Isaiah 59:20 Meaning: The Redeemer Comes to Turn Us

Three Hebrew words shape this verse. The first is go’el (H1350), a redeemer. In Israelite culture, a go’el was a close relative who bought back family land or freed a relative from slavery. The word implies relationship, cost, and personal commitment. When God promises to come as Redeemer, He is not a distant rescuer but a near kinsman who pays what we could not.

The second key word is shuv (H7725), which means to turn back or return. In this verse it appears as “those who turn”, a description of people who have repented. But the Greek translation used by Paul reads it as an active verb: the Redeemer “shall turn away” ungodliness. The Hebrew consonants allow both meanings. So the verse leaves room for the Redeemer to both meet people who are turning and to cause that turning Himself.

The third word is pesha (H6588), transgression. It means rebellion, a deliberate breaking of relationship. Not a small slip, but a willful stepping away from God. The Redeemer comes to people who have been in rebellion, and His coming addresses the root of that rebellion, not just its symptoms.

Christians across traditions have seen this verse as a Messianic promise. Jewish commentators like Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpreted the Redeemer as the Messiah. The apostle Paul, writing under inspiration, quotes the verse in Romans 11:26 in its Greek (Septuagint) form: “the Deliverer will come out of Zion, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” This reading emphasizes that the Redeemer actively removes sin. Reformed commentators such as Matthew Henry see it as a promise of grace coming to sinners who repent, while others, like John Gill, understand it to refer to a future national conversion of Israel. All agree the Redeemer is central, but they differ on whether the repentance precedes or follows His coming. The text itself holds both notes together.

A common mistake is to read this verse as saying the Redeemer only comes to people who have already cleaned up their lives and turned from sin on their own. That turns the gospel into a reward for good behavior. In fact, the Hebrew phrase can be read as “to those who turn” as a description, but also as “even to those who turn”, suggesting the turning itself is part of what the Redeemer brings. Paul’s inspired quotation clarifies: the Deliverer “shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” The Redeemer does not wait for us to fix ourselves; He comes to rescue and to turn us.

Maybe this week you feel stuck in a pattern of disobedience. You might think, “I need to get my act together before God will help me.” This verse says the Redeemer comes to Zion, to the people of God in their mess. And He comes to those who turn from transgression. But that turning is not something you have to produce alone. The Redeemer Himself is the one who turns you. You can pray today: “Lord, come to me as my Redeemer. Turn me from the transgression I am tangled in.” Trust that His coming includes the power to change.