John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 28:10

"For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little." — Isaiah 28:10 (ASV)

For precept must be on precept. This shows plainly that the Lord complains of spending His labor in vain in instructing this unteachable people. It is just as if one were to teach children who must have elementary instructions repeated to them over and over again, and who quickly forget them.

Even when the master has spent a whole day teaching them a single letter, on the following day and afterwards, the same labor must be renewed. Though he leaves nothing untried that care or diligence can achieve, they still make no progress under him.

Those who change the words of this verse, to avoid offending the ears of readers, obscure the Prophet’s meaning through a foolish affectation of elaborate language and even destroy the elegance of the style. By using the same words, he intended to express a repetition that is constant, unceasing, and full of annoyance.

The metaphor, as I have already said, is taken from children, to whom teachers do not venture to give long lessons because they are incapable of them; instead, they give them, as it were, in little drops. Thus, they convey the same instructions a second and third time, and more often. In short, they continue to receive elementary instructions until they acquire reason and judgment. By a witty imitation, he repeats the words, here a little, there a little.

Instruction upon instruction. In my opinion, the word קו (kăv) is improperly translated by some interpreters as line, as if the Prophet alluded to the slow progress of a building, which rises gradually by lines. That would be a harsh and far-fetched metaphor, because this passage relates to elementary instruction conveyed to children.

I acknowledge that the same Hebrew word is used in the eighteenth chapter, where we have translated it Line by line, and in many other passages. However, here the connection demands a different meaning. This is also the case in Psalm 19:4, where, nevertheless, the word line or dimension could be admitted with greater propriety than in this verse.

Yet I admit that it is taken metaphorically for an instruction or rule. Since in buildings קו (kăv) denotes the rule or plumb-line, as we shall see it means in a later portion of this chapter, we should not be surprised that it is applied to other rules.