TRV
Study This Verse
Commentary on Isaiah 27 verses 7–13
Here is the prophet again singing of mercy and judgment, not, as before, judgment to the enemies and mercy to the church, but judgment to the church and mercy mixed with that judgment.
I. Here is judgment threatened even to Jacob and Israel. They shall blossom and bud (Isa 27:6), but, 1. They shall be smitten and slain (Isa 27:7), some of them shall. If God find any thing amiss among them, he will lay them under the tokens of his displeasure for it. Judgment shall begin at the house of God, and those whom God has known of all the families of the earth he will punish in the first place. 2. Jerusalem, their defenced city, shall be desolate, Isa 27:10, Isa 27:11. "God having tried a variety of methods with them for their reformation, which, as to many, have proved ineffectual, he will for a time lay their country waste," which was accomplished when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Chaldeans; then that habitation was for a long time forsaken. If less judgments do not do the work, God will send greater; for when he judges he will overcome. Jerusalem had been a defenced city, not so much by art or nature as by grace and the divine protection; but, when God was provoked to withdraw, her defence departed from her, and then she was left like a wilderness. "And in the pleasant gardens of Jerusalem cattle shall feed, shall lie down there, and there shall be none to disturb them or drive them away; there they shall be levant and couchant, and they shall eat the tender branches of the fruit-trees," which perhaps further signifies that the people should become an easy prey to their enemies. "When the boughs thereof are withered as they grow upon the tree, being blasted by winds and frosts and not pruned, they shall be broken off for fuel, and the women and children shall come and set them on fire. There shall be a total destruction, for the very trees shall be destroyed." And this is a figure of the deplorable state of the vineyard (Isa 27:2) when it brought forth wild grapes (Isa 5:2); and our Saviour seems to refer to this when he says of the branches of the vine which abide not in him that they are cast forth and withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned (Joh 15:6), which was in a particular manner fulfilled in the unbelieving Jews. The similitude is explained in the following words, It is a people of no understanding, brutish and sottish, and destitute of the knowledge of God, and that have no relish or savour of divine things, like a withered branch that has no sap in it; and this is at the bottom of all those sins for which God left them desolate, their idolatry first and afterwards their infidelity. Wicked people, however in other things they may be wits and politicians, in their greatest concerns are of no understanding; and their ignorance, being wilful, shall not only not be their excuse, but it shall be the ground of their condemnation; for therefore he that made them, that gave them their being, will not have mercy on them, nor save them from the ruin they bring upon themselves; and he that formed them into a people, formed them for himself, to show forth his praise, seeing they do not answer the end of their formation, but hate to be reformed, to be new-formed, will reject them, and show them no favour; and then they are undone: for, if he that made us by his power do not make us happy in his favour, we had better never have been made. Sinners flatter themselves with hopes of impunity, at least that they shall not be dealt with so severely as their ministers tell them, because God is merciful and because he is their Maker. But here we see how weak and insufficient those pleas will be; for, if they be of no understanding, he that made them, though he made them, and hates nothing that he has made, and though he has mercy in store for those who so far understand their interests as to apply to him for it, yet on them he will have no mercy, and will show them no favour.
II. Here is a great deal of mercy mixed with this judgment; for there are good people mixed with those that are corrupt and degenerate, a remnant according to the election of grace, on whom God will have mercy and to whom he will show favour: and these promises seem to point at all the calamities of the church, for which God would graciously provide these allays.
1.Though they shall be smitten and slain, yet not to that degree, and in that manner, in which their enemies shall be smitten and slain, Isa 27:7. God has smitten Jacob, and he is slain. Many of those that understand among the people shall fall by the sword and by flame many days, Dan 11:33. But it shall not be as those are smitten and slain, (1.) Who smote him formerly, who were the rod of God's anger and the staff in his hand, which he made us of for the correction of his people, and to whose turn it shall come to be reckoned with even for that: the child is spared, but the rod is burnt. (2.) Who shall afterwards be slain by him, when he shall get the dominion, and repay them in their own coin, or slain for his sake in the pleading of his cause. God's people and God's enemies are here represented, [1.] As struggling with each other; so the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent have been, are, and will be. In this contest there are slain on both sides. God makes use of wicked men, not only to smite, but to slay his people; for they are his sword, Psa 17:13. But, when the cup of trembling comes to be put into their hand, it will be much worse with them than ever it was with God's people in their greatest straits. The seed of the woman has only his heel bruised, but the serpent has his head crushed and broken. Note, Though God's persecuted people may be great losers, and great sufferers, for a while, yet those that oppress them will prove to be greater losers and greater sufferers at last, here or hereafter; for God will render double to them, Rev 18:6. [2.] As sharing together in the calamities of this present time. They are both smitten, both slain, and both by the hand of God; for there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked. But is Jacob smitten as his enemies are? No, by no means; to him the property is altered, and it becomes quite another thing. Note, However it may seem to us, there is really a vast difference between the afflictions and deaths of good people and the afflictions and deaths of wicked people.
2.Though God will debate with them, yet it shall be in measure, and the affliction shall be mitigated, moderated, and proportioned to their strength, not to their deserts, Isa 27:8. He will deal out afflictions to them as the wise physician prescribes medicines to his patients, just such a quantity of each ingredient, or orders how much blood shall be taken when a vein is opened: thus God orders the troubles of his people, not suffering them to be tempted above what they are able, Co1 10:13. He measures out their afflictions by a little at a time, that they may not be pressed above measure; for he knows their frame, and corrects in judgment, and does not stir up all his wrath. When the affliction is shooting forth, when he is sending it out and giving it its commission, then he debates in measure, and not in extremity. He considers what we can bear when he begins to correct; and when he proceeds in his controversy, so that it is the day of his east-wind, which is not only blustering and noisy, but blasting and noxious, yet he stays his rough wind, checks it, and sets bounds to it, does not suffer it to blow so hard as was feared; when he is winnowing his corn, it is with a gentle gale, that shall only blow away the chaff, but not the good corn. God has the winds at his command, and every affliction under his check. Hitherto it shall go, but no further. Let us not despair when things are at the worst; be the winds ever so rough, ever so high, God can say unto them, Peace, be still.
3.Though God will afflict them, yet he will make their afflictions to work for the good of their souls, and correct them as the father does the child, to drive out the foolishness that is bound up in their hearts (Isa 27:9): By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged. This is the design of the affliction, to this it is adapted as a proper means, and, by the grace of God working with it, it shall have this blessed effect. It shall mortify the habits of sin; by this those defilements of the soul shall be purged away. It shall break them off from the practice of sin: This is all the fruit, this is it that God intends, this is all the harm it will do them, to take away their sin, than which they could not have a greater kindness done them, though it be at the expense of an affliction. Therefore, because the affliction is mitigated and moderated, and the rough wind stayed, therefore we may conclude that he designs their reformation, not their destruction; and, because he deals thus gently with us, we should therefore study to answer his ends in afflicting us. The particular sin which the affliction was intended to cure them of was the sin of idolatry, the sin which did most easily beset that people and to which they were strangely addicted. Ephraim is joined to idols. But by the captivity in Babylon they were not only weaned from this sin, but set against it. Ephraim shall say, What have I do to any more with idols? Jacob has his sin taken away, his beloved sin, when he makes all the stones of the altar, of his idolatrous altar, the stones of which were precious and sacred to him, as chalk-stones that are beaten asunder; he not only has them in contempt, and values them no more than chalk-stones, but he conceives an indignation at them, and, in a holy revenge, beats them asunder as easily as chalk-stones are broken to pieces. The groves and the images shall not stand before this penitent, but they shall be thrown down too, never to be set up again. This was according to the law for the demolishing and destroying of all the monuments of idolatry (Deu 7:5); and according to this promise, since the captivity in Babylon, no people in the world have such a rooted aversion to idols and idolatry as the people of the Jews. Note, The design of affliction is to separate between us and sin, especially that which has been our own iniquity; and then it appears that the affliction has done us good when we keep at a distance from the occasions of sin, and use all needful precaution that we may not only not relapse into it, but not so much as be tempted to it, Psa 119:67.
4.Though Jerusalem shall be desolate and forsaken for a time, yet there will come a day when its scattered friends shall resort to it again out of all the countries whither they were dispersed (Isa 27:12, Isa 27:13); though the body of the nation is abandoned as a people of no understanding, yet those that are indeed children of Israel shall be gathered together again, as the sheep of the flock when the shepherds that scattered them are reckoned with, Eze 34:10-19. Now observe concerning these scattered Israelites, (1.) Whence they shall be fetched: The Lord shall beat them off as fruit from the tree, or beat them out as corn out of the ear. He shall find them out, and separate them from those among whom they dwelt, and with whom they seemed to be incorporated, from the channel of the river Euphrates north-east, unto Nile, the stream of Egypt, which lay south-west - those that were driven into the land of Assyria, and were captives there in the land of their enemies, where they were ready to perish for want of necessaries, and ready to despair of deliverance - and those that were outcasts in the land of Egypt, whither many of those that were left behind, after the captivity in Babylon, went, contrary to God's express command (Jer 43:6, Jer 43:7), and there lived as outcasts: God has mercy in store for them all, and will make it to appear that, though they are cast out, they are not cast off. (2.) In what manner they shall be brought back: "You shall be gathered one by one, not in multitudes, not in troops forcing your way; but silently, and as it were by stealth, dropping in, first one, and then another." This intimates that the remnant that shall be saved consists but of few, and those saved with difficulty, and so as by fire, scarcely saved; they shall not come for company, but as God shall stir up every man's spirit. (3.) By what means they shall be gathered together: The great trumpet shall be blown, and then they shall come. Cyrus's proclamation of liberty to the captives is this great trumpet, which awakened the Jews that were asleep in their thraldom to bestir themselves; it was like the sounding of the jubilee-trumpet, which published the year of release. This is applicable both to the preaching of the gospel, by which sinners are gathered in to the grace of God, such as were outcasts and ready to perish (those that were afar off are made nigh; the gospel proclaims the acceptable year of the Lord), and also to the archangel's trumpet at the last day, by which saints shall be gathered to the glory of God, that lay as outcasts in their graves. (4.) For what end they shall be gathered together: To worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. When the captives rallied again, and returned to their own land, the chief thing they had their eye upon, and the first thing they applied themselves to, was the worship of God. The holy temple was in ruins, but they had the holy mount, the place of the altar, Gen 13:4. Liberty to worship God is the most valuable and desirable liberty; and, after restraints and dispersions, a free access to his house should be more welcome to us than a free access to our own houses. Those that are gathered by the sounding of the gospel trumpet are brought in to worship God and added to the church; and the great trumpet of all will gather the saints together, to serve God day and night in his temple.
The women, returning from the sepulcher and from this vision of the angels, were foreseen by Isaiah, when he says, “Come, you women, who return from the vision,” that is, “come” to report the resurrection of the Lord. It was well, however, that the unbelief of the disciples was so persistent, in order that to the last we might consistently maintain that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples as none other than the Christ of the prophets.
That the women were to see his resurrection, while the scribes and Pharisees and the people disbelieved, this also Isaiah foretold in these words, “You women, who come from beholding, come: for it is a people that has no understanding.”
(Verse 11) In the dryness of its harvest, women who come and teach her will be crushed. For the people are not wise; therefore, the one who made them will not show them mercy, and the one who formed them will not spare them. LXX: Women coming from the spectacle, come: for the people do not have understanding; therefore, the one who made them will not show them mercy, and the one who formed them will not spare them. This is what is said, 'In the dryness of its harvest, they will be crushed,' for which it is interpreted by the Seventy, there will be nothing green in it because it has withered, according to the Hebrew, it is joined to the following; according to the LXX, it is joined to the previous meaning. Let us therefore speak first according to the Hebrew. When the time of drought and harvest of Jerusalem comes, and to speak more clearly, the time of desolation will come, a multitude of synagogues from all over the world will come together to lament for Jerusalem and to console its evils. Whether he speaks openly about women, who, with their breasts exposed, strike their bleeding arms, and the prophecy of the Lord will be fulfilled: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children (Luke 23:28). And a great unhappiness of the people is to learn the songs of lamentation from women; just as the people of Israel were rebuked when, in the book of Judges (Judges 4), the Lord brought salvation through the hand of the woman Deborah, and during the nearby captivity, when the men were silent, the woman Holda prophesied (2 Kings 22). Therefore, the women will be worn out by a long journey, weakened by frailty, hunger, and filth, and they will teach the pitiful people, because they are not a wise people, nor have they understood their Creator, who, neglected and despised by them, will not show mercy to their deeds, and will not spare his creation. According to the LXX, it is said of Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, and the other women, who first saw the Lord rising, and held his feet, and deserved to hear from him: Do not be afraid: Go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me (Matt. XXVIII, 10). Concerning these women, long before they were born, the prophetic word foretells and calls them from the sight of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection, to preach the Gospel and, according to the Hebrew, to teach Jerusalem or the land of Israel, that he is the Lord and God. For at that time the people of Israel did not have wisdom, when the Lord suffered, and the prophetic prophecy was fulfilled: Save me, O Lord, for the holy one has failed (Psalm 11:1). And: They have all gone astray, they have become useless together, there is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 13:4), the women are called from the show, so that they may announce to the Apostles what they themselves saw. But Israel, of whom it was said (above, 1:3): Israel did not know me, and my people did not understand, provoked their most merciful Creator and Maker to bitterness, so that he would not show them any mercy. These things are indeed said piously; but how they agree with the others, and how they are adapted to the times of the consummation of the world, is a difficult interpretation.
Continue studying Isaiah 27:11 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Isaiah 27:11 stands as a profound and somber declaration within the prophet's "Little Apocalypse," vividly illustrating the dire consequences of spiritual apathy and willful ignorance. Through the stark imagery of a withered and discarded plant, the verse reveals that a people devoid of genuine understanding will inevitably face the withdrawal of divine mercy and favor from their Creator, underscoring the critical link between spiritual discernment and the sustained presence of God's benevolent hand.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 27:11 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its severe message of judgment and its underlying rationale. The most prominent is Metaphor, where the people of Israel are vividly likened to "withered boughs" that are subsequently "broken off" and "set on fire." This agricultural imagery powerfully represents spiritual decay, barrenness, and the inevitable destruction that results from a severed connection to the life-giving divine source. A clear Cause and Effect relationship is explicitly established: the depicted destruction ("boughs... broken off... set on fire") is presented as a direct and logical consequence of the people being "of no understanding." This explicit linkage underscores the righteousness and justice of God's judgment. Furthermore, the verse utilizes striking Parallelism in its concluding statement: "he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour." This synonymous parallelism serves to emphasize the completeness and finality of God's withdrawal of benevolence, reinforcing the gravity of the judgment. The inclusion of "the women" setting the branches on fire adds a layer of vivid Imagery, perhaps suggesting the ignominy, thoroughness, or even the common, unceremonious nature of the destruction.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 27:11 profoundly connects to the broader biblical narrative concerning God's covenantal relationship with His people, underscoring that spiritual understanding is not merely intellectual assent but an indispensable component of faithful living and covenant adherence. The withdrawal of mercy and favor from the Creator is presented as a severe and just consequence for a people who willfully choose ignorance and spiritual apathy over divine wisdom. This highlights God's unwavering justice, demonstrating that while His nature is indeed merciful, His mercy is not an excuse for perpetual rebellion or spiritual indifference. It powerfully reinforces the principle that a genuine and flourishing relationship with God necessitates active discernment, humble obedience, and a continuous pursuit of His truth, without which the blessings of His covenant can be forfeited, leading to a state of spiritual barrenness and ultimate judgment.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 27:11 delivers a timeless and sobering warning for all who identify as God's people, compelling us to deeply examine the quality and depth of our own spiritual understanding. It urges us to move beyond superficial knowledge to cultivate a profound discernment of God's character, His revealed will, and His intricate ways. In an age characterized by an overwhelming influx of information, the true spiritual challenge lies not merely in acquiring data, but in cultivating wisdom—the Spirit-empowered ability to apprehend God's truth and apply it faithfully and consistently to every facet of life. This verse serves as a stark reminder that spiritual apathy, a willful neglect of God's Word, or a persistent refusal to heed His warnings, can lead to a state of spiritual barrenness, leaving us vulnerable to consequences far more severe than we might initially imagine. While God's mercy is indeed boundless, it is graciously extended to those who turn to Him with a teachable spirit, genuinely seeking to understand and obey. We are called to be a people who actively and earnestly pursue divine wisdom, diligently allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds and transform our hearts, thereby ensuring that we remain intimately connected to the life-giving vine and continue to bear abundant fruit for His glory.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse mean God is not merciful?
Answer: No, this verse does not imply that God is inherently unmerciful or that His mercy is exhausted. Rather, it highlights the severe and just consequences that arise from persistent spiritual ignorance and willful rebellion against Him. Throughout the entirety of Scripture, God's character is consistently portrayed as profoundly merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (e.g., Psalm 103:8). However, His mercy, while abundant, is not unconditionally granted in the face of prolonged and deliberate rejection of His truth and His ways. Isaiah 27:11 speaks to a specific, dire situation where a people, despite being lovingly "made" and "formed" by God, chose a path of "no understanding," thereby forfeiting the favor and mercy that would otherwise be extended to those who walk in His ways. It underscores God's unwavering justice and the profound biblical principle that there are indeed solemn consequences for spiritual apathy, willful disobedience, and a persistent refusal to acknowledge and obey the Creator.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 27:11, with its stark depiction of a people devoid of understanding facing the withdrawal of divine mercy and favor, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The "people of no understanding" described by Isaiah vividly foreshadows humanity's inherent spiritual blindness and our profound inability to comprehend God's truth apart from divine intervention—a fallen condition that the New Testament eloquently describes as being "darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them" (Ephesians 4:18). Jesus, however, enters human history as the very embodiment of divine understanding and wisdom, the eternal Logos of God through whom all things were made and by whom all truth is revealed. He is the one who graciously opens the eyes of the blind, both physically and spiritually, enabling true comprehension of God's will and the Scriptures themselves (Luke 24:45). Furthermore, while Isaiah speaks of God withholding mercy from the disobedient, Christ's advent radically redefines and secures the path to mercy and favor. Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Jesus became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, inaugurating a new covenant of grace where boundless mercy is extended to all who believe, regardless of their past ignorance or rebellion (Romans 5:8). He is the true vine, and those who remain in Him will not wither and be broken off, but rather will bear much fruit, receiving the Father's everlasting favor and abundant mercy (John 15:5). Thus, what was a severe warning of judgment in Isaiah transforms, in the light of Christ, into a glorious promise of renewed understanding, boundless mercy, and eternal favor for all who are united with Him by faith.