Isaiah
Chapter 27
On that day, with his fierce, strong, and powerful sword, the Lord will punish Leviathan, the twisting serpent always fleeing; he will slay the dragon of the sea.
Song of the Vineyard
On that day, he will say: “Praise my fruitful vineyard!
I, the Lord, am its keeper; I water it every moment. So that no one will harm it, day and night I guard it.”
“I have no wall; who will cleanse me from thorns?” –“I will march against them and burn them altogether.
Or if they come to me for refuge, let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.”
Renewal of Israel
In days to come, Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and bear many a shoot and fill the face of the earth with fruit.
Has the Lord beaten them as he beat those who beat them? Has he slain them as he slew those who slew them?
With expulsion and exile the city has been punished; with a blast as fierce as a storm from the east, she has been pursued and carried off.
By this, therefore, the guilt of Jacob will be expiated and he will atone for his sins when he pulverizes all the altar stones like chalkstones crushed to pieces. No more Asherah poles or incense altars!
For the fortified city is abandoned: it lies deserted now, a forsaken habitation left like a wilderness. There the calves graze, there they lie down, and there they strip bare its branches.
Its dry boughs are broken; women come and make fire with them. This is a people without understanding; therefore their Maker will not spare them; he will not show compassion to them.
Final Gathering in Jerusalem
On that day, between the Euphrates and the Wadi of Egypt, the Lord will thresh out the grain. One by one, you will be gleaned, O people of Israel.
On that day a great trumpet will blow, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will return to worship the Lord on the mountain in Jerusalem.
Commentaries
Resurrection.
This passage discusses the restoration of the people (cf. Ez 37)—a nation torn apart by war and exile. Only the Lord has the power to revive the sinful people by defeating their enemies and causing them to flourish again.
Song of the Vineyard.
As in 5:1-6, God cares for his vineyard, Israel. The main update here is that now the Lord’s anger has eased, and he waters it (cf. 5:6).
Renewal of Israel.
The people’s sin causes their suffering, which God uses to purify them. “The stronghold” refers to the unnamed city in 24:10; 25:2; 26:5, 10.
Gathering in Jerusalem.
With the oppressor defeated, the time has come to gather the exiles (cf. 11:15-16).