Isaiah 28:21 · Bible study
Isaiah 28:21 Commentary: God's Strange Work of Judgment
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 28:21: God calls His judgment of His own people 'strange.' Why does He act against those He once saved, and what does this reveal about His faithfulness?
Research Summary
- Meaning: God will fight against His own people as He once fought for them; His judgment is described as a “strange” or “foreign” act.
- Key words: Zar (strange), nokhri (alien, foreign), ragaz (rage/tremble), yaqum (rise up).
- Main debate: Whether the Gibeon reference is to Joshua’s victory (Joshua 10:10) or David’s (1 Chronicles 14:16). Most commentators favor David.
- Theological theme: Divine judgment begins with the household of God; judgment is “foreign” to God’s nature of love yet necessary for holiness.
- Best use: A warning against false security and a call to trust only in God’s sure foundation (v.16).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his unusual work, and bring to pass his act, his extraordinary act.
KJV King James Version 1769
For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For Jehovah will rise up as in mount Perazim, he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For as at mount Perazim rise doth Jehovah, As at the valley in Gibeon He is troubled, To do His work--strange is His work, And to do His deed--strange is His deed.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For Jehovah will rise up as on mount Perazim, he will be moved with anger as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his strange work, and perform his act, his unwonted act.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For the Lord shall stand up as in the mountain of divisions: he shall be angry as in the valley which is in Gabaon: that he may do his work, his strange work: that he may perform his work, his work is strange to him.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque Jehová se levantará como en el monte Perasim, como en el valle de Gabaón se enojará; para hacer su obra, su extraña obra, y para hacer su operación, su extraña operación.
Porque o SENHOR se levantará como no monte de Perazim, e se enfurecerá como no vale de Gibeão, para fazer sua obra, sua estranha obra; e operar seu ato, seu estranho ato.
Car l’ Éternel se lèvera comme à la montagne de Peratsim,
Denn der HERR wird sich aufmachen wie auf dem Berge Perazim und zürnen wie im Tal Gibeon, daß er sein Werk vollbringe auf eine fremde Weise und daß er seine Arbeit tue auf seltsame Weise.
Want de HEERE zal Zich opmaken, gelijk op den berg Perazim, Hij zal beroerd zijn, gelijk in het dal van Gibeon, om Zijn werk te doen, Zijn werk zal vreemd zijn; en om Zijn daad te doen, Zijn daad zal vreemd zijn!
Giacché l’Eterno si leverà come al monte Peratsim, s’adirerà come nella valle di Gabaon, per fare l’opera sua, l’opera sua singolare, per compiere il suo lavoro, lavoro inaudito.
Albowiem Pan powstanie jako na górze Perazym, a rozgniewa się jako w dolinie Gabaon, aby wykonał sprawę swoję, niezwyczajną sprawę swoję, i aby dokończył sprawy swojej, niezwyczajnej sprawy swojej.
Ибо восстанет Господь, как на горе Перациме; разгневается, как на долине Гаваонской, чтобы сделать дело Свое, необычайное дело, и совершить действие Свое, чудное Свое действие.
耶和華 必 興起，像在毘拉心 山；他必發怒，像在基遍 谷，好做成 他的工，就是非常的 工；成就 他的事，就是奇異 的事。
For the Lord will come up as on Mount Perazim, he will be moved to wrath as in the valley of Gibeon; so that he may do his work--strange is his work; and give effect to his act--unnatural is his act.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 28:21
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse recalls two great victories God gave Israel, David's defeat of the Philistines at Baal-Perazim (2 Samuel 5:20) and his pursuit of them from Gibeon (1 Chronicles 14:16). Barnes points out that “Perazim” comes from parats, “to break forth,” signifying a sudden, complete overthrow. The shock of the verse is that the same God who once “rose up” for His people will now rise up against them. Calvin notes that while God’s power was displayed in defense of His chosen ones, “he now threatens war against the Jews.” Keil and Delitzsch state bluntly: “The very same thing would now happen to the people of the house of David as formerly to its foes.” The work is called “strange” (Hebrew zar and nokhri, “foreign, alien”) because judgment against His own people is not what God delights in. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown call it “strange, as being against His own people; judgment is not what God delights in; it is, though necessary, yet strange to Him.”
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Davidic victory at Gibeon: Barnes, Keil, and Gill point to 1 Chronicles 14:16 as the Gibeon reference, noting the parallel with David’s victory.
- Joshua’s victory at Gibeon: Vitringa (cited in Barnes) and some earlier interpreters reference Joshua 10:10–12, where the sun stood still.
- Both references combined: Wesley’s Notes and Poole allow both Joshua and David as valid layers, with the emphasis on God’s power against Israel’s enemies now turned inward.
What is clear: God, who once delivered Israel by spectacular victories, will now turn that same power against them in judgment—a work that is described as strange and foreign to His character of mercy.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Historical reference of 'valley of Gibeon' | Almost all commentators agree the verse refers to a past victory God gave Israel against the Philistines. | Some (Vitringa, as noted by Barnes) think it is Joshua’s victory over the Amorites (Joshua 10:10); others (Barnes, Keil, Gill) argue it is David’s pursuit of the Philistines from Gibeon (1 Chronicles 14:16). Both traditions read the text as a powerful reversal. |
| Why the work is called 'strange' | All agree that 'strange' highlights that judgment against His own people is unusual and not God’s delight. | Calvin notes that 'nothing corresponds better to the nature of God than to be merciful'; the strangeness is that God acts against His nature when He judges. Barnes emphasizes it is 'foreign to the benevolence of his heart.' Some early interpreters (Targum) saw the 'strange work' as referring to the people's idolatry rather than God's judgment. |
| Application to Israel vs. the Church | Christians across traditions see the passage as a warning against presumption and false security in God’s covenant. | Some traditions (e.g., Reformed) emphasize the sovereignty of God in disciplining His people; others (Wesleyan) stress the human responsibility to avoid scoffing. All agree the principle of judgment beginning with God’s household is present. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 28 addresses the leaders of Jerusalem who have made a “covenant with death” (v.15), trusting in alliances rather than God. They feel secure, but the prophet announces that the covenant will be annulled and a flood of judgment will sweep through. Verse 21 uses God's past deliverances as a template for coming destruction. Mount Perazim (or Baal-Perazim) was the site where David defeated the Philistines, and he declared, “Yahweh has broken my enemies before me, like the breach of waters” (2 Samuel 5:20). The valley of Gibeon likely refers to David’s later pursuit of the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer (1 Chronicles 14:16), though some commentators (Vitringa, as cited by Barnes) connect it to Joshua’s victory over the Amorites at Gibeon (Joshua 10:10, 12). In both cases, God fought for Israel against pagan enemies. Now the instruments of judgment will be the very historical memories of divine rescue. The absence of the preposition before “mount” and “valley” (Lange notes this grammatical feature) may heighten the directness: God will rise up as at those places, the same power, the same mode, but the target shifts from Israel’s foes to Israel itself. The surrounding context (vv.17, 20) stresses that God’s work will be precise and inescapable, like a too-short bed or a narrow blanket, leaving no shelter for scoffers.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary notes no significant textual variants that affect the meaning of verse 21. Lange observes the absence of a preposition of place before “mount” and “valley,” which is a grammatical feature common in Hebrew poetry and does not alter the sense. Two of Kennicott’s manuscripts and one of De Rossi’s read bahar (“in the mount”) instead of kehar (“as in the mount”), as Adam Clarke notes, but this variation does not change the interpretation: in either reading, God rises up in a place of prior victory. The Kethib/Qere issues in earlier verses (Isa 28:15) do not apply here.
Reception History
From the Targum onward, interpreters have struggled with the idea that God would treat His own people as enemies. The Targum reframes the verse by saying that the people do strange works (idolatry) and are consumed, rather than God performing a strange act. Jerome and later medieval readers saw the “strange work” as God’s alien judgment, a theme that reappears in the Protestant Reformers. Calvin uses it to warn the reprobate; Matthew Henry applies it pastorally, urging readers not to make light of God’s judgments. In the broader Christian tradition, the verse has been cited to emphasize that judgment is God’s “foreign act” (opus alienum), a paradoxical necessity that serves His ultimate redemptive purpose, a concept later developed by Luther and echoed in the theology of the cross.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s past deliverance becomes the pattern of His judgment. The same power that broke Israel’s enemies now breaks them. Grace rejected turns to discipline.
- God’s work is “strange” because it is not His native purpose. The Hebrew words zar and nokhri mean “foreign, alien.” Judgment goes against the grain of God’s mercy, yet sin demands it.
- God’s faithfulness includes accountability. He will not let His covenant people hide behind false refuges. His “strange act” is still a work of covenant faithfulness, to purify, not destroy forever.
Five-point outline
- Revision of memory: We remember God’s victories for us; we must not assume we are immune to His discipline.
- Misplaced trust: The scoffers made a covenant with death (v.15). God’s strange work dismantles every refuge built on lies.
- The shock of judgment: Even God’s own people can become objects of His anger when they persist in rebellion.
- The cost of grace rejected: Judgment is “strange” because God does not delight in it (Lamentations 3:33). It is a work He does reluctantly.
- Hope in the strange work: The same God who rises up to judge also provides a sure foundation (v.16). The discipline is meant to drive us back to the cornerstone.
Illustration hooks
- A surgeon’s incision looks like violence but is meant to heal. God’s strange work cuts deep to remove the infection of false security.
- When a parent changes from cuddling a child to firmly correcting that child in public, onlookers might think the parent has changed. In reality, the parent’s love is consistent, only the context of rebellion requires a different response.
- A musician performing a piece in a minor key after a series of joyful songs, the skill is the same, but the mood is deliberately unsettling, forcing the listener to attend to something serious.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God is love, why does He bring judgment on His own people?
- How do we know when God’s “strange work” in our lives is discipline rather than a random hardship?
- What false refuges do we trust in that God might need to sweep away?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts us with a side of God that many prefer to avoid: He judges His own people. But the word “strange” also signals that judgment is not His first or most natural act. Read Isaiah 28:14, 22 together. Notice how the leaders are described as “scornful men” who have made a pact with lies. God’s “strange” work is His answer to their false security. The small group should wrestle with what it means that the same God who saved Israel now treats them like enemies.
Discussion questions
- What historical events does the prophet recall in verse 21? Why are these particular memories so jarring when applied to Israel?
- The Hebrew word zar means “strange” or “foreign.” What makes God’s work of judgment strange? (Consider Lamentations 3:33 and the context of Isaiah 28.)
- In what ways do we, like the scoffers, make “covenants with death” today, trusting in alliances, wealth, or pride instead of God?
- Verse 22 warns, “don’t be scoffers.” What does it mean to be a scoffer? How does that attitude bring stronger bonds (judgment)?
- How does the promise of a sure foundation in verse 16 balance the threat of judgment in verse 21? How does the cornerstone (Christ) relate to the strange work?
- Can you think of a time when God’s discipline in your life felt “foreign” or unexpected? Looking back, what did it accomplish?
- How should this passage shape our understanding of God’s faithfulness? Does it challenge a comfortable view of God? If so, how?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 29:21 | Yahweh will set him apart for evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law. |
| Deuteronomy 29:24 | Even all the nations will say, “Why has Yahweh done this to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?” |
| Joshua 10:10 | Yahweh confused them before Israel. He killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah. |
| Joshua 10:12 | Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!” |
| II Samuel 5:20 | David came to Baal Perazim, and David struck them there. Then he said, “Yahweh has broken my enemies before me, like the breach of waters.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. |
| II Samuel 5:25 | David did so, as Yahweh commanded him, and struck the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer. |
| I Chronicles 14:11 | So they came up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand, like waters breaking out. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim. |
| I Chronicles 14:16 | David did as God commanded him; and they attacked the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes a textual variation in this verse: several manuscripts read "In the mount" instead of "As in Mount Perazim." He cites evidence from the collections of Kennicott, De Rossi, and his own manuscript for this alternate reading.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on why God's coming judgment is called his "strange work." It is strange because God's own people, not their enemies, are the target, which is foreign to his benevolent nature and the unusual work of a God who prefers mercy.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The prophet’s warning is that God’s coming judgment will feel like a strange, even barbarous reversal: He will fight alongside foreigners against His own people, just as He once used David to defeat the Philistines. This shocking turn is meant to break the scoffers' stubborn resistance.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes stress that God's coming judgment mirrors His past acts at Mount Perazim and Gibeon. They call this His "strange work" — a severe, unusual action that seems alien to His familiar mercy.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the reversal: the same Lord who once broke
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see a deliberate irony in the prophet's words: God's work against Judah will replicate the humiliating defeats David inflicted on the Philistines at Baal-perazim and Gibeon. The same fate that once struck Israel's enemies now turns against God's own people. This reversal is the astonishing, strange act Isaiah announces.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry's main point is that mocking God's judgments is as serious an offense as mocking His word. Those who trust in false agreements and earthly refuges are defying the very God who will sweep away every refuge, leaving only the sure foundation He Himself lays in Zion.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that the same God who once fought for Israel at Perazim and Gibeon now sets against them. His work of judgment is described as "strange" because it runs contrary to His own gentle nature and His usual way of dealing with His people.