The Meaning of Isaiah 27:11 Explained

Isaiah 27:11

KJV: When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.

YLT: In the withering of its branch it is broken off, Women are coming in setting it on fire, For it is not a people of understanding, Therefore pity it not doth its Maker, And its Former doth not favour it.

Darby: When its branches are withered they shall be broken off; women shall come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no intelligence; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he who formed them will shew them no favour.

ASV: When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off; the women shall come, and set them on fire; for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have compassion upon them, and he that formed them will show them no favor.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When the boughs  thereof are withered,  they shall be broken off:  the women  come,  [and] set them on fire:  for it [is] a people  of no understanding:  therefore he that made  them will not have mercy  on them, and he that formed  them will shew them no favour. 

What does Isaiah 27:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 27:1-13 - God's Care For His Vineyard
Throughout these chapters we must remember that the doom of Babylon and the restoration of God's people are symbolical of other events, for which the world is preparing. Then Babylon the Great shall give place to the Holy City, which comes down out of heaven from God. Egypt and Babylon are represented by the leviathan, a general term applicable to any great water animal. The one had its Nile, the other its Euphrates. Parallel with the destruction of our foes is God's care of His own people. The Church is His vineyard. We do not keep Him, but He, us. Not for a moment does He relax His care. Those who oppose His purposes are trampled down as briars beneath the booted foot. In Isaiah 5:6 we have a prevision of the ultimate mission of the Hebrew race.
Note the difference in Isaiah 27:7-11 between punishment and chastisement. The former is irremediable and destructive, the latter is always in measure. The rough wind is stayed in the day of the east wind. Its object is to purge away our sins. After the captivity idolatry ceased out of Israel. How tenderly God gathers His wanderers-one by one as hand-picked fruit; even those who had wandered farthest and were ready to perish! [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 27

1  The Deliverance of Israel

What do the individual words in Isaiah 27:11 mean?

When are withered its boughs they will be broken off the women come [and] set on fire them for no a people of understanding it [is] upon thus not will have mercy on them He who made them and He who formed them will show them favor -
בִּיבֹ֤שׁ קְצִירָהּ֙ תִּשָּׁבַ֔רְנָה נָשִׁ֕ים בָּא֖וֹת מְאִיר֣וֹת אוֹתָ֑הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א עַם־ בִּינוֹת֙ ה֔וּא עַל־ כֵּן֙ לֹֽא־ יְרַחֲמֶ֣נּוּ עֹשֵׂ֔הוּ וְיֹצְר֖וֹ יְחֻנֶּֽנּוּ ס

בִּיבֹ֤שׁ  When  are  withered 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
קְצִירָהּ֙  its  boughs 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
תִּשָּׁבַ֔רְנָה  they  will  be  broken  off 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
נָשִׁ֕ים  the  women 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
בָּא֖וֹת  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מְאִיר֣וֹת  [and]  set  on  fire 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, feminine plural
Root: אֹור  
Sense: to be or become light, shine.
לֹ֤א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
עַם־  a  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
בִּינוֹת֙  of  understanding 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: בִּינָה  
Sense: understanding, discernment.
ה֔וּא  it  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כֵּן֙  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
יְרַחֲמֶ֣נּוּ  will  have  mercy  on  them 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: רָחַם  
Sense: to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion.
עֹשֵׂ֔הוּ  He  who  made  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
וְיֹצְר֖וֹ  and  He  who  formed  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵר 
Sense: to form, fashion, frame.
יְחֻנֶּֽנּוּ  will  show  them  favor 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: חָנַן 
Sense: to be gracious, show favour, pity.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation