Isaiah 27 10

Isaiah 27:10 kjv

Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.

Isaiah 27:10 nkjv

Yet the fortified city will be desolate, The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down And consume its branches.

Isaiah 27:10 niv

The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare.

Isaiah 27:10 esv

For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; there the calf grazes; there it lies down and strips its branches.

Isaiah 27:10 nlt

The fortified towns will be silent and empty,
the houses abandoned, the streets overgrown with weeds.
Calves will graze there,
chewing on twigs and branches.

Isaiah 27 verses

Isaiah 27 10 meaning

Isaiah 27:10 foretells the complete and irreversible desolation of a "fortified city" through divine judgment. This city, once a place of human habitation, strength, and security, will be so utterly abandoned and forsaken that it reverts to a state akin to a wilderness. The imagery emphasizes the absence of human activity and the reversal of order, as a calf, a domesticated animal often symbolic of pastoral life, will freely graze and lie down in the ruins, consuming the new wild growth without hindrance. It underscores the futility of human power and defenses against God's sovereign decree of destruction.

Isaiah 27 10 Context

Isaiah 27:10 is embedded within a broader prophetic section of Isaiah (chapters 24-27), often referred to as Isaiah's "Little Apocalypse." This section deals with global divine judgment and the eventual restoration of God's people, Israel. Chapter 27 specifically describes the Lord's future deliverance of Israel following the punishment of their enemies. While the preceding verses (27:1-6) portray God guarding His "pleasant vineyard" (Israel) despite pruning it, verse 10 abruptly shifts to describe the absolute devastation awaiting a "fortified city"—a strong, seemingly invincible enemy of God or His people. This city's fate serves as a stark contrast to God's care for His vineyard and foreshadows the final gathering of scattered Israel described in the closing verses of the chapter. Historically, the "fortified city" could refer to powerful enemy capitals like Assyria's Nineveh, Babylon, or even the rebellious Northern Kingdom's Samaria, symbolizing human defiance against divine sovereignty.

Isaiah 27 10 Word analysis

• For (כִּי `kî`): This conjunction serves a causal or explanatory function, linking the preceding context of God's care for His vineyard (Israel) to the reason for the drastic contrast in the fate of the enemy city.
• the fortified city (עִיר מִבְצָר `ʿîr mibṣār`):
  • עִיר (`ʿîr` - city): A hub of human life, commerce, and power.
  • מִבְצָר (`mibṣār` - fortress, stronghold): From the root `bāṣar` (to cut off, enclose, make inaccessible). This emphasizes physical strength, defensive capabilities, and human reliance on architectural might for security, often in defiance of God.
• will be desolate (בָּדָד `bāḏāḏ`): Means isolated, solitary, alone. It describes an empty state where all inhabitants have departed, emphasizing the complete absence of human presence and interaction, making it a place of utter loneliness.
• a habitation (נָוֶה `nāveh`): A dwelling place, a settled abode, often referring to a human settlement or a pasture. Here, it signifies what was once a site of human life now rendered empty.
• abandoned (נֶעְזָב `neʿezav`): A passive participle of `ʿāzav` (to leave, forsake). It means "that which has been left," emphasizing an act of desertion by those who once dwelled there.
• and forsaken (וְעָזוּב `veʿazuv`): Another passive form from `ʿāzav`. The repetition with `neʿezav` creates an emphatic intensification, signifying utter and permanent desertion; completely and irrevocably given up.
• like a wilderness (כַּמִּדְבָּר `kammiḏbār`):
  • כַּ (`ka-` - like, as): A comparative particle.
  • מִדְבָּר (`miḏbār` - wilderness, desert): A wild, uncultivated, and desolate region. This comparison vividly paints the picture of a once-ordered urban space reverting to an untamed, natural, unproductive state, lacking human cultivation or management.
• there (שָׁם `shām`): An adverb pointing back to the location of the desolate city/wilderness, emphasizing the exact place where the described actions occur.
• the calf (עֵגֶל `ʿēgel`): A young bull, a domestic animal. Its presence in a former city highlights the complete absence of humans, as it roams and feeds without herdsmen or fear, embodying nature's reclamation.
• will graze (יִרְעֶה `yirʿeh`): From `rāʿāh` (to feed, graze). Indicates the unhindered activity of animals consuming vegetation.
• and there it will lie down (וְשָׁם יִרְבָּץ `vešām yirbaṣ`):
  • וְשָׁם (`vešām` - and there): Repetition of the location for emphasis.
  • יִרְבָּץ (`yirbaṣ` - it will lie down): From `rāvaṣ` (to crouch, recline). Signifies complete rest, security, and ownership of the space by the animal, totally undisturbed by human presence or threat.
• and consume its branches (וְכִלָּה סְעִפָּהּ `vekhillāh seʿippāh`):
  • וְכִלָּה (`vekhillāh` - and it will strip, finish, consume): From `kālâh` (to complete, finish, bring to an end, consume utterly). Denotes thorough eating and stripping bare of vegetation.
  • סְעִפָּהּ (`seʿippāh` - its branches/shoots): Refers to the fresh growth and foliage within the ruins of the city. The calf strips it, implying no future regrowth for human use.

• "For the fortified city will be desolate, a habitation abandoned and forsaken, like a wilderness": This phrase emphasizes a threefold level of destruction. First, the `fortified city`, a symbol of human strength, is `desolate`. Second, a once-active `habitation` becomes `abandoned and forsaken` with a powerful double emphasis in Hebrew. Third, its transformation `like a wilderness` signifies not just emptiness but a complete return to an uncultivated, wild state, reversing any previous human dominion.
• "there the calf will graze, and there it will lie down, and consume its branches": This imagery provides a vivid, concrete picture of the utter desolation and the full triumph of nature over human presence. The `calf` roaming and `lying down` unmolested signifies perfect peace and undisturbed existence for the animal in a place once filled with human activity. The act of `consuming its branches` further shows that even the sparse new growth will be consumed, leaving nothing for human sustenance or pleasure, and marking the finality of the desolation.

Isaiah 27 10 Bonus section

• Reversal of Creation Mandate: This verse illustrates a reversal of the divine command in Genesis 1:28 for humanity to "subdue the earth and have dominion." Here, nature, represented by the untamed "wilderness" and the free-roaming "calf," reclaims and dominates the space once proudly built by humans, signaling a return to an undifferentiated wild state under judgment.
• The Irony of Security: The "fortified city" was designed to provide ultimate security and refuge for its inhabitants. However, under divine judgment, it becomes so insecure for humans that they must abandon it, yet ironically, it becomes a place of perfect peace and security for wild animals like the calf, highlighting the paradox of human reliance on self-made defenses.

Isaiah 27 10 Commentary

Isaiah 27:10 vividly portrays the divine judgment that utterly devastates a proud, "fortified city" opposed to God. This verse stands in stark contrast to God's careful tending of His "vineyard" (Israel) mentioned earlier in the chapter. While human beings boast in their architectural strength and self-reliance, the Lord demonstrates His ultimate sovereignty by reducing such monuments of human pride to desolate ruins. The chosen imagery—a wild, desolate city where a calf freely grazes and lies down, stripping away the overgrown vegetation—is profoundly symbolic. It signifies the complete absence of human life, order, and cultivation, marking a reversion to a primitive, untamed state. The once mighty fortress becomes a silent testimony to the folly of trusting in human power over divine will, serving as a powerful warning against defiance and a precursor to the promised restoration of God's chosen people in the ensuing verses.