The big picture
Isaiah 27 opens in verse 1 with “In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 7 with “Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the…”, and closes in verse 13 with “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, Egypt, fruit, Israel, Jacob. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Isaiah · King James Version · 13Isaiah 27:1-7
1–7: In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall…
Isaiah 27:1–7 opens with “In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the…” and reaches “Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 27 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, fruit, Israel, Jacob, with particular weight carried by keep, leviathan, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Isaiah 27:1-7
King James Version1In 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?
Isaiah 27:8-13
8–13: In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth…
Isaiah 27:8–13 opens with “In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the…” and reaches “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 27 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, fruit, Israel, Jacob, with particular weight carried by Egypt, land, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
“In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.” The line’s distinctive content terms include wind, debate, east. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
“By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Isaiah 27:8-13
King James Version8In 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.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Isaiah 27:1 begins with “In 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…”
Where the chapter turns
Isaiah 27:7 forms a natural hinge: “Hath 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?”
The final note
Isaiah 27:13 leaves the reader with “And 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…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, Egypt, fruit, Israel, Jacob, keep help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What makes the deception more than a harmless family trick?
Jacob exploits his father's blindness, impersonates his brother and invokes God while lying.
What does the family lose?
Trust, safety and proximity: Jacob must flee, and Esau carries murderous resentment.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
- hath
- has
- lest
- so that something does not happen
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.