Isaiah 27

In that day, the LORD 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.

In that day, sing to her, “A pleasant vineyard!

I, the LORD, am its keeper. I will water it every moment. Lest anyone damage it, I will keep it night and day.

Wrath 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.

Or else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me. Let him make peace with me.”

In days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom and bud. They will fill the surface of the world with fruit.

Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or are they killed like those who killed them were killed?

In 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.

Therefore 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.

For 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.

When 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.

It will happen in that day that the LORD 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.

It 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 the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter unfolds a vision of divine judgment and restoration, portraying the LORD’s decisive victory over chaotic evil powers and His tender care for His people. It moves from cosmic conflict to intimate covenantal promise, culminating in the gathering and restoration of Israel from exile. Set within Isaiah’s broader eschatological framework, it presents the final triumph of God’s sovereignty and the renewal of His people as the fruit of His redemptive purpose.

Flow.

The chapter opens with God’s judgment on Leviathan and the dragon, symbolizing His defeat of evil and oppressive forces.
It then shifts to a tender image of God as the faithful keeper of His vineyard, promising continual care and protection while warning of judgment on rebellion.
A call to repentance follows—those who take hold of God’s strength find peace, while hardness invites destruction.
The passage concludes with promises of Israel’s future flourishing, purification from idolatry, and the regathering of scattered exiles to worship in Jerusalem.

Connections. Following chapter 26, which celebrates the resurrection of God’s people and the downfall of the proud, chapter 27 extends the theme of resurrection and final judgment into a broader theological vision. The destruction of Leviathan and the regathering of Israel prepare the reader for the messianic banquet and renewed worship that chapter 28 will contrast with Israel’s present unfaithfulness. The hope of restoration in 27 stands as a pivotal promise between the judgment pronounced in earlier chapters and the warnings to come.

What it teaches. The chapter reveals God’s sovereign control over both judgment and restoration. His victory over Leviathan (WCF 4.2; cf. Gen. 3:15) signifies the ultimate defeat of evil, while His care for the vineyard reflects His covenant faithfulness (WCF 7.4; WCF 17.1). The conditionality of peace—"let him take hold of my strength"—reflects the necessity of faith in God’s provision (HC LD 7). The purging of Israel’s sin through exile results in the destruction of idolatrous altars, demonstrating that true atonement involves inward transformation and the removal of sin (WCF 15.3; Canons of Dort V.8). The regathering of the exiles to Jerusalem points forward to the comprehensive work of redemption, where God’s people are restored not by might, but by His Spirit and word (Isa. 43:5–7; WCF 10.4).

Apply. The redeemed are preserved not by their strength, but by clinging to the strength of the Lord, who guards them for the day of gathering.

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