Isaiah 28:9

28:9 Who is the Lord ¹  trying to teach?

To whom is he explaining a message? ² 

Those just weaned from milk!

Those just taken from their mother’s breast! ³ 

Isaiah 37:7

37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; ⁴  he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down ⁵  with a sword in his own land.”’”

[28:9]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:9]  ² tn Heb “Who is he teaching knowledge? For whom is he explaining a message?” The translation assumes that the Lord is the subject of the verbs “teaching” and “explaining,” and that the prophet is asking the questions. See v. 12. According to some vv. 9-10 record the people’s sarcastic response to the Lord’s message through Isaiah.

[28:9]  ³ tn Heb “from the breasts.” The words “their mother’s” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation assumes that this is the prophet’s answer to the questions asked in the first half of the verse. The Lord is trying to instruct people who are “infants” morally and ethically.

[37:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.

[37:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”