempt. They felt insulted that God would send them messages that seemed so elementary, like teaching a baby.
Dismissing God's wisdom isn't harmless. For the people of Isaiah's day, it led to a harsh, unexpected lesson.
Isaiah's message wasn't just about pointing out their sin; it was about the inevitable consequences of rejecting God's guidance. Their scorn would lead to a judgment that mirrored their own immaturity.
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Understand the original words
da'ath · Hebrew Noun
The faculty of understanding or divine truth; biblically, it refers to the spiritual insight that comes from knowing God and His commands.
shemu'ah · Hebrew Noun
A divine word or announcement; specifically, the revelation or warning that God intends for His people to heed.
Isaiah's message in this passage is a fierce rebuke to the religious and political leaders of Judah who, amidst the existential threat of Assyrian invasion, are indulging in drunken revelry and mocking God's prophetic warnings as simplistic 'child talk.' They are so spiritually immature and self-deceived that God's profound message can only be understood by those ready to learn, like weaned infants, while they themselves are unfit for true knowledge.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Power Dominates
The Assyrian Empire is a major superpower, exerting influence and control over the region, including the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. This looms large in the background of prophetic messages.
c. 732 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, Samaria, falls to the Assyrians, and the northern tribes are deported. This catastrophic event serves as a stark warning to the southern kingdom of Judah.
c. 705-701 BC
Hezekiah's Rebellion
King Hezekiah of Judah, influenced by a desire for independence and perhaps encouraged by Egypt, rebels against Assyrian rule. This leads to Sennacherib's invasion and siege of Jerusalem.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Siege of Jerusalem
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah and besieges Jerusalem. The city is miraculously spared from destruction due to divine intervention and Hezekiah's faith.
This passage echoes Isaiah's sentiment, warning against immature understanding and emphasizing the importance of clear communication, contrasting with the 'stammering lips' and 'infant' like teaching mentioned in Isaiah 28.
Hebrews 5:12-13Similar to Isaiah's critique, this New Testament passage speaks about the need to move beyond basic spiritual nourishment ('milk') to solid food ('doctrine'), highlighting the immaturity of those who remain dependent on elementary teachings.
Matthew 11:25Jesus rejoices that God has hidden 'these things' from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children, which parallels Isaiah's message that true knowledge is not for the proud or intellectually arrogant, but for those with a childlike openness.
1 Kings 18:21Elijah challenges the Israelites, asking 'How long will you go limping between two opinions?', mirroring Isaiah's frustration with a people unwilling to commit to God's clear message, instead being like infants who cannot yet grasp deeper truths.
barnesIsaiah 28:9: "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts."
whom shall he teach knowledge? - This verse commences a statement respecting another form of sin that prevailed among the people of Judah. That sin was contempt for the manner in which God instructed them by the prophets, and a disregard for his communications as if they were suited to children and not to adults. That "scoffing" was the pri…
bensonIsaiah 28:9: "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts."
Isaiah 28:9-10 . Whom shall he — Namely, God, or his prophet, or minister; teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? — Who is there among this people, that are capable and willing to be taught the good knowledge of God? them that are wearied from the milk, &c. — A minister may as soon teach a young child as these men.…
What's really striking here is that the question, "Whom shall he teach knowledge?" isn't really a question at all. It's the mocking scoff of the religious leaders who think they're too sophisticated for God's message, sarcastically asking if God thinks they're just infants needing basic lessons. They're essentially dismissing God's guidance as childish, setting the stage for the powerful judgment that follows.
Isaiah is addressing the leaders of Judah, specifically the priests and prophets, who are drunk with pride and spiritual delusion. They've been mocking God's messengers and His ways of teaching, treating divine instruction as childish babble. In response, the prophet sarcastically questions who God would even bother to teach, implying these leaders are so immature and foolish they're like infants still needing to be weaned.
Isaiah is addressing the leaders of Judah, specifically the priests and prophets, who are drunk with pride and spiritual delusion. They've been mocking God's messengers and His ways of teaching, treating divine instruction as childish babble. In response, the prophet sarcastically questions who God would even bother to teach, implying these leaders are so immature and foolish they're like infants still needing to be weaned.
"“To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?" — What's really striking here is that the question, "Whom shall he teach knowledge?" isn't really a question at all. It's the mocking scoff of the religious leaders who think they're too sophisticate…
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Last reviewed October 2026