Isaiah 27:13 Meaning: The Great Trumpet Calls the Scattered Home
It will happen in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and those who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and those who were outcasts in the land of Egypt, shall come; and they will worship Yahweh in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall come that were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship Jehovah in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
And it hath come to pass, in that day, It is blown with a great trumpet, And come in have those perishing in the land of Asshur, And those cast out in the land of Egypt, And have bowed themselves to Jehovah, In the holy mount--in Jerusalem!
And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall come that were perishing in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall worship Jehovah in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 27:13 describes a great trumpet gathering scattered exiles from Assyria and Egypt to worship God on His holy mountain.
Context
This verse comes near the end of a chapter that moves from judgment to mercy. Isaiah has spoken of God clearing away idols and refining His people through discipline. Verses 12 and 13 form a promise: God will thresh the land from the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, gathering His children one by one. Then a great trumpet sounds. Those who were lost in Assyria (where the northern tribes were exiled) and those scattered in Egypt (where many fled during the Babylonian invasion) are summoned home. The goal is not simply return to land, but worship on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. It is a picture of restoration after exile, but the language reaches beyond any single event.
Key Words
Two key Hebrew words carry the weight of this promise. First, the people described as ready to perish come from the root 'avad, a word that can mean to die or be destroyed, but also to wander off and become lost. It is the same word used for a straying sheep or a person who has vanished from sight. These are not just people in danger; they are people who have disappeared. Second, the great trumpet is the shofar, a ram's horn. In Israel's life, the shofar announced the jubilee year when slaves went free and land returned to its original family (Leviticus 25:9). It called the people to gather for battle or worship. Here it signals the great reversal: what seemed permanent exile is undone by a single sound. God's call reaches the utterly lost and brings them not just to safety, but to their knees in worship.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this verse in different ways. Albert Barnes understood it as fulfilled when Cyrus decreed the return from Babylon, a historical gathering that indeed happened. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary and others see a future restoration of all Israel, including the ten tribes that never fully returned from Assyria. Adam Clarke heard the trumpet as the gospel being preached to Jews and Gentiles alike, calling people to Christ. Still others, like the Cambridge Bible, note the trumpet imagery echoes passages about Christ's return and the final resurrection. All these readings share a conviction: the God who scattered is the God who gathers.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume the phrase ready to perish refers only to physical starvation or warfare. In fact, the Hebrew word 'avad also means to go astray or be lost in a deeper sense. These people are not just dying; they are cut off from God and His people. The promise is not merely rescue from death, but restoration to worship.
Living This Out
This verse asks you to hold onto hope for people who seem utterly lost. Maybe you know someone who has wandered far from the faith, or you yourself feel like an outcast in your own story. The trumpet sound of God's call can reach any distance, across countries, across years, across silence. This week, bring one such person to mind. Let that name sit with you. Then ask God to let you hear His trumpet again, to remind you that no one is beyond His gathering.
Main takeaway: God's trumpet call will gather the lost and the outcast from every place to worship Him on His holy mountain.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
A trumpet is a very loud horn. In this verse, God says He will blow a big trumpet to call His people home. They were far away, but they will come and worship Him in Jerusalem.
For ages 9, 12
God's trumpet was a signal for important moments in the Bible: for feast days, for the jubilee year when slaves were set free, and for calling people together. Here it calls home people who were lost in two countries, Assyria and Egypt. They thought they would never come back, but God's call is strong enough to reach anyone, anywhere. And the goal isn't just rescue, it's worship. They come to bow before God on His holy mountain.
Questions People Ask
What is the great trumpet in Isaiah 27:13?
It is a shofar, a ram's horn used in ancient Israel to summon people for holy days, battle, or assembly. Here it symbolizes God's call to gather His scattered people from exile.
Are Assyria and Egypt literal places or symbolic?
Both. Assyria was where the northern tribes were exiled, and Egypt was where some fled during wars. They are real locations, but they also represent any far-off place where God's people might be lost or dispersed.
Does this verse predict the return of the ten lost tribes?
Some Christian commentators, like Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, see a future gathering of all Israel, including the ten tribes from Assyria. Others, like Albert Barnes, see this fulfilled in the return from Babylon under Cyrus. Both views recognize God as the one who restores.
What does 'ready to perish' mean in this verse?
The Hebrew word 'avad can mean to die, be destroyed, or become lost. It describes people who appear to be completely gone, but it also carries the sense of wandering astray, spiritually as well as physically.
When is 'that day' in Isaiah 27:13?
'That day' is a common prophetic phrase pointing to a time of God's decisive action. It may refer to the historical return from exile, the spread of the gospel, or the final gathering at Christ's return. Many Christians see layers of meaning that include all of these.
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