Comments on Isaiah 27

     The JPS footnotes on this chapter indicate there are a number
of spots in the text where the meaning of the Hebrew is obscure. 
Whether it is the result of bad scribing, attempts at emendation or
simply archaic Hebrew we do not know.  Until a better source is
available we have to make due with what we have.  As such, I will
develop my interpretations on the text based on the JPS reading as
it seems at least as good as any other currently available.  I will
not bother to go on at length about possible readings or variations
as they all seem pretty speculative and really don't present
anything significantly different as far as I can tell.

     This chapter closes out the Apocalypse of Isaiah (ch. 24-27)
by contrasting the fate of Israel with the fate of his (yes, "his"
not "her", cf. v. 7) enemies.  Chapter 27 carries on the theme that
the previous chapter ended with (in fact, one could easily argue
that 26:20-21 would better be grouped with this chapter rather than
26) and forms something of an epilogue to the concluding block of
chapters as well as a prelude to the upcoming block of chapters
(chapters 28-32 are typically grouped together as an indictment
against Israel).

     It should be noted that Nephi presents an interesting
distillation of themes from Isaiah 24-27 in 2 Ne. 30:8-11.

     Also note that in the KJV the phrase "In that day..." appears
in v. 1, 2, 12, 13.  "That day" being referred to is the Day of the
Lord.

     The chapter can be arranged as follows:

  A - (v. 1) Introduction to the Day of the Lord
    B - (v. 2-6, ct. 5:1-7) Millennial Israel 
  A - (v. 7-11) Jacob smitten, but a remnant remains
    B - (v. 12-13) Israel gathered 

v1 invokes imagery of the Lord locked in mortal combat with some
terrible sea dragon.  While many commentators point out the
similarity between this passage and the various Canaanite myths
surrounding Yam and Nahar, the rhetorical devices employed in this
verse indicate that Isaiah has something more on his mind.  As the
JPS footnotes indicate, Yam and Nahar literally translate to
"floods" and "sea".  Through the previous chapters Isaiah has
equated the scourging invasion of eschatological Assyria with a
desolating flood and with a raging sea (cp. 5:30, 8:8) that tears
through the lands near and far to destroy the wicked.  Isaiah
rhetorically links this eschatological flood with this evil sea
serpent in the last line of this verse.  This is no big stretch in
interpretation as the immediately preceding chapters address the
total obliteration of all of the wicked, with the Day of the Lord
(25:6).  Invoking the term "serpent" also has obvious application
to the adversary via the Genesis account of the Fall.  Thus, Isaiah
uses this Canaanite myth to portray an image of the Lord alone
waging battle on all of the forces of evil, His enemies, on earth
and dealing them terrible blows.  This imagery again presents
Isaiah's theme of a personal confrontation between the Lord and His
enemies (25:10-12, 13:11-13) on the Day of the Lord.

     For additional background on this figure "Leviathan" compare
51:9 and also see Ps. 74:12-17.  Also consider John the Revelator's
use of figures of the beast rising from the sea.  That this
"Leviathan" is the wicked in general and not just some individual
character like the adversary or Isaiah's king of Assyria or king of
Babylon is implied by 26:21 where the wicked in general are the
subject.

     Some commentators would equate the two serpents from this
verse with the Euphrates and Nile rivers referenced in v. 12, thus
providing additional rhetorical links between the flood/sea/river
and Assyria.  The problem here is that v. 12 has reference to
something completely different, and the Nile is in Egypt and Isaiah
does not use Egypt as a figure of the desolating scourge.

v2-5  Here Isaiah presents a vineyard very different from the
vineyard described in 5:1-7.  This vineyard is a sung about as a
"Vineyard of Delight" (27:2c) where the other is corrupted by the
occupants.  27:3a presents the Lord as the keeper of this vineyard,
where 5:2c men are on the watchtower.  This vineyard is watered
constantly in 27:3b whereas in 5:6d it is cursed with drought.  And
should any briars and thorns (i.e. wickedness; cf.9:18, Micah 7:14,
Hosea 10:4) come into the vineyard the Lord with ruthlessly smash
them in 27:4b-d where the old vineyard is given over to briars and
thistles in 5:6a-c.  Then in 27:5 those who rely on the Lord are
befriended by Him where in 5:7-30 judgement against the vineyard is
announced as a result of their sins and they are measured for
destruction.

     This contrast in outcomes with similar setting tells us a
great deal about both the Lord and the people at these two
different times.  In both cases the Lord planted His chosen ones in
His vineyard, but in the first case they rebelled where in the
latter case they followed the Lord.  The difference is that in the
latter account the Lord has purged His people of all wickedness
previous to their establishment and He is personally watching over
His people.  This emphasizes the necessity of the purging the
wicked as well as for Theocracy.

     The people established in the latter vineyard would be those
whom Isaiah addressed in 26:20-21 when he told them to retreat for
a brief time while the Lord punishes the wicked.  This has
interesting implications as Isaiah is a prophet of the Lord, and
those that heed the prophet's warning retreat from the impending
disaster and subsequently are established in the new vineyard. 
Thus, another formula is given for who survives and who does not.

v6-8 identifies a shift in object, but a continuance of the
subject.  No longer is a dichotomy presented where the fate of the
righteous is contrasted to the wicked.  Here, Israel is presented
as the one chastened, but not punished as bad as his heathen
neighbors.  These verses go back and draw on themes from chapters
24-26 where the wicked in general are punished for their rebellion. 
Note that in those preceding chapters Israel, Ephraim and Judah are
never once identified in specific as a people.  Rather,
appellations such as "His people" (25:8) and "A righteous
nation...that keeps faith" (26:2) are used.  Places, such as the
"this mount" (25:6), and "the land of Judah" (26:1), are identified
but those spared are always identified as the righteous and never
identified as the particular lineage of Israel.  Thus, Isaiah is
unequivocally stating that only the righteous will be spared, the
sparing of the individual is not contingent upon lineage.  But,
here in this strophe Isaiah indicates that he is now addressing
those that are specifically of the lineage of Israel.  This is of
particular import as the rest of the chapter addresses Jacob's (i.e
the lineage of Jacob) sins and this leads into the impeachment on
natural Israel that follows in chapters 28-32.  So, Jacob will
ultimately blossom and yield fruit in the latter vineyard (cp. 4:2,
29:17), but only the righteous among Jacob will survive.

     Isaiah also conjures the concepts of the Lev. 26 and Deut 28
covenant curses.  The suffering heaped upon Israel was to get them
to repent, and those that repented were spared.  The suffering
heaped on the heathen nations is to utterly destroy them.  Thus,
Isaiah invokes the Abrahamic covenant and the difference it brings
about in the Lord's treatment of Israel.  But, the Abrahamic is a
two-edged sword as v. 9-11 indicates.

v8a  The JPS footnotes indicate that the most literal
interpretation for the first line is "Striving with her with fury
unchained".  The "Striving with her" is emended to "Assailing
them".  Following the most literal interpretation, the "her" could
be a reference to the various nations from chapters 13-23 as Tyre
is presented as a female (23:15-18) and Babylon is later presented
as a female (47:1).

v8b-c  The blasting gale referenced here is the blistering east
wind referenced elsewhere in the scriptures and is the contemporary
sirocco of the Middle East (cp. Gen. 41:6, Hosea 13:15, Ezek.
27:26).

v9-11  The only way the Lord can get a righteous remnant out of
Israel is to destroy all of the wicked from among them as they will
not repent when left to themselves.  Verse 9 tells us that the only
way Jacob can purge his sin is to rid himself of the idols that he
worships (i.e the creations of his own fingers, cf. 2:8, 14:13-14). 
As he will not do that, the Lord will have make them desolate per
the Lev. 26/Deut. 28 covenant curses as referenced in v. 10-11b
(cp. 34:9-14, but note line 11b is unique to this single reference
in Isaiah; also note that v. 10 is very similar in content to 25:2
implying that the destruction visited on the wicked there is
equivalent to the destruction visited to Israel here).  Since
His people refuse to understand and comply with His will, He is
left without choice and will show them no mercy when it comes to
the Day of the Lord per v. 11c-f.  All of the wicked will be
destroyed regardless of their lineage.

     As there are numerous BofM references to the remnant of the
Lamanites being spared because of the transgressions of their
fathers, we can understand what Isaiah is communicating to us here. 
As Israel is deliberately rebelling against the Lord and not just
simply lead astray by the traditions of their fathers He is left
without recourse and mercy when it comes to their destruction.  Had
they been ignorant, the Lord might have spared them.  Thus, the
Abrahamic covenant provides a means of obtaining all things, but it
also places the recipient in a precarious position if he fails to
adhere to the covenant.

     It would seem that Isaiah's intent here is to specifically
communicate to natural Israel that their lineage will provide them
nothing if they are not righteous.  Addressing a topic like this
may seem didactic for him, but given the statement in v. 11c "they
are a people without understanding", it seems that Isaiah wanted to
be particularly clear and blunt on this point so as to leave no
room for maneuvering.  Given statements like the one that appears
in John 8:33, Isaiah's comments appear to be necessary.  Since the
chapter 13-23 leading up to the 24-26 block were largely an
impeachment of the neighboring heathen nations, perhaps Isaiah's
intent was to make it clear that natural Israel was in no way off
the hook.

v11b  As noted above, Isaiah's imagery of the women gathering dry 
twigs was unparalleled in the scriptures.  Isaiah is probably 
intending to contrast the millennial fruitful Jacob described in 
v. 6 with the contemporary or eschatological Jacob that is being 
derided in v.9-10.  The twigs being so desiccated that they can 
be easily snapped by women is probably intended to show that the 
blistering sirocco (i.e east wind) mentioned in v. 8 that was to 
strike the wicked nations has also struck Jacob because they are 
equally wicked and even moreso as they have rebelled from the 
Lord.  The result is that the wicked among them will be fuel for 
the fire on the Day of the Lord.

v11c "people without understanding", cp. Deut. 32:28.

v12-13  Overall these two verses are a summary of chapter 18.  The
image of a harvest and the subsequent gleanings is used to
represent the gathering of the righteous remnant.  For the
symbolism of the gleanings, Isaiah is picking up on symbolism
introduced previously in 17:4-6 and 24:13 (cp. comments on 21:10
pertaining to the "threshed and winnowed ones").  The primary
harvest is of the wicked and then gleaning, or manual gathering of
the remnants, is of the righteous.  That the harvest is from the
Euphrates to the Nile is a reference implying the fulfillment
Abrahamic covenant in that the Lord promised this section of land
to him (cf. Gen. 15:18, also note that under the united Israel
these were the approximate territories per 1 Ki. 4:21).  Verse 13
then follows up on the figurative v. 12 with a more literal
presentation of the ingathering.  The ram's horn is a reference to
the "shofar" used to call Israel to the various festivals at the
ancient temple at Jerusalem (cf. Lev. 25:10).  Those lost in the
land of Assyria is a reference to the lost ten tribes of Israel as
historically that is the nation that was responsible for their
dispersal.  Them expelled to the land of Egypt is a reference to
the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem during Jeremiah's time where the
remnants not exiled to Babylon by force ultimately wound up in
Egypt.  Of course this verse has obvious eschatological
implications aside from the historical ones given that Isaiah has
provided definitions of "Babylon" and "Egypt".  Ultimately the
message conveyed here is that all of the righteous remnants that
survive the great and final Day of the Lord will be called to
gather in to the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate
various feasts.

v12  The "gleaning" of the righteous remnant has interesting
implications when cross referenced with Lev. 19:21 and Deut. 24:21.

     In conclusion, Isaiah has successfully emphasized that the
preceding chapters of 24-26 contrasted the wicked from the
righteous independent of any lineage.  Yet, he has implicated
natural Israel in the various comments in those chapters and sets
them up for a set of chapters specifically aimed at them.