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.

ISAIAH 28:21KJV
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Isaiah 28:21 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 28:21 mean?

Isaiah 28:21 warns that the LORD is about to act against the people of Judah. Isaiah compares the coming judgment to earlier battles in which the LORD fought for his people. The surprising turn is that the people who once benefited from his power now face it themselves.

Isaiah speaks to the leaders of Jerusalem, whom he has accused of trusting a false sense of safety. His words follow the warning in verse 20 that their shelter is too small to protect them.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 28:21

  • “strange” — זָר (zar): This word can mean foreign or unfamiliar. Applied to the LORD’s “work,” it gives a sense of an action that seems unexpected.
  • “strange” — נָכְרִי (nokhri): This second word can also mean foreign or unfamiliar. The KJV uses “strange” for both Hebrew words, reinforcing the surprise in the phrase “his strange act.”
  • “wroth” — רָגַז (ragaz): This word can carry the sense of trembling or agitation, as well as anger. Here the KJV presents the LORD as stirred to anger, ready to act.

Why Isaiah 28:21 matters

  • The place names recall victories associated with the LORD’s help. At Mount Perazim, David defeated the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17–20); at Gibeon, the LORD helped Israel’s forces against their enemies (Joshua 10:10–11).
  • The warning is aimed at people who expect safety, not at a distant enemy. Earlier in the passage, Jerusalem’s leaders boast that an approaching disaster will not reach them (Isaiah 28:14–15).
  • The following warning makes clear that Isaiah is calling for the leaders to take the threat seriously. Verse 22 tells them to stop mocking, because he has heard of destruction decreed for the whole land.

Where else these words appear

“Gibeon” Hebrew H1391 · used in 35 verses

  • Joshua 9:3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
  • Joshua 18:25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
  • 1 Chronicles 8:29 And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife's name was Maachah:

“wroth” Hebrew H7264 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 45:24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
  • Psalms 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
  • Isaiah 32:11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.

“strange” Hebrew H5237 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 31:15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.
  • 1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
  • Proverbs 2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

“valley” Hebrew H6010 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 14:3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
  • Judges 7:1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
  • Job 39:10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?