FocusThe earth, the people, and renewed worship
Connection to the wholeThe scope widens through visions of judgment, praise, and gathering, linking the LORD's rule with His people's hope.
interpretation Isaiah 27:1
KJVIn 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.
Read it in context
The LORD’s Vineyard
Start reading at Isaiah 27:1 (Isaiah 27:1 to Isaiah 27:13).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The scope widens through visions of judgment, praise, and gathering, linking the LORD's rule with His people's hope.
- 27:1 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 shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
- 27:2 In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.
- 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.
- 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 them together.
- 27:5 Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.
- 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 fruit.
- 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 slain by him?
- 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.
- 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 maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
- 27:10 Yet 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.
- 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 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.
- 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 Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
- 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 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.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Isaiah son of Amoz is the named prophet and the traditional author. The New Testament attributes passages from both earlier and later portions to Isaiah; scholars differ about the book's later composition and collection. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; John 12:38; John 12:39. stated in the text
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Isaiah 24:1–27:13): The prophetic hearers receive a vision of judgment and salvation extending to the earth, with God's people and the inhabitants of Judah and Zion addressed within it. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Judah and Jerusalem are the principal named audience, with messages also concerning Israel and other nations. Later portions address God's people in the horizon of exile, return, and restoration. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 48:20. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? The LORD’s Vineyard. Read Isaiah 27:1 through Isaiah 27:13 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The scope widens through visions of judgment, praise, and gathering, linking the LORD's rule with His people's hope. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening names the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Some passages speak toward later restoration; the time pictured in an oracle is not necessarily its composition date. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Judah and Jerusalem are central, but the oracles address surrounding nations and distant powers as well. The named audience and location vary by oracle. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in The LORD’s Vineyard (Isaiah 27:1 to Isaiah 27:13). Start reading at Isaiah 27:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The New Testament explicitly applies passages of Isaiah to Jesus, including the servant passage discussed in Acts 8. Use those links while preserving each oracle's immediate wording and audience. See Isaiah 53:7, Acts 8:32, Acts 8:35, Matthew 12:17. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Reject empty worship that coexists with injustice, and respond to the calls to trust and return. Preserve the named recipients and conditions of particular promises. interpretation
Cited: Isaiah 27:1, Isaiah 27:13, Isaiah 53:7, Acts 8:32, Acts 8:35, Matthew 12:17
Who wrote it, and how we know
Isaiah the prophet
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book opens with the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz and names him throughout. The New Testament quotes both the earlier and later chapters as Isaiah's words.
Isaiah 1:1Isaiah 6:1John 12:38John 12:39
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition holds the whole book to be Isaiah's.
What is debatedMany critical scholars propose a second and third author for chapters 40 and following, based on setting and style. John 12 quoting both sections as Isaiah is a significant argument against that view.
Related passages
- that day Isa 26:21
- with his Isa 34:5-6 Isa 66:16 Deut 32:41-42 Job 40:19 Ps 45:3 Jer 47:6 Rev 2:16 Rev 19:21
- leviathan Job 12:1-25 Ps 74:14 Ps 104:26
- crooked Isa 65:25 Job 26:13
- the dragon Isa 51:9 Ps 74:13-14 Jer 51:34 Ezek 29:3 Ezek 32:2-5 Rev 12:3-17 Rev 13:2,4,11 Rev 16:13
- in the sea Jer 51:13 Rev 13:1 Rev 17:1,15
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah 27
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Isaiah 1:1 Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah 40:1
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers.
Isaiah 1:1 Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah 40:1
Judah confronted and hope announced
Isaiah 1:1–12:6FocusSin, judgment, and the promised ruler
Connection to the wholeThe opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler.
interpretation Oracles concerning the nations
Isaiah 13:1–23:18FocusThe LORD's judgment beyond Judah
Connection to the wholeThe series addresses surrounding nations and powers, locating Judah's troubles within a wider scene of divine judgment.
interpretation FocusThe earth, the people, and renewed worship
Connection to the wholeThe scope widens through visions of judgment, praise, and gathering, linking the LORD's rule with His people's hope.
interpretation Warnings and the way of restoration
Isaiah 28:1–35:10FocusMisplaced trust and promised renewal
Connection to the wholeWarnings against false security and accounts of judgment lead into a vision of restoration and return.
interpretation Hezekiah's crisis
Isaiah 36:1–39:8FocusAssyria, deliverance, and Babylon
Connection to the wholeThe narratives connect trust and deliverance with an announcement concerning Babylon, bridging earlier warnings and later words of comfort.
interpretation Comfort and the servant
Isaiah 40:1–55:13FocusThe LORD's saving purpose
Connection to the wholeThe movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.
interpretation The community and the final hope
Isaiah 56:1–66:24FocusRighteousness, worship, and renewal
Connection to the wholeThe closing chapters confront ongoing sin while presenting the LORD's promised renewal, maintaining both warning and hope.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.