to whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen.
Parallel translations
- WEB to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to weary”; and “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear.
- KJV To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
- NKJV To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.
- NASB He who said to them, “This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary,” And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.
- NLT God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God had offered them true rest and refreshing, but they refused to listen.
Overview
The Lord recalls that He invited His weary people into rest, yet they would not hear. Their rejection of His gracious offer left them under judgment instead of repose. This anticipates Christ's invitation, 'Come to me, all who labor, and I will give you rest,' the true rest these refused.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 11:28–29Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
- Isa 30:15For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.”
- Jer 6:16This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’
- Heb 12:25See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?
- Jer 44:16“As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!
- Zech 7:14But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”
- Isa 11:10On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
- Ps 81:11–13But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me.
- 2 Chr 14:11Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.”
- Zech 7:11But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.
- 2 Chr 16:8–9Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 28:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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