Isaiah — Chapter 27

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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
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

The climax of the Isaiah Apocalypse — God slays Leviathan (the serpent/dragon), tends Israel as His vineyard, disciplines His people in measured judgment, and gathers them home with a great trumpet. Israel's enemies are crushed but Israel is preserved.

Authorship & Background

Author: Isaiah son of Amoz (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Apocalyptic Prophecy — The Isaiah Apocalypse Conclusion (chs. 24-27) Key Themes: The slaying of Leviathan, God's vineyard protected and fruitful, measured discipline vs. total destruction, the gathering of the scattered, the great trumpet
Historical Context: This chapter concludes the Isaiah Apocalypse (chs. 24-27). It begins with God slaying Leviathan — the mythological sea-dragon representing cosmic chaos and evil (used throughout the ancient Near East as a symbol of primordial opposition to God). The vineyard song (vv.2-6) deliberately contrasts with chapter 5's vineyard (which God abandoned). Now God GUARDS His vineyard, waters it constantly, and is no longer angry. The chapter ends with the great trumpet gathering Israel's scattered exiles from Assyria and Egypt back to Jerusalem — a regathering that transcends any single historical return.
Structure:
  • God Slays Leviathan (v.1)
  • God's Vineyard: Guarded and Fruitful (vv.2-6)
  • Measured Discipline vs. Total Destruction (vv.7-11)
  • The Great Trumpet: Exiles Gathered Home (vv.12-13)

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).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Charles Spurgeon: "'Fury is not in me.' What music to a guilty sinner's ear! God's wrath is spent, His anger satisfied. Through the cross, fury is exhausted — there is no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus."

Reflection

  • 1. God slays the serpent (v.1). The enemy is not eternal — he has an expiration date. Whatever evil oppresses you, it is living on borrowed time. God's sword is already drawn.
  • 2. "Fury is not in me" (v.4). Toward His redeemed people, God's stance is nurture, not anger. If you're in Christ, stop relating to God as if He's furious with you. His wrath was spent at the cross.
  • 3. "I will water it every moment" (v.3). God's care for His people is constant — not occasional, not seasonal, but EVERY MOMENT. You are not forgotten between prayers. He waters you while you sleep.
  • 4. Measured discipline (v.8). When God does correct His people, it's proportioned — "in measure." He is not an abusive parent who loses control. His discipline is precise, purposeful, and ALWAYS for restoration.
  • 5. The trumpet gathers the lost (v.13). No one is too far gone — not those "ready to perish" in Assyria nor the "outcasts" in Egypt. God's trumpet reaches the most distant exile.