Isaiah — Chapter 27
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1In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.
2In that day: “Sing about a fruitful vineyard.
3I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it continually. I guard it night and day so no one can disturb it;
4I am not angry. If only thorns and briers confronted Me, I would march and trample them, I would burn them to the ground.
5Or let them lay claim to My protection; let them make peace with Me—yes, let them make peace with Me.”
6In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.
7Has the LORD struck Israel as He struck her oppressors? Was she killed like those who slayed her?
8By warfare and exile You contended with her and removed her with a fierce wind, as on the day the east wind blows.
9Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for, and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be this: When he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
10For the fortified city lies deserted—a homestead abandoned, a wilderness forsaken. There the calves graze, and there they lie down; they strip its branches bare.
11When its limbs are dry, they are broken off. Women come and use them for kindling; for this is a people without understanding. Therefore their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.
12In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered one by one.
13And in that day a great ram’s horn will sound, and those who were perishing in Assyria will come forth with those who were exiles in Egypt. And they will worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
1In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
2In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.
3I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.
4Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.
5Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.
6He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
7Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?
8In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.
9By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
10Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.
11When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.
12And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
13And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
1In that day Jehovah with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the swift serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent; and he will slay the monster that is in the sea.
2In that day: A vineyard of wine, sing ye unto it.
3I Jehovah am its keeper; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.
4Wrath is not in me: would that the briers and thorns were against me in battle! I would march upon them, I would burn them together.
5Or else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; [yea], let him make peace with me.
6In days to come shall Jacob take root; Israel shall blossom and bud; and they shall fill the face of the world with fruit.
7Hath he smitten them as he smote those that smote them? or are they slain according to the slaughter of them that were slain by them?
8In measure, when thou sendest them away, thou dost contend with them; he hath removed [them] with his rough blast in the day of the east wind.
9Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, [so that] the Asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more.
10For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.
11When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off; the women shall come, and set them on fire; for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have compassion upon them, and he that formed them will show them no favor.
12And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will beat off [his fruit] from the flood of the River unto the brook of Egypt; and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
13And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall come that were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship Jehovah in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
1At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster.
2When that time comes, sing about a delightful vineyard!
3“I, the Lord, protect it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day, so no one can harm it.
4I am not angry. I wish I could confront some thorns and briers! Then I would march against them for battle; I would set them all on fire,
5unless they became my subjects and made peace with me; let them make peace with me.”
6The time is coming when Jacob will take root; Israel will blossom and grow branches. The produce will fill the surface of the world.
7Has the Lord struck down Israel as he did their oppressors? Has Israel been killed like their enemies?
8When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; he drives her away with his strong wind in the day of the east wind.
9So in this way Jacob’s sin will be forgiven, and this is how they will show they are finished sinning: They will make all the stones of the altars like crushed limestone, and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand.
10For the fortified city is left alone; it is a deserted settlement and abandoned like the wilderness. Calves graze there; they lie down there and eat its branches bare.
11When its branches get brittle, they break; women come and use them for kindling. For these people lack understanding, therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them; the one who formed them has no mercy on them.
12At that time the Lord will shake the tree, from the Euphrates River to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites.
13At that time a large trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
1In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.
2In that day, sing to her, “A pleasant vineyard!
3I, Yahweh, am its keeper. I will water it every moment. Lest anyone damage it, I will keep it night and day.
4Wrath is not in me, but if I should find briers and thorns, I would do battle! I would march on them and I would burn them together.
5Or else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me. Let him make peace with me.”
6In days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom and bud. They will fill the surface of the world with fruit.
7Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or are they killed like those who killed them were killed?
8In measure, when you send them away, you contend with them. He has removed them with his rough blast in the day of the east wind.
9Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he makes all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherah poles and the incense altars shall rise no more.
10For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness. The calf will feed there, and there he will lie down, and consume its branches.
11When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off. The women will come and set them on fire, for they are a people of no understanding. Therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them, and he who formed them will show them no favor.
12It will happen in that day, that Yahweh will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt; and you will be gathered one by one, children of Israel.
13It will happen in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and those who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and those who were outcasts in the land of Egypt, shall come; and they will worship Yahweh in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Summary
Isaiah pictures God defeating Leviathan, a monstrous sea serpent symbolizing the chaotic, hostile powers arrayed against him, punishing it with his fierce and mighty sword (v. 1). He then shifts to the image of Israel as a pleasant vineyard that God personally waters and guards night and day, promising that thorns and briers, standing for hostile enemies, will be burned up if they oppose him, but peace is available to anyone who takes refuge in him (vv. 2-5). Israel's own discipline is measured and purposeful, unlike the harsher judgment poured out on her enemies, meant to purge idolatry rather than destroy the nation outright (vv. 7-9). The chapter closes with a picture of restoration: a great trumpet sounds, and the scattered exiles of Israel, from Assyria to Egypt, are gathered home to worship God in Jerusalem (vv. 12-13).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Egypt (v.12, v.13): Land to the southwest; place of Israel's bondage and exodus.
- Jerusalem (v.13): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
- Assyria (v.13): Empire to the northeast that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel (722 BC).
Places on this map
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- Assyrianorthern IraqThe upper Tigris heartland around Nineveh, Calah and Asshur. Its armies reached Israel by following the Fertile Crescent north-west and then south down the coast, so the threat always arrived from the north even though Assyria lay to the east. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the promised king who runs through Isaiah from beginning to end.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Isaiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Leviathan's Defeat Is Certain (v.1) — God announces He will punish and slay the fleeing serpent, the ancient symbol of chaos and evil. What evil or fear in your life needs to be seen as already under God's sentence, not as an equal power?
- Watered Without Fail (v.3) — God describes Himself tending His vineyard and watering it every moment so nothing can harm it. Do you experience God's care as constant, or only as something you notice in a crisis?
- No More Fury Toward His People (v.4) — God says fury is no longer in Him toward His vineyard; He would rather deal with any thorns and briers than stay angry. Do you still picture God as angry at you, or have you accepted that His anger toward His people was resolved?
- Discipline Measured, Not Excessive (v.8) — God's correction of His people comes in careful measure, not the full force reserved for their enemies. When you face discipline or consequences, can you trust it's measured for your restoration rather than your destruction?
- Gathered by a Great Trumpet (v.13) — Those who were perishing and scattered are gathered home at the sound of a great trumpet. Is there someone you've written off as too far gone that God might still be calling home?