Isaiah 28:9

KJV

¶ 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.

KJV (with Strong's)

Whom shall he teach {H3384} knowledge {H1844}? and whom shall he make to understand {H995} doctrine {H8052}? them that are weaned {H1580} from the milk {H2461}, and drawn {H6267} from the breasts {H7699}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Can no one be taught anything? Can no one understand the message? Must one teach barely weaned toddlers, babies just taken from the breast,

Berean Standard Bible

Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?

American Standard Version

Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Isaiah 28:9 presents a piercing rhetorical question, exposing the spiritual immaturity and obstinate resistance of Judah's leadership by inquiring who is truly prepared to receive divine knowledge and comprehend God's profound doctrine. The verse employs sharp irony, suggesting that only those who have progressed beyond spiritual infancy—metaphorically "weaned from the milk" and "drawn from the breasts"—are capable of grasping the deeper truths of God's revelation, standing in stark contrast to the arrogant and spiritually dull recipients of Isaiah's challenging message.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is intricately woven into a severe prophetic oracle in [Isaiah 28](/isaiah/28 "Isaiah 28 - Woe to Ephraim"), primarily directed at the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and, by extension, the complacent leaders of Judah. Isaiah vividly condemns their spiritual drunkenness, moral decay, and their dismissive, scoffing attitude toward God's authoritative word. The preceding verses paint a picture of these leaders as arrogant and self-satisfied, openly ridiculing Isaiah's straightforward, repetitive teaching, which they derisively label as childish babbling—"precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little" ([Isaiah 28:10](/isaiah/28-10 "Isaiah 28:10 - Precept upon Precept")). In verse 9, Isaiah masterfully turns their own mockery back on them. By posing the rhetorical question, he implicitly asks who, among such immature and rebellious people, is truly fit to receive profound divine instruction, thereby highlighting their profound spiritual ineptitude and unreadiness. The subsequent verses then detail God's impending judgment and the eventual, true method of divine teaching, which will be delivered with a foreign tongue and a different standard.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The historical backdrop for this prophecy is the turbulent 8th century BCE, a period characterized by pervasive political instability and profound spiritual decline across both Israel and Judah. The Northern Kingdom was teetering on the brink of Assyrian conquest (which occurred in 722 BCE), and Judah faced similar existential threats, often opting for unreliable alliances with foreign powers rather than placing their trust in the sovereign God of Israel. Culturally, the imagery of "weaning from the milk" and "drawn from the breasts" was a universally understood metaphor rooted in the natural developmental stages of a child. It describes the crucial transition from total dependence on a mother's milk to the consumption of solid food, marking a significant step from infancy to early childhood and increased independence. Isaiah brilliantly leverages this familiar cultural milestone to underscore the profound spiritual immaturity of the nation's leaders. Despite their chronological age and positions of authority, they remained spiritually infantile, demonstrating an inability to digest anything beyond the most basic spiritual nourishment, if even that.

* **Key Themes:** A paramount theme permeating this verse is **Spiritual Maturity and Readiness**. The verse emphatically underscores that truly grasping divine truths necessitates a progression beyond spiritual infancy, demanding a readiness for "solid food"—deeper, more complex doctrines—as opposed to mere "milk" ([1_corinthians/3-2](/1_corinthians/3-2 "1 Corinthians 3:2 - Spiritual Milk vs. Solid Food")). This critical theme finds a strong echo in the New Testament, where believers are consistently urged to move beyond elementary principles toward spiritual maturity ([hebrews/5-12](/hebrews/5-12 "Hebrews 5:12 - Call to Spiritual Maturity")). Another pivotal theme is **Humility in Learning**. The leaders' entrenched arrogance and scoffing attitude stand in stark opposition to the humble, teachable spirit that is an absolute prerequisite for receiving God's profound wisdom. True understanding is not merely contingent upon intellectual prowess but upon a receptive heart, free from intellectual pride or self-sufficiency. Finally, the verse touches upon **The Nature of Divine Instruction**. God's teaching, while commencing with foundational principles, is ultimately profound, multifaceted, and demands a prepared mind and spirit to process deeper wisdom—a capacity conspicuously absent in those Isaiah so sharply addresses.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **teach (Hebrew, _yârâh'_):** From H3384, a primitive root meaning "to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach." This word highlights God's active and deliberate role as an instructor, guiding and directing His people in the way of truth, much like an archer aims an arrow or a guide points the way. It implies a purposeful imparting of knowledge and direction.
* **knowledge (Hebrew, _dêʻâh'_):** From H1844, a feminine noun meaning "knowledge." This refers to understanding, discernment, and insight, particularly within a spiritual or divine context. It is not merely intellectual information but a deep, experiential acquaintance with truth, often implying wisdom and moral discernment. The rhetorical question probes who possesses the capacity to receive this profound, divinely imparted understanding.
* **weaned (Hebrew, _gâmal'_):** From H1580, a primitive root meaning "to treat a person (well or ill), i.e. benefit or requite; by implication (of toil), to ripen, i.e. (specifically) to wean." This word precisely captures the developmental stage of a child transitioning from total dependence on milk to consuming solid food. In a spiritual sense, it signifies a crucial maturation process, a necessary movement beyond basic, foundational truths to a readiness for deeper, more substantial spiritual nourishment.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Whom shall he teach knowledge?"**: This opening rhetorical question immediately establishes the verse's ironic and challenging tone, implying that the current audience, the scoffing leaders, are utterly unfit for divine instruction. It underscores God's desire to impart profound understanding, but simultaneously highlights the essential prerequisite spiritual state of the recipient—a state these leaders clearly lack.
* **"and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?"**: This parallel question powerfully reinforces the first, emphasizing not just the passive reception of information ("knowledge") but the active internalization, comprehension, and practical application of divine truth and instruction ("doctrine"). It points to the critical necessity of spiritual discernment to truly grasp God's revealed will, principles, and moral precepts.
* **"[them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts."**: This biting phrase delivers the ironic and unexpected answer to Isaiah's questions. Rather than the mature, discerning leaders who *should* be capable of understanding, Isaiah sarcastically suggests that only those who are spiritually "weaned"—like infants who have matured beyond needing only milk—are truly ready. The vivid imagery points to a spiritual readiness and capacity for deeper truth that the proud and rebellious leaders conspicuously lacked, implying they were still stuck in a state of spiritual infancy, unable to digest anything substantial. The phrase "drawn from the breasts" (from H6267 and H7699) further emphasizes this developmental transition from total infantile dependence.

#### Literary Devices
Isaiah 28:9 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its powerful and convicting message. The primary device is a **Rhetorical Question**, which is not posed to elicit a direct answer but to make a forceful point emphatically. By asking "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?", Isaiah highlights the profound unteachability and spiritual dullness of his audience. This is immediately followed by biting **Irony**, as the implied answer, "them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts," cleverly turns the leaders' own mockery back on them. They had accused Isaiah of speaking to them as if they were infants ([Isaiah 28:10](/isaiah/28-10 "Isaiah 28:10 - Precept upon Precept")), but Isaiah's sharp retort suggests that their spiritual immaturity indeed renders them like infants, incapable of receiving anything but the most basic instruction. The entire verse functions as a powerful **Metaphor** or **Analogy**, using the physical process of weaning as a vivid representation of spiritual maturation. The transition from "milk" to "solid food" symbolizes the progression from elementary spiritual truths to deeper, more complex theological understanding, emphasizing that true spiritual growth requires moving beyond basic principles.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 28:9 profoundly speaks to the necessity of spiritual readiness and humility in receiving divine revelation. It underscores that God's truth, while eternally accessible, demands a particular posture of heart and mind from those who would truly comprehend it. The Lord ardently desires to impart deep knowledge and understanding, but this requires His people to move beyond spiritual infancy, actively shedding pride, complacency, and self-sufficiency. The passage highlights a recurring biblical theme: God consistently reveals Himself and His truth to the humble, the teachable, and those who hunger for righteousness, while the arrogant, self-sufficient, and scornful remain spiritually blind and incapable of true discernment. This readiness is not merely about intellectual capacity or academic achievement but about a transformed heart that genuinely hungers for God's wisdom and is willing to submit wholeheartedly to His instruction.

* [1 Corinthians 3:1-3](/1_corinthians/3-1-3 "1 Corinthians 3:1-3 - Spiritual Immaturity and Carnality")
* [Hebrews 5:12-14](/hebrews/5-12-14 "Hebrews 5:12-14 - From Milk to Solid Food for Maturity")
* [Psalm 25:9](/psalms/25-9 "Psalm 25:9 - God Guides the Humble in Justice")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 28:9 serves as a timeless and challenging mirror for profound self-examination, urging us to honestly assess our spiritual posture and the depth of our hunger for God's transformative Word. Are we genuinely "weaned from the milk," eagerly desiring to move beyond foundational truths to embrace the deeper, more challenging, and often uncomfortable doctrines of Scripture? Or do we, like the recalcitrant leaders of Judah, remain content with spiritual infancy, perhaps even scoffing at the call to greater depth and maturity, preferring comfortable platitudes over profound truth? This verse powerfully calls us to cultivate a truly teachable spirit, one marked by profound humility, intellectual curiosity, and a fervent desire to know God more intimately through His revealed truth. It reminds us that true spiritual growth is not a destination but a lifelong, dynamic journey, requiring consistent, prayerful engagement with the Word, a willingness to wrestle with difficult truths, and a readiness to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Our capacity to receive, internalize, and apply divine knowledge is directly proportional to our readiness to shed spiritual complacency and embrace the "solid food" of God's profound wisdom.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what specific areas of my spiritual life might I still be desiring "milk" when God is clearly calling me to "solid food" and deeper understanding?**
* **What specific attitudes, habits, or unconfessed sins might be hindering my spiritual maturity and my ability to receive deeper knowledge and wisdom from God?**
* **How can I actively cultivate a more humble, eager, and teachable spirit, demonstrating a genuine hunger to understand God's doctrine more profoundly?**
* **What practical, tangible steps can I commit to taking this week to move from spiritual infancy towards greater maturity and deeper engagement with Christ's truth?**

### FAQ
**What does "weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts" mean spiritually?**

Answer: Spiritually, this phrase is a powerful metaphor signifying a state of maturity beyond mere spiritual infancy. Just as a child who is weaned is no longer solely dependent on milk but is ready for solid food, a believer "weaned from the milk" is ready to move beyond the basic, elementary truths of faith to engage with deeper, more complex, and often challenging doctrines. It implies a readiness for robust spiritual growth, discernment, and a developed capacity to understand God's wisdom more profoundly, rather than remaining stuck in a superficial or rudimentary understanding of faith. The Apostle Paul uses similar imagery in [1 Corinthians 3:2](/1_corinthians/3-2 "1 Corinthians 3:2 - Spiritual Milk for Infants") and the author of Hebrews in [Hebrews 5:12-14](/hebrews/5-12-14 "Hebrews 5:12-14 - Solid Food for the Mature"), both urging believers to progress from spiritual "milk" to "solid food."

**Who are "they" in this verse that Isaiah refers to as "weaned from the milk"?**

Answer: The "them" in this verse is highly ironic and rhetorical, not a literal reference to infants or toddlers. Instead, Isaiah is sarcastically turning the mockery of the adult leaders of Judah back on themselves. These leaders had scorned Isaiah's simple, repetitive teaching, derisively comparing it to babbling to infants ("precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little" as found in [Isaiah 28:10](/isaiah/28-10 "Isaiah 28:10 - Precept upon Precept")). Isaiah's sharp response in verse 9 implies that *they* are the ones who are spiritually immature, so much so that only those who have just been weaned—the very people they mocked—are truly capable of receiving and understanding God's profound knowledge and doctrine. It's a biting indictment of their spiritual dullness, arrogance, and unteachability, suggesting that their spiritual state is akin to that of a spiritual infant, unable to digest anything substantial or truly grasp divine truth.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Isaiah 28:9 powerfully highlights the unteachability of a rebellious people and the critical need for spiritual maturity, it finds its ultimate fulfillment and the divine solution to this human predicament in Christ Jesus. The profound rhetorical question, "Whom shall he teach knowledge?", is answered definitively and perfectly in Jesus, who is the very embodiment of divine knowledge and the ultimate, authoritative Teacher. He is the eternal Word made flesh ([john/1-1](/john/1-1 "John 1:1 - The Word Was God")), through whom God has fully and finally revealed Himself to humanity ([john/1-18](/john/1-18 "John 1:18 - No One Has Seen God")). Unlike the spiritually immature and obstinate leaders of Isaiah's day, those who come to Christ are supernaturally given the capacity to understand divine doctrine, not by their own inherent merit or intellectual prowess, but by the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised would teach all things and bring to remembrance all that He taught ([john/14-26](/john/14-26 "John 14:26 - The Spirit Teaches All Things")). Jesus Himself offers the "solid food" of eternal life and true spiritual sustenance, declaring, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" ([john/6-35](/john/6-35 "John 6:35 - Jesus, the Bread of Life")). Through the New Covenant, which was established in His atoning blood, God promises to put His law within His people and write it on their hearts, enabling a deep, internal, and experiential understanding of His will that transcends mere external instruction ([jeremiah/31-33](/jeremiah/31-33 "Jeremiah 31:33 - The New Covenant"); [hebrews/8-10](/hebrews/8-10 "Hebrews 8:10 - The New Covenant Fulfillment")). Thus, in Christ, the spiritually "weaned" are not just those who have matured through effort, but those who have been given a new heart and mind, capable of truly knowing and understanding God through the indwelling power of His Spirit.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Psalms 131:2

Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul [is] even as a weaned child.

Jeremiah 6:10

To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear [is] uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

John 12:38

That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Matthew 21:15

And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,

Matthew 21:16

And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Matthew 11:25

¶ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

1 Peter 2:2

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: