Isaiah 27:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel.

NIV: In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one.

NASB: On that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered up one by one, you sons of Israel.

CSB: On that day the Lord will thresh grain from the Euphrates River as far as the Wadi of Egypt, and you Israelites will be gathered one by one.

NLT: Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them — from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will thresh, From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel.

Isaiah concludes this larger section (Isaiah 24—27) with a promise from the Lord. In "that day," meaning the end times (Isaiah 2:11; Ezekiel 30:3; Obadiah 1:15; Acts 2:20; 2 Peter 3:10), the Lord will gather up His people of Israel, one by one. The picture Isaiah uses is of a farmer. The farmer takes harvested grain and processes it to remove what is edible. Others will "glean" the field, meaning they will comb the ground to gather in every bit of good grain which has fallen (Leviticus 9:9–10; Ruth 2:2–3).

The Lord will do the same in gathering in the Israelites. The "Brook of Egypt" may refer to the southern border of Israel's rightful territory (Numbers 34:4–5). The space between these two rivers is that of the Promised Land (Genesis 15:18). However, some interpreters think Isaiah's reference is to the Nile River. The following verse refers to people driven into Assyria—represented by the Euphrates—and into Egypt—represented by the Nile (Jeremiah 2:18). This may have been an assurance to the people of Judah that the Lord will not forget those taken into exile in those territories. He will gather up all His lost ones and bring them home.

This theme repeats often in Isaiah's writing (Isaiah 11:12–16 and 35:1–10). The Lord will be faithful to the Israelites all the way to the end, no matter what takes place between now and then.

Isaiah 27:12–13 anticipates when Israel will be brought back from dispersal over the earth. References to landmarks indicate the entire Promised Land; this entire region will be sorted and purified by God. The people will be brought back into their own land where they can worship the Lord.

This passage often uses the phrase "in that day" referring to the end times when the Lord reigns on earth as king. Then, the Israelites will be fully restored. Their "fruit" will fill the world. The nations God used as tools to judge His people will themselves be judged, but much more harshly. Defeats will happen in the meantime, but the Lord will only measure out enough discipline to trigger Israel's repentance. There will be no compassion for those who refuse to repent. He will bring all His people home to worship Him in Jerusalem in the end.

Isaiah 27 completes a section (Isaiah 24—27) about the time when the Lord will make all things right. That description begins with the Lord's judgment of the earth (Isaiah 24:1) and ends with the redemption and restoration of Israel (Isaiah 27:6). The nations God used to judge Israel will themselves be judged. The next section of Isaiah focuses on God's scathing words for those who opposed Him, including the failed leaders of Israel and Judah.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).