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.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the…” By verse 4, the text has turned to “Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go…” It lands on “Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 2 questions, 2 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Accusation, warning, invitation to return, judgment, and hope each do different work. The prophet’s first audience anchors later questions about fulfillment. Words such as keep, leviathan, LORD, peace, serpent, slain tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Isaiah 27 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, fruit, Israel, Jacob,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Fury, Hath, Israel, Jacob. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 4: “Fury 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.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: keep, leviathan, LORD, peace, serpent, slain
Verse-by-verse path
- Isaiah 27:1
“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 27:2
“In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.” The line’s distinctive content terms include sing, vineyard, wine. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Isaiah 27:3
“I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.” The line’s distinctive content terms include keep, hurt, lest. Its relationship to verses 2 and 4 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Isaiah 27:4
“Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
- Isaiah 27:5
“Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Isaiah 27:6
“He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Isaiah 27:7
“Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
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.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in…” By verse 10, the text has turned to “Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a…” It lands on “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 stated contrast, 2 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Accusation, warning, invitation to return, judgment, and hope each do different work. The prophet’s first audience anchors later questions about fulfillment. Words such as Egypt, land, LORD, wind, altar, Assyria tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Isaiah 27 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, fruit, Israel, Jacob,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Egypt, Assyria, Israel, Jacob, Jerusalem, Yet. Its number language includes one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 10: “Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and…” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: Egypt, land, LORD, wind, altar, Assyria
Verse-by-verse path
- Isaiah 27:8
“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.
- Isaiah 27:9
“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.
- Isaiah 27:10
“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 27:11
“When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Isaiah 27:12
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Isaiah 27:13
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to…” 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.
Questions to keep in mind while reading
- Identify the historical crisis, covenant failure, warning, and promised hope.
- Distinguish the prophet’s immediate audience from later biblical connections.
- Do not turn present-day headlines into confident fulfillment claims without textual evidence.
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.
Questions beneath the surface
- What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Isaiah 27?
- Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
- What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
- Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?
Questions for serious personal contemplation
These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.
Observe without rushing
What part of Isaiah 27 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?
Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?
Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Isaiah 27 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, fruit, Israel, Jacob?
What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?
Examine your inner life honestly
Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?
What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?
Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?
If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?
Respond with wisdom and courage
What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?
How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?
What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?
What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?