Isaiah 27:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.

NIV: By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing.

NASB: Therefore through this Jacob’s wrongdoing will be forgiven; And this will be the full price of the pardoning of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones like pulverized chalk stones; When Asherim and incense altars will not stand.

CSB: Therefore Jacob’s iniquity will be atoned for in this way, and the result of the removal of his sin will be this: when he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.

NLT: The Lord did this to purge Israel’s wickedness, to take away all her sin. As a result, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar Like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand.

Israel will be driven from the Promised Land into exile by the fierce breath of God (Isaiah 27:8). And yet, the Lord promises that the people will be restored. One day, in the end times, they will flourish so much that their fruit will go out into all the world (Isaiah 27:6).

Isaiah uses the phrase "atoned for" in this verse. The exile will be a discipline from the Lord that will contribute to the atonement for the guilt of Jacob. God renamed Jacob "Israel" (Genesis 32:28) and made him a patriarch of the nation. Scripture often uses his birth name as a poetic reference to God's chosen people. Full and complete atonement from sin can be found only through individual faith in Christ, the atonement sacrifice (Romans 3:23–25). God does not punish believers for their sin because Jesus experienced that punishment for us on the cross. God is "the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26, NIV).

However, God's relationship with the nation of Israel was a covenant with conditions. If the people obeyed and kept the law, He would bless them in extraordinary ways. If they were faithless and worshiped other gods, disaster would strike:

"The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand…They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the LORD your God has given you" (Deuteronomy 28:49, 52).

The nation of Judah will be made to atone for its sin, in part, when God keeps His word and sends the nations to attack and scatter His people (Jeremiah 25:7–11). Their atonement will be complete when there is evidence of true repentance by the people (Jeremiah 29:12–14). In this case, that evidence is the utter destruction of physical objects used for worshiping foreign gods. Some of this destruction may come after Israel is restored to their own lands.

The elimination of these idols is extreme. All that remains of the limestone is a chalky substance that could be used for mortar or whitewash. In addition, all poles used in the worship of the pagan fertility goddess Asherah and incense altars will be torn down. Judah's repentance will be so complete that the people will leave nothing standing that might provide a way to go back to their sin.

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 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).