Isaiah 27:9 Meaning: The Fruit of Taking Away Sin
Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he makes all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherah poles and the incense altars shall rise no more.
By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, so that the Asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more.
Therefore by this is the iniquity of Jacob covered, And this is all the fruit--To take away his sin, in His setting all the stones of an altar, As chalkstones beaten in pieces, They rise not--shrines and images.
By this, therefore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit of the taking away of his sin: when he shall make all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are crumbled in pieces, — the Asherahs and the sun-images shall not stand.
Meaning in one sentence
Does suffering atone for sin? Isaiah 27:9 shows that God's purpose in discipline is to remove idolatry, not to punish for its own sake.
Context
Isaiah 27 closes a section of the book often called the Isaiah Apocalypse (chapters 24, 27), where judgment and hope weave together. Earlier in the chapter, God describes Israel as a cherished vineyard, not abandoned but pruned. Verse 8 says He sent them away with a rough blast, but measured, not like the destruction of His enemies. Now verse 9 gives the reason behind the exile: not to obliterate His people, but to remove what kept them from Him. The altar stones of idol worship are to be crushed like chalk, and the shrines to foreign gods destroyed. This is the fruit God wants: a people who no longer cling to the things that break His heart.
Key Words
Three words carry the weight of this verse. The first is the verb yekhuppar, from the root kaphar, to cover or atone. It is the same word used for the Day of Atonement. Here it appears in passive form: the iniquity of Jacob will be covered. But the verse ties this covering not to a sacrifice, but to what follows: the breaking of idols. God covers sin, and the proof that it has really happened is the rubble of the altars.
The second key word is gir, translated as chalk. The stones of the altar become as chalkstones beaten in pieces, a vivid image of something that looks solid but crumbles to dust under pressure. Nothing remains to prop up the old worship. The Hebrew for the verb menuppatzot (pulverized) suggests they are shattered so finely they are useless.
Third, the word for fruit, peri, is usually about produce. God calls the removal of sin 'all the fruit', not a payment, but a harvest. When the things we trusted instead of God are gone, what grows in their place is forgiveness and freedom.
How Christians Read This Verse
Across traditions, interpreters agree that this verse does not teach that suffering itself atones. Calvin, representing the Reformed tradition, says the chastisement is a remedy that cures our diseases, it brings us to repentance. Gill, a Baptist commentator, notes that afflictions lead the believer to the blood of Christ, where true atonement is found. The Wesleyan tradition would emphasize that this is the fruit of genuine repentance: turning from sin. The Catholic view would also hold that the removal of sin requires God's grace, but the external act of destroying idols is the evidence of conversion, not the cause of forgiveness. All point to the same truth: God's discipline clears the ground so forgiveness can take root.
A common misunderstanding
Someone might read this verse and think that suffering itself pays for sin, that if we suffer enough, God will forgive us. In fact, the word 'fruit' points the other way. God is not selling forgiveness; He is purposing the exile to produce a repentant heart that abandons idols. The atonement is His work (yekhuppar), and the breaking of the altars is the result, not the cause.
Living This Out
What altars do you still prop up? Not stone ones, but places where you turn for security, approval, or comfort before you turn to God. Maybe it is a relationship you lean on too heavily, a reputation you protect at all costs, or a habit that dulls your hunger for Him. This week, instead of trying to earn forgiveness by making yourself miserable, ask God to show you one altar He wants to break. Let Him crush it. The fruit on the other side is freedom you did not have to pay for.
Main takeaway: God’s discipline clears away the idols we cling to, so that His forgiveness can land in a heart with room to receive it.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Sometimes when we do wrong, God helps us stop loving the wrong thing. This verse says God breaks the bad things we love so we can be free.
For ages 9, 12
The people of Judah kept turning to idols even though God had given them everything. So God allowed hardship to come, but not to punish them forever. He wanted them to let go of their idols and come back to Him. The verse calls the result 'fruit', like when you take away weeds and a plant can finally grow. Hard times can be God's way of clearing away what hurts us.
Questions People Ask
Does Isaiah 27:9 mean that suffering pays for sin?
No. The verse says the 'fruit' of removing sin is the destruction of idols, not the suffering itself. The atonement (yekhuppar) is something God does, not something we earn by pain. The suffering of the exile was designed to bring repentance, not to pay off a debt.
What are Asherah poles and incense altars?
Asherah poles were wooden symbols of a Canaanite goddess, often set up near altars. Incense altars were used for burning offerings to other gods. Both were fixtures of the idol worship that led Israel away from God.
Why does God break the altars instead of just forgiving?
Forgiveness is free, but God also wants to free us from the pull of sin. For Israel, the idols were a constant temptation. By allowing the destruction of those altars, God removed the objects of their false worship so they could return to Him with a whole heart.
What does the word 'fruit' mean in this verse?
The Hebrew word is peri, which usually means fruit or produce. Here it means the result or outcome that God is looking for. He wants the 'fruit' of taking away sin to be that the altars stay gone, that the heart no longer goes back to empty idols.
How does this verse relate to the New Testament teaching on forgiveness?
In the New Testament, forgiveness is based on Christ's sacrifice, not on our suffering. But the same principle applies: when someone truly receives God's forgiveness, they naturally begin to turn away from the things that oppose God. The destruction of idols in Isaiah 27:9 mirrors the repentance that accompanies faith in Christ.
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