“Line Upon Line, precept upon precept” Is Not What You Think — The New Covenant Warning in Isaiah 28:10

UCG Council of Elders is getting ready to present to their followers a doctrinal paper on Isaiah 28:10.

Isaiah 28:10 (in context) does not teach “line upon line, precept upon precept” as a positive Bible-study method under the New Covenant. That is a common modern misapplication. Here is the accurate meaning, including its New Covenant fulfillment.

The Original Text and Context (Old Testament)

Isaiah 28:10 (NIV): “For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.”

KJV: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”

This verse sits in Isaiah 28, a chapter of judgment against the drunken leaders and false prophets of Ephraim (Israel) and Judah. In verses 7–9, the priests and prophets are staggering from wine and strong drink. They mock the true prophet Isaiah, treating his clear messages from God like baby talk or gibberish—repetitive, childish commands (“do and do… rule on rule”). The Hebrew sounds like nonsense syllables (tsav lātsāv, tsav lātsāv, qav lāqāv, qav lāqāv), similar to “blah blah blah” or “da da da.” 

God’s reply (verses 11–13) is that because they rejected His clear word, He will now speak to them through “strange lips” and a “foreign tongue” (the invading Assyrians). To them, God’s word will sound like the very mocking babble they used—leading to their downfall (“they may go and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken”).

In short: Verse 10 is mockery and judgment, not a recommended way to study Scripture.

New Covenant Meaning (New Testament Fulfillment)

The New Covenant (established by Jesus’ blood—see Hebrews 8:6–13, Luke 22:20) does not change the original meaning of Isaiah 28:10. Instead, the Apostle Paul directly applies the surrounding verses (especially Isaiah 28:11–12) to the New Testament church in 1 Corinthians 14:21–22.Paul writes: 

In the Law it is written: ‘With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me,’ says the Lord. (1 Corinthians 14:21, quoting Isaiah 28:11–12)

Then Paul explains: 

Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. (1 Corinthians 14:22)

What this means under the New Covenant:

The “strange lips / foreign tongue” of Isaiah 28 becomes the gift of speaking in tongues in the early church.

Just as the Assyrians’ foreign language was a sign of judgment to rebellious Israel (who refused to hear God’s clear prophets), tongues serve as a sign of judgment to unbelievers—especially unbelieving Jews in the first century who rejected Jesus.

If unbelievers hear tongues without interpretation, it sounds like chaotic babble (echoing Isaiah 28:10’s “precept upon precept” mockery). It confirms their hardness of heart, just as the foreign invaders confirmed Israel’s rebellion. Paul is correcting the Corinthian church: Tongues are real and from the Holy Spirit, but they are not primarily for showing off or for believers’ personal edification in public (without interpretation). They point back to this Old Testament pattern of judgment on those who refuse God’s clear message.

This is the direct New Covenant application—not a method for gradual Bible study, but a warning about how God can use unintelligible speech as a sign to the hard-hearted.

Why the Popular “Line Upon Line” Teaching Is a Misunderstanding

Many preachers today quote Isaiah 28:10 positively (“we study the Bible line upon line, precept upon precept”). While the principle of progressive, careful learning is biblical elsewhere (e.g., Hebrews 5:12–14; 2 Timothy 2:15), Isaiah 28:10 itself is not teaching that. It is the drunk mockers’ words (or God’s ironic judgment using their own phrase against them). 

The New Testament never uses it that way. Paul’s quotation in 1 Corinthians 14 confirms the context is about unintelligible speech and judgment. Under the New Covenant, we have the completed revelation in Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. We grow “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18), but the specific verse you asked about points us to the proper, orderly use of spiritual gifts rather than a study technique.

The True New Covenant Meaning of Isaiah 28:10

Isaiah 28:10 is not a divine blueprint for “line upon line, precept upon precept” Bible study, as it is so often misquoted today. In its original context, it is the mocking, drunken ridicule of rebellious religious leaders who treated God’s clear prophetic word like childish gibberish—“Do this, do that… rule on rule… a little here, a little there.” Their contempt invited divine judgment: God would now speak to them through the “strange lips and foreign tongue” of invading armies, turning their own scornful phrase back on them as the sound of impending doom (Isaiah 28:11-13).

Under the New Covenant, this passage receives its definitive interpretation through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:21-22. Paul quotes Isaiah directly and declares that the “foreign tongue” has become the New Testament spiritual gift of tongues. Far from being a personal prayer language or a sign of spiritual maturity for believers, tongues function as a sign of judgment—exactly as the Assyrian invasion was a sign to hard-hearted Israel. When unbelievers hear uninterpreted tongues in the assembly, it sounds like the very babble the drunkards once hurled at Isaiah. It confirms their refusal to hear God’s plain message in Christ, just as the foreign invaders confirmed ancient Israel’s rebellion.

This is the heartbeat of the New Covenant application: God’s Word is no longer veiled or piecemeal. In Jesus, the full revelation has come (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Holy Spirit now indwells every believer, making the Scriptures clear and accessible. Progressive learning is certainly biblical (Hebrews 5:12-14; 2 Timothy 2:15), but Isaiah 28:10 was never the proof-text for it. Instead, the verse stands as a sobering warning against treating sacred things lightly—whether through mockery, drunkenness, or charismatic showmanship without order.

The enduring New Covenant lesson is this:

When people reject the simple, Spirit-illuminated gospel of Christ, God can sovereignly allow their own confusion to become the instrument of their judgment. Yet for those who humble themselves, the same God who once spoke through “strange lips” now speaks with unmistakable clarity through His completed Word and the indwelling Spirit. The call remains: hear clearly, repent fully, and walk in the freedom of the New Covenant—where the veil is removed and the truth sets us free (2 Corinthians 3:16-18; John 8:32).

Silent Pilgrim