Isaiah 1:27 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 1:27 mean?

Isaiah 1:27 says that Jerusalem’s rescue is tied to fair judgment and right conduct. The verse also speaks of the people who turn back to God as sharing in that rescue.

Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem by the name “Zion.” Following the promise of restored judges in verse 26, he presents the city’s future as a contrast with the injustice around him. The verse joins the city and its returning people in the same picture.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 1:27

• “redeemed” — פָּדָה (padah): This word means to rescue or release. It can describe freeing someone from a serious difficulty or from captivity.

• “judgment” — מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat): This word can mean justice or a fair decision. Here it points toward the kind of fair dealing expected from judges, not only the punishment that the English word “judgment” might suggest.

• “converts” — שׁוּב (shuv): This word carries the sense of turning or returning. The KJV’s “her converts” refers to people associated with Zion who turn back.

Why Isaiah 1:27 matters

• Fair treatment is central to the verse’s picture of Jerusalem’s future. Earlier, Isaiah accuses the city’s rulers of failing to defend orphans and hear widows’ cases (verse 23).

• “Righteousness” means doing what is right. The word stands alongside “judgment,” linking the treatment of people with the conduct of those who return.

• The promise sits beside a warning. The next verse speaks of destruction for those who rebel and forsake the Lord, drawing a contrast within the passage.