Leviathan Slain
1 On that day the LORD with his relentless, large, strong sword will bring judgment on Leviathan, j the fleeing serpent—Leviathan, the twisting serpent. He will slay the monster that is in the sea. k
The LORD’S Vineyard
2 On that day
sing about a desirable vineyard: l
3 I am the LORD, who watches over it
to water it regularly.
So that no one disturbs it,
I watch over it night and day.
4 I am not angry.
If only there were thorns and briers m for me to battle,
I would trample them
and burn them to the ground.
5 Or let it take hold of my strength;
let it make peace with me—
make peace with me.
6 In days to come, Jacob will take root. n
Israel will blossom and bloom o
and fill the whole world with fruit.
7 Did the LORD strike Israel
as he struck the one who struck Israel? p
Was Israel killed like those killed by the LORD?
8 You disputed with Israel
by banishing and driving her away.
He removed her with his severe storm
on the day of the east wind.
9 Therefore Jacob’s iniquity q will be atoned for in this way,
and the result of the removal of his sin will be this: r
when he makes all the altar stones
like crushed bits of chalk,
no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
10 For the fortified city will be desolate,
pastures deserted and abandoned like a wilderness.
Calves will graze there,
and there they will spread out and strip its branches.
11 When its branches dry out, they will be broken off.
Women will come and make fires with them,
for they are not a people with understanding. s
Therefore their Maker t will not have compassion on them,
and their Creator will not be gracious to them.
12 On that day u
the LORD will thresh grain from the Euphrates River
as far as the Wadi of Egypt, v
and you Israelites will be gathered one by one.
13 On that day
a great trumpet w will be blown,
and those lost in the land of Assyria will come,
as well as those dispersed in the land of Egypt;
and they will worship the LORD
at Jerusalem on the holy mountain.
D. Deliverance of Israel (27:1–13). 27:1. God will finally give a death blow to “Leviathan” (27:1), symbolic of the rebellious heavenly host (27:1–13; cf. 24:21). The OT uses the language of Canaanite mythology in order to express God’s control over evil, chaos, and rebellion. The NT also employs this symbolic language (Rv 12:7–10). Leviathan is the master of the sea, whose punishment marks the end of rebellion in heaven and on earth.
27:2–6. Isaiah develops his vineyard poem (5:1–7) into an eschatological picture (27:2). Though the vineyard has been destroyed because of its utter worthlessness, God remains faithful to his people. Because the leaders were responsible for the ruined vineyard (3:14), the Lord himself assumes responsibility for its care. He watches, waters, and protects it (27:3). He will make war against anyone (“thorns and briers,” 27:4) who opposes his people. He prevents those conditions he has previously permitted to ruin the vineyard (5:6). He is not angry but desires reconciliation with even hostile opponents (27:5).
27:7–11. These verses, which are obscure and intrusive, are best regarded as a reflection on suffering. The Lord cleanses his people by exile and judgment (27:8). They must abandon idolatry and return to the Lord (27:9). Even so, God does not kill off his people as he did his opponents, whose “fortified city will be desolate” (27:10). Outside the walls, their farms are so devastated by drought that tree branches are used to kindle fires (27:11).
27:12–13. Nothing can hinder the return of the tribes of Israel from Egypt and Assyria, because the Lord himself has ordained it. This is his harvest (27:12; cf. Rv 14:15). The “great trumpet” (ram’s horn) ushers in the eschatological kingdom, when the restoration takes place (27:13). The prophet uses the language of inclusion and welcome as he refers to the borders from the Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt (Wadi El Arish, fifty miles southwest of Gaza), from where people will come to worship the Lord on Mount Zion.