Isaiah 27 4

Isaiah 27:4 kjv

Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

Isaiah 27:4 nkjv

Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns Against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

Isaiah 27:4 niv

I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire.

Isaiah 27:4 esv

I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together.

Isaiah 27:4 nlt

My anger will be gone.
If I find briers and thorns growing,
I will attack them;
I will burn them up ?

Isaiah 27 verses

Isaiah 27 4 Meaning

God is portrayed as a vinedresser, active and vigilant, protecting His vineyard. When provocation and wrath arise, God does not stand idly by. He actively intervenes to suppress and destroy any threat, ensuring the safety and security of His chosen people. This verse speaks of divine judgment against Israel's enemies.

Isaiah 27 4 Context

Isaiah chapter 27 continues the prophetic oracle concerning God's dealings with Israel and her enemies. The preceding verses speak of God's eschatological judgment and restoration. Chapter 27, verse 4, specifically addresses God's personal and immediate action against those who provoke Him and incur His wrath. The context is one of divine warfare and protection, where God acts decisively against His adversaries to secure His people. This fits within the broader prophetic theme of God's sovereignty over nations and His ultimate vindication of Zion.

Isaiah 27 4 Word Analysis

• וְ” (ve): And; A conjunction connecting this verse to the preceding, emphasizing continuity of action or a consequence.
• קִצְפִּי” (qiph-tsi): My anger; From קֶצֶף (qe’tseph), meaning wrath, fury, anger. Denotes God’s active and provoked displeasure.
• אֵ=” (e): to; A preposition indicating direction or destination, or in this context, against.
• נַ],” (nah): him; A suffixed pronoun referring to an unspecified enemy or the force that has disturbed or attacked.
• וְ” (ve): and; Again, a conjunction introducing a subsequent action.
• אֶעֱבְר],” (e-'ov-reh): I will pass over; From עָבַר (’avar), meaning to pass over, to traverse, or to sweep over. Implies swiftness and totality of movement.
• וְ” (ve): and; Another conjunction, linking actions together.
• אֶרְמְס],” (er-mo-sey): I will trample; From רָמַס (ramas), meaning to tread down, crush, trample. Indicates utter destruction and subjugation.
• “בִּ,” (bib): in; A preposition showing the means or instrument of the action.
• “מֻ],” (mo): it; Refers to a raging fire or God's consuming anger, the very force of His wrath.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "I will not come upon it in wrath" signifies God's deliberate decision not to inflict casual or uncontrolled fury.
• "but if I find it..." suggests that the presence of provocation is the condition for His intervention.
• "I would have..." is a hypothetical construction of what might have happened without God's specific intention for judgment, implying restraint before this particular decree.
• "I would go over it" and "trample it" together paint a picture of decisive, overwhelming, and crushing judgment.
• "its briers and thorns" symbolizes obstacles, destructive elements, or perhaps the hostile inhabitants of the land, all of which God will utterly destroy.

Isaiah 27 4 Bonus Section

The phrase "pass over it" (אֶעֱבֹר) may subtly echo the Passover event (Passover), where God "passed over" the homes of the Israelites marked with blood. However, in Isaiah 27:4, the "passing over" is not in mercy but in judgment, actively engaging with and overcoming the threat. The imagery of God's anger being like a consuming fire or a treading force is consistent throughout scripture, illustrating His power and wrath against sin and rebellion. Scholars suggest that "its briers and thorns" can refer not only to literal vegetation but also metaphorically to the people or forces that oppose God and His kingdom, much like in Isaiah 9:18 where thorns and briers consume Israel because of their wickedness.

Isaiah 27 4 Commentary

This verse describes God's proactive, retaliatory judgment. God, the owner of the vineyard (representing Israel or His people), will not let insults or attacks against His vineyard pass unaddressed. When provocation occurs ("find it"), His righteous anger ignites, leading to His decisive intervention. The imagery of "passing over" and "trampling" speaks of a complete and overwhelming defeat of the enemy. God's anger here is not capricious but a just response to hostile aggression against what is His. This reflects God’s commitment to protect His covenant people, using His divine power to obliterate those who oppose Him and threaten His people, particularly in an eschatological context of final judgment and restoration.