Isaiah 27:5
in Isaiah 27Or let them lay claim to My protection; let them make peace with Me—yes, let them make peace with Me.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Or else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; yea, let him make peace with me.
KJV
Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.
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This verse in Isaiah 27
Commentary
10 notes on this verseOr let him take hold of my strength,.... Not on the law, as the Targum and Kimchi; but on Christ, as Jerom rightly interprets it; who is the strength and power of God, the man of his right hand he has made strong for himself; a strong tower, as the word signifies, a rock of defence, to whom saints may betake themselves, and be safe; in him they have righteousness and strength; in him is everlasting strength.
This site's exposition
Sing about a fruitful vineyard
on Isaiah 27:2-6
This vineyard song answers the vineyard of chapter 5, which was laid waste. The LORD is its keeper, "I water it continually", "I guard it night and day". In the days to come "Jacob will take root", and "Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit".
This site's exposition
let them make peace with Me
Even the briers may lay claim to the protection of the LORD and make peace with Him. Barnes reads the opening word as unless, so the fire falls unless they flee to God. Gill, following Jerome, sees that protection in Christ.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 4, 5.) Indignation is not mine: who will give me a thorn and a thistle in battle? I will march over it: I will set it on fire together. Or rather, shall I hold onto my strength? It will bring me peace, it will bring me peace. LXX: There is nothing that does not seize it. Who will appoint me as a keeper of the straw in the field? Because of this adversary, I have repelled it.
The Medieval Church1 voice
623. Second, he sets out the moderation of the sentence: or rather shall I take hold of my strength? As if to say: I will restrain my wrath; by way of contrast: the Lord will not turn away the wrath of his indignation (Jer 30:24). …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Or - Or if at any time fury seem to be in me against my people. Take hold - Which he may by humble prayer not only restrain from doing him hurt, but engage to do him good.
Let him wrestle with me, as Jacob did, resolving not to let me go without a blessing; and he shall be Israel--a prince with God. " Pardoning mercy is called the power of our Lord; let him take hold of that. Christ is the arm of the Lord, ch. liii. Christ crucified is the power of God ( 1 Cor. i.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Or let him - The Hebrew word rendered here or (או 'ô) means “unless;” and the sense is, the enemies of the Jewish people shall be completely destroyed as briers are by fire, “unless” they flee to God for a refuge. Take hold of my strength - That is, let the enemy take hold of me to become reconciled to me. The figure here is taken probably from the act of fleeing to take hold of the horns of the altar for refuge when one was pursued (compare 1Ki 1:50; 1Ki 2:28).
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
"Take hold," refers to the horns of the altar which fugitives often laid hold of as an asylum (1Ki 1:50; Jesus is God's "strength," or "refuge" which sinners must repair to and take hold of, if they are to have "peace" with God (Isa 45:24;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Or “Ah” - For או o I read אוי oi, as it was at first in a MS. The י yod was easily lost, being followed by another י yod.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| א֚וֹ | ʾo | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| יַחֲזֵ֣ק | yachazek | let anyone take hold | H2388 → | 291 times |
| בְּמָעוּזִּ֔י | bemauzi | on protection my | H4581 → | 36 times |
| יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה | yaaseh | let anyone make | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| שָׁל֖וֹם | shalom | peace | H7965 → | 236 times |
| לִ֑י | li | to me | ||
| שָׁל֖וֹם | shalom | peace | H7965 → | 236 times |
| יַֽעֲשֶׂה־ | yaaseh- | let anyone make | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לִּֽי׃ | li | to me |
א֚וֹor
ʾoH176 →321 times
יַחֲזֵ֣קlet anyone take hold
yachazekH2388 →291 times
בְּמָעוּזִּ֔יon protection my
bemauziH4581 →36 times
יַעֲשֶׂ֥הlet anyone make
yaasehH6213 →2628 times
שָׁל֖וֹםpeace
shalomH7965 →236 times
לִ֑יto me
li
שָׁל֖וֹםpeace
shalomH7965 →236 times
יַֽעֲשֶׂה־let anyone make
yaaseh-H6213 →2628 times
לִּֽי׃to me
li
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Job 22:21Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 28:9
As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought.…
- Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Psalms 34:10
Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
- Ephesians 2:14–17
For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9
Through
Isaiah 25:4For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like…
it leads to
- Zephaniah 3:12
But I will leave within you a meek and humble people, and they will trust in the name of the LORD.
- James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
- Isaiah 32:2
Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.
- Zephaniah 3:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Isaiah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.