Yeshayahu 27-28

The first pasuk of perek 27 continues the same prophetic thread expressed by the two closing pesukim of perek 26. These pesukim describe the destruction of the world’s evil through vivid, symbolic images that connect the future redemption with the Exodus from Egypt and which hint to a war between God and His rebellious early creations. Pesukim 2-6 detail a positive ‘parable of the vineyard’ which contrasts with the critical parable detailed in perek 5. The rest of the perek describes the fortification of Israel in its land and the blessing the other nations will receive as a result. The prophecy concludes with the ingathering of the exiles in the land of Israel following the redemptive blast of the shofar.

Yeshayahu 28 discusses the people and leaders of Ephraim (1-6), the leaders of Yehuda (7-22), and includes harsh rebuke of their drunkenness and exaggerated confidence. This perek also teaches us about the leaders’ mocking reactions to Yeshayahu’s prophecies of calamity, which warned the nation of Assyria’s imminent arrival. The perek’s conclusion includes a parable borrowed from the world of agriculture.