Isaiah 27:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain?

NIV: Has the Lord struck her as he struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her?

NASB: Like the striking of Him who has struck them, has He struck them? Or like the slaughter of His slain, have they been slain?

CSB: Did the Lord strike Israel as he struck the one who struck Israel? Was Israel killed like those killed by the Lord?

NLT: Has the Lord struck Israel as he struck her enemies? Has he punished her as he punished them?

KJV: 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?

NKJV: Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him?

Those in Judah during Isaiah's time may have wondered about their sufferings as compared to those of enemy nations. Isaiah said that, in the days to come, Israel will blossom like a thriving vineyard and fill the entire world with her fruit. As he wrote it, though, Judah found itself in the crosshairs of one empire after another, each larger and more powerful than the last. It seemed unlikely they would avoid extinction, let alone survive to bless the world.

Here, Isaiah contrasts Israel's experiences with the fate of nations and empires that oppressed Israel. Those other nations suffered—or would suffer—far worse fates. In the end, they were struck harder and decisively wiped out. God used judgment to refine Israel, and the nation endured. Other nations were erased.

Many of Israel's enemies had not yet been removed when Isaiah wrote these words. But prophetic oracles against them (Isaiah 13—23) showed they would be. God used those nations to bring judgment on His own people, but then He brought judgment on them as well. Those in Judah should not doubt that the Lord is able to completely restore and bless His people when the time is right.

Modern readers can see this more clearly. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and other oppressors have vanished or been replaced by other cultures which occupy their lands. Israel remains.

Isaiah 27:7–11 explains that the nations used by the Lord to punish Israel will themselves be judged. He will measure out punishment for their sin and idolatry, and for their crimes against His people. This will serve as a form of symbolic atonement, as the pagan altars are destroyed. God will have no compassion for those who oppose Him.

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).