What is the meaning of Isaiah 1:28?

But rebels and sinners

• “Rebels” are those who know God’s commands yet defiantly resist His authority (1 Samuel 15:23; Romans 1:18).

• “Sinners” highlights the universal scope—every person who falls short of God’s holiness (Romans 3:23).

• Isaiah’s opening chapter shows Judah practicing religion while ignoring righteousness (Isaiah 1:11-17), so the terms confront hypocrisy head-on.

• Cross references remind us that rebellion and sin are inseparable (1 John 3:4), and both call for God’s just response (Proverbs 28:13).

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Will together be shattered

• However united rebels may seem, judgment comes “together.” Psalm 2:1-5 paints nations raging only to be broken—“You will shatter them like pottery” (Psalm 2:9).

• God’s justice is certain and simultaneous; no alliance can shield the wicked (Proverbs 11:21).

• Jeremiah 30:11 shows God preserving a remnant yet “making a full end” of unrepentant oppressors.

• The verb “shattered” conveys utter ruin, echoed by Jesus: “Everyone on whom [the Stone] falls will be crushed” (Matthew 21:44).

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And those who forsake the LORD

• To “forsake” is more than momentary lapse; it is willful abandonment of covenant relationship (Deuteronomy 31:16-17).

• Jeremiah 17:13 warns, “All who abandon You will be put to shame… for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water”.

• Hebrews 10:29 underscores the gravity of trampling underfoot God’s grace.

• Isaiah ties forsaking the LORD to social injustice and empty ritual—external piety without heart obedience (Isaiah 1:21-23).

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Will perish

• The end of persistent rebellion is death in its fullest sense—separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

• John 3:16 contrasts perishing with eternal life, revealing God’s heart to rescue, not merely condemn.

• Jesus’ warning, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:3), applies Isaiah’s truth to every generation.

• Revelation 21:8 describes the “second death” for those who refuse God’s mercy, affirming Isaiah’s sober declaration.

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summary

Isaiah 1:28 delivers a clear, loving warning: persistent rebellion, sin, and forsaking the LORD lead inevitably to ruin. God’s justice is sure, collective, and final, yet His larger message throughout Scripture offers rescue through repentance and faith in His Son. Taking the verse to heart urges us to abandon rebellion, cling to the LORD, and experience the life He freely gives.