Isa 27:1-13
Home > The Old Testament > Isaiah > Chapter 27
Previous page: Chapter 26 Next page: Chapter 28
This page would ideally always be under construction. You are invited to contribute.
Contents
Summary[edit]
This heading should be very brief. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Discussion[edit]
This section is for detailed discussion such as the meaning of a symbol, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout a passage, or insights that can be further developed in the future. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
- Isa 27:2: Vineyard of red wine. Wine is directly linked to the vineyard here. This suggests a link between two prominent metaphorical themes: the Lord and his vineyard (cf. Isa 5:1-7) and drunkenness with wine (cf. Isa 28:1-7ff).
- Isa 27:7: Hath he smitten him. The KJV word him in this verse can be taken (at least) two ways. The more common interpretation seems to be that the him is referring to Israel ("them" in NRSV, NASB, etc.). On this view, the question seems to be asking whether God was as severe to Israel's oppressors as he was to Israel. The fact that Israel is fruitful implicitly answers this question since Israel's oppressors have been completely burned and destroyed. Another possible way to read this is asking whether he (God) struck him who struck him (God)—that is, although Israel struck God, God retaliated by blessing Israel.
- Isa 27:8: In measure. This whole verse seems very difficult for translators to reckon with. The NET footnotes offer a brief explanation of the difficulties. The NASB seems representative of many translators in interpreting cacah (KJV "in measure") in a driving away sense, i.e. "banishing" (NRSV, "expulsion"). Wildberger attributes this view to Dillmann who says "this would have to be analyzed as an infinitive with a third feminine singular suffix or else a noun expressing action." Other scholars (e.g. G. R. Driver, Journal of Theological Studies v. 30, 1928, p. 371) have, in a similar spirit, taken cacah as a pilpel infinitive to be understood from an Arabic word meaning "shooing away."
- Isa 27:8: Thou wilt debate with it. Wildberger translates this "he disputed with her" and notes that "the suffixes on these verbs . . . are feminine singular, which means they cannot refer directly to Jacob." The her then could be referring to the city (Samaria most likely) in verses 10ff. The NET takes this as a divorce proceeding as an explanation for the feminine suffixes (i.e. Israel as the bride).
- Isa 27:8: He stayeth. This seems an odd translation since the Hebrew word hgh means "to remove or drive out" which is used in most translations (see the note above about the uncertainty of who is being being driven out).
- Isa 27:8: Day of the east wind. The east wind (qdym) is often used to express a hot wind that dries up vegetation (cf. Ps 103:16; Jer 18:17; Job 27:21).
- Isa 27:9: Iniquity of Jacob purged. The Hebrew word translated "purged" here is kpr which is the same root for atonement (as in Yom Kippur), ransom, and mercy seat. This suggests the possibility of reading the "driving out" that occurs in verse 8 (see lexical notes) as a reference to the scapegoat ritual. (Cf. Isa 40:2.)
- Isa 27:9: This is all the fruit to take away his sin. The destruction of the altars described in this verse are described as the "fruit" of Israel's removal of sin. Most seem to take fruit to have connotations of result, that is, the altars are destroyed as a result of Israel's ceasing to sin (cf. NASB "price of the pardoning" and NRSV "fruit of the removal of his sin"). It seems this could also be read to mean that the destruction of the altars is what comprises the fruit of Israel's ceasing to sin, so the events are concomitant: the altars are destroyed, Israel distances itself from sin, and good fruit is produced. Wildberger translates this as: "Truly, the guilt of Jacob is covered by that means—and that is the entire fruit coming from the distancing of its sins—: so that all the stones of the altar . . . ." In this sense, the destruction of the altars may be viewed as the very thing that causes Jacob's iniquity to be purged.
- Isa 27:7-9. The idea in these verses seems to be that the destruction that has come upon Israel has had a purging effect on Israel's sins. God, in this sense, by smiting Israel, has made it possible for Israel to become purged of their sin and to bring forth good fruit.
Unanswered questions[edit]
This section is for questions along the lines of "I still don't understand ..." Please do not be shy. The point of these questions is to identify things that still need to be addressed on this page. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Prompts for life application[edit]
This section is for prompts that suggest ways in which a passage can influence a person's life. Prompts may be appropriate either for private self reflection or for a class discussion. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Prompts for further study[edit]
This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Resources[edit]
This section is for listing links and print resources, including those that are also cited elsewhere on this page. A short comment about the particular strengths of a resource can be helpful. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Notes[edit]
Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves (such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word). In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources (such as Strong's Bible Concordance or the Joseph Smith Papers) are preferable to footnotes.
