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Deuteronomy 28:49
The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth,as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

Jeremiah 5:15
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: itis a mighty nation, itis an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

1 Corinthians 14:21
In the law it is written, Withmen of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

stammering lips.

with mocking lips
The phrase "mocking lips" indicates a tone of derision or scorn. In the context of Isaiah, this reflects the attitude of the Assyrians or Babylonians, who would conquer and oppress Israel. Their language and actions would be a form of divine judgment, as God uses foreign nations to discipline His people. This mocking can also be seen as a fulfillment of the warnings given to Israel for their disobedience.

and foreign tongues,
"Foreign tongues" refers to languages that are not understood by the Israelites. This is significant because it highlights the alienation and confusion that would come upon Israel as a result of their disobedience. The use of foreign languages is a sign of judgment, as seen in the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) and later in the New Testament at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12), where the reversal of this confusion is a sign of the Holy Spirit's work.

He will speak to this people
God speaking through foreign nations is a recurring theme in the Bible, where He uses unexpected means to communicate His will and judgment. This phrase indicates that despite Israel's failure to heed God's direct messages through prophets, He will still communicate His purposes, albeit through the actions and languages of foreign conquerors. This can be seen as a type of Christ, who also spoke in ways that were unexpected and often misunderstood by the people of His time.

Isaiah drops a firm, unavoidable “yes, it will happen.”

• In the flow of the chapter (Isaiah 28:1-10,14-17), God has already warned His leaders that their smugness is suicidal. Now He stamps the warning with certainty.

• The word cues us to read the line as a settled decree, echoing similar divine “therefores” inIsaiah 22:14;Isaiah 30:12-14.

• By affirming the inevitability of judgment, God also underlines the rock-solid reliability of His word (Isaiah 40:8;Matthew 24:35).

The lips that once ridiculed Isaiah (Isaiah 28:9-10) will soon taste their own medicine—only harsher.

• God will answer contempt with contempt (Proverbs 1:24-26).

• Foreign soldiers jeering in the streets (2 Kings 18:28-35) will expose the people’s boastful talk as empty.

• It is both discipline and mirror: the scoffer meets a louder scoff (Isaiah 29:20-21).

Judgment arrives speaking a language Judah cannot decode.

• Assyrian and later Babylonian invaders fulfill Moses’ earlier warning: “The LORD will bring a nation…whose language you will not understand” (Deuteronomy 28:49).

• Isaiah himself compares the invader’s speech to buzzing bees and roaring rivers (Isaiah 7:18-20; 8:7-8).

• Paul cites this very verse in1 Corinthians 14:21 to show that unintelligible tongues are a sign of judgment for unbelief before they are a blessing to believers.

Even in discipline, God is still communicating.

• The invasion is not random calamity but God’s articulated message (Amos 4:6-11).

• The same Lord who once spoke “precept upon precept” through prophets (Isaiah 28:13) now speaks through history itself—“see that you do not refuse Him who speaks” (Hebrews 12:25).

• For the remnant, the harsh words become a doorway to grace (Isaiah 30:18-21).

The phrase singles out covenant Israel, the very nation privileged to hear God in their own tongue (Exodus 24:7;Romans 3:1-2).

• Their refusal to listen (Isaiah 6:9-10) will pivot the message outward to the Gentiles (Acts 28:26-28;Romans 11:11).

• Yet God’s aim is still redemptive: discipline intended to shake them into repentance (Jeremiah 24:5-7;Zechariah 1:3).

• The same pattern repeats wherever hearts grow dull—privilege spurned becomes privilege transferred.

Isaiah 28:11 declares that because Judah mocked God’s plain warnings, He will “speak” through invading armies whose taunting, foreign speech they cannot understand. The unintelligible tongues are both judgment and final call: God is still talking, but in a way that exposes hardened hearts. Paul later sees the verse foreshadowing the New-Covenant sign of tongues—a reminder that unbelief always bears its own witness, yet grace keeps reaching for those willing to listen.