Isaiah 27:13 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →After images of judgment, desolation, and purification, Isaiah ends the chapter with a trumpet, a homecoming, and worship. The promise speaks directly to people who seem beyond recovery because exile, danger, and displacement have scattered them far from Jerusalem. Their return depends first on God's summons, and its goal is the worship of the LORD.
Isaiah 27:13 promises that God will summon Israelites scattered to Assyria and Egypt, even those near perishing or cast out, and bring them to worship the LORD on his holy mount at Jerusalem.
The Context of Isaiah 27:13
Isaiah 27 opens with the Lord's victory over Leviathan and then sings of a vineyard that the Lord himself waters and keeps. Israel is promised root, blossom, and fruit, while correction is described as measured and aimed at removing sin and idolatry. Verses 10-11 portray judgment and desolation for a people without understanding. In verse 12, the Lord promises to gather the children of Israel one by one from the Euphrates region to the stream of Egypt. Verse 13 gives the climactic image: a great trumpet sounds, the scattered come from Assyria and Egypt, and worship is restored at Jerusalem.
What Does Isaiah 27:13 Mean?
"In that day" looks to the time of the Lord's decisive action already announced throughout the chapter. The "great trumpet" is a public summons that reaches beyond ordinary human means of return. Those who answer are described with tender precision. Some were "ready to perish" in Assyria, a phrase that recognizes extremity and vulnerability; others were "outcasts" in Egypt, people driven away from their place. Isaiah does not portray them as returning by their own strength alone. The trumpet is blown, they come, and their journey ends at the holy mount in Jerusalem. The final action is worship of the LORD, the covenant purpose of their gathering.
The verse completes the movement from scattered branches and a desolate city to a people gathered one by one. Assyria and Egypt name lands associated in Israel's Scriptures with threat, displacement, and bondage. Isaiah's promise reaches those in both directions, showing that no place of scattering lies beyond the Lord's call. The gathering is also morally and spiritually shaped by the chapter. Verses 8-9 have spoken of measured discipline and the removal of sin, while verse 5 offered peace with God. Restored worship in Jerusalem is therefore the fitting conclusion: people brought back to the Lord are brought back to honor him in the place his holy mount signifies.
Jesus uses trumpet imagery when speaking of the gathering of his elect from the four winds, an explicit later biblical echo of the Lord's final gathering work. Isaiah's immediate promise remains rooted in the return of scattered Israelites to worship at Jerusalem. Yet its pattern reaches outward in the Bible: God hears those who are lost, endangered, and far away, gathers his people, and makes worship the goal of rescue. The verse lets us see salvation as more than escape from peril. The gathered are given a place among worshipers before the LORD, with their lives oriented again toward his holiness and praise.
Bible Verses Related to Isaiah 27:13
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
- Isaiah 11:11-12
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.”
- Isaiah 27:12
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
- Matthew 24:31
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Where Isaiah 27:13 Echoes in Scripture
Matthew 24:31 strongly echoes Isaiah 27:13 by joining a great trumpet with the gathering of God's chosen from every direction. Jesus' words use the prophetic image of divine summons and gathering. Isaiah specifically names those scattered in Assyria and Egypt and brings them to worship in Jerusalem; Matthew extends the image within Jesus' teaching about the coming of the Son of man and the gathering of his elect.
How to Apply Isaiah 27:13 Today
This promise gives hope for people whose circumstances make them feel far away, displaced, forgotten, or close to collapse. We can bring such names and places before God in prayer, trusting that his call reaches farther than our sight. It also gives worship a central place in our hopes for restoration. When God gathers and restores, he forms a people who turn toward him together. In ordinary life, we can welcome those who have been isolated, pray for scattered families and communities, and make room for shared worship that remembers the Lord as the one who gathers.
Reflection & Prayer
Who comes to mind when we hear of those ready to perish or cast out, and how might we carry them before the Lord this week? Pray: "LORD, sound your gathering call among those far away and in distress. Draw us into faithful worship, and make us ready to welcome those you bring near."