Yeshayahu Chapter 27 | "A Great Ram's Horn Will Sound"

The Battle against the Sea: In the ancient pagan world, the myth of “the battle against the sea” was widely prevalent. According to their beliefs, this myth described how the chief deity of the pantheon defeated the god of the sea and the sea monsters that opposed him, thus establishing himself as the most supreme being in the world. This myth was rooted in the fear of the sea’s immense power, and the gratitude expressed to their gods for defeating the sea and creating the land. The Tanakh, in several places, seems to reference this myth, but with significant alterations.

The motif of God's victory over the sea appears in the account of Creation, the splitting of the Red Sea, and the crossing of the Jordan. However, in these accounts, the sea is not described as a living entity battling against God. The people of that era, familiar with the common myth, could learn from the contrasts that the Lord is the one and only God, who commands the inanimate forces of nature at will.

Later, in the Nevi'im and Ketuvim, we find references to the sea and its creatures as living beings. In our chapter: “On that day, the Lord will come with His sword, broad and long, and strong upon the Leviathan, the Fleeing Serpent, upon the Leviathan, the Winding Serpent, and slay the great beast of the sea” (27:1). This similar imagery appears in many other places, but we'll mention a few only. In Yeshayahu's consolations: “Rise, rise, and your dress of might, the Lord's strong arm. Rise as long ago in the earliest time – was it not You who cleaved Rachav, beat the serpent down? Was it You who dried the ocean, the waters of the endless deeps, making the depths of the ocean a path for the redeemed to travel?” (51:9–10). In Iyov’s argument: “Am I Yam or the sea monster? Why do You place me under guard?” (Iyov 7:12). And in Tehillim: “You tore the sea to shreds and smashed the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. You shattered the head of Leviathan and fed him to the deserted peoples.” (Tehillim 74:13–14). Even in these passages, there is no struggle, only a one-sided triumph, emphasizing the Lord’s supremacy. The references to sea monsters serve as allegories, drawing on familiar stories to demonstrate God's power and to promise the ultimate future defeat of the forces of evil.

The Second Vineyard Parable: At the beginning of the book, we encountered the parable of the vineyard, where God expressed disappointment with Israel and declared: “tear up the border hedge and leave it to be ravaged. Burst through the fence, to let them trample it” (5:5). In our chapter, we hear of a vineyard again, but there is a profound different. This time, it depicts a relationship of care and protection: “I, the Lord, watch over her, moment by moment will I water her, that no one may come to do harm; by night, by day I watch her” (27:3).

“Was he beaten as are beaten those who beat him?” Both Israel and the nations experience calamities, but the prophet highlights the differences. While God shows no mercy to the nations, described as “And so its Maker will have no compassion, its Creator will grant them no grace” (27:11), Israel’s afflictions are measured: “By measure, by exile, You contended with them” (27:8). God always leaves room for hope, and the prophet assures us that this hope will be fulfilled. While the nations to which Israel was exiled — and indeed the whole world — will face punishment: “On that day, the Lord will beat the branches from the Euphrates's surge to the River to the River of Egypt,” the people of Israel will merit redemption: “And gather you up one by one, you children of Israel. It will be, on that day: A Great Ram's horn Will sound, and they will come, all those lost in the land of Assyria, and those who are exiled to the land of Egypt, and bow low to the Lord on the holy mount in Jerusalem” (27:12–13).