I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God declares His fury isn't for His people, but He wishes for adversaries like thorns and briers so He can battle and destroy them. This reveals His strong desire to fight for His vineyard, not against it, eager to demonstrate His power against any who threaten His beloved.
I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In this passage, God, speaking as a protective owner of a vineyard, addresses the impending threat of his people's enemies. He declares that his anger has passed, and if these adversaries dare to attack, he longs for the chance to utterly destroy them, like burning thorns and briers. However, he then pivots to offer a way out: reconciliation and peace for those who would turn to him and grasp his strength.
Why would God wish for a fight? Discover the surprising intensity of God's love, even when His people falter.
The verse opens with a striking statement: "Fury is not in me." This isn't a declaration of indifference, but a profound insight into God's heart. While God does experience righteous anger towards sin, His primary disposition toward His people, His "vineyard," is not wrath. Instead, He poses a rhetorical question: 'Who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle?' This highlights that His desire isn't to fight them, but to fight for them. The briers and thorns represent His enemies. God is essentially saying, 'If these enemies dare to attack my people, I am more than ready to deal with them. My true desire is not to unleash fury upon my chosen ones, but to protect and defend them.' This reveals a passionate, protective love that even yearns for the opportunity to defeat His people's enemies.
What do 'briers and thorns' symbolize in Scripture, and why would God want them in battle?
The imagery of "briers and thorns" is potent in the Bible. They represent things that are wild, destructive, and useless for good fruit – the opposite of a cultivated vineyard. In this context, these are clearly symbolic of God's enemies, those who oppose His people and His purposes. God's rhetorical question, 'Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!', is a powerful expression of His readiness and eagerness to confront and destroy these hostile forces. He sees them as insignificant obstacles that He can easily overcome. His desire to 'burn them up together' signifies a complete and utter annihilation of all opposition. This isn't a casual skirmish; it's a decisive victory where His power is fully unleashed against those who threaten His people.
Ask a follow-up
Understand the original words
chemah · Hebrew Noun
God’s righteous displeasure and settled opposition toward sin and rebellion, which is satisfied in those who turn to Him.
This passage offers a powerful message of God's enduring love and eventual restoration, spoken to a people experiencing the devastating consequences of exile. Despite their unfaithfulness, symbolized by thorns and briers, God assures them His fury is not their ultimate end, but rather a means to eventual healing and renewed growth.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event significantly weakens the broader Israelite nation and serves as a major prophetic warning.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, besieging Jerusalem. While Jerusalem is miraculously spared, the surrounding cities are devastated, intensifying fear and uncertainty for the southern kingdom.
597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
The Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II deports King Jehoiachin and many prominent citizens from Judah to Babylon, signaling the decline of the southern kingdom.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar II destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the remaining population to Babylon. This marks the end of the Davidic monarchy and a period of profound national trauma.
c. 540 BC
Prophecies of Restoration
Isaiah's prophecies, including the imagery of a restored vineyard and God's enduring love, are being proclaimed to a people in exile, offering hope for future redemption and rebuilding.
This passage uses a similar metaphor of God dealing with unproductive growth, stating that trees not bearing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire, mirroring God's willingness to consume the 'thorns and briers'.
Hebrews 12:29This verse describes God as a 'consuming fire,' echoing the imagery of Isaiah 27:4 where God declares he would 'burn them up together,' highlighting the intense power God possesses against opposition.
Isaiah 5:6This earlier passage in Isaiah also uses the imagery of a vineyard, where God initially planted it hoping for good fruit but found only wild grapes, leading to its destruction. Isaiah 27:4 continues this theme by describing how God *would* deal with such unproductive 'thorns and briers' if they dared to oppose Him.
Luke 19:27In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus states that the enemies who did not want him to reign should be brought and slain before him. This echoes the sentiment in Isaiah 27:4 of God bringing His enemies before Him to be utterly destroyed.
bensonIsaiah 27:4: "Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together."
Isaiah 27:4-5 . Fury is not in me — Namely, against my vineyard or my people; I have been displeased with them, and have chastized them, but I am not implacable toward them, and resolved utterly to destroy them, as their enemies are. Who would set the briers and thorns against me, &c. — Yet if any hypocrite in the church, false professor, or wilful sin…
clarkeIsaiah 27:4: "Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together."
Fury is not in me "I have no wall" - For חמה chemah, anger, the Septuagint and Syriac read חומה chomah, wall. An ancient MS. has חימה cheimah. For בה bad, in her, two MSS. read בם bam, in them, plural. The vineyard wishes for a wall and a fence of thorns - human strength and protection, (as the Jews were too apt to apply to their powerful neighbor…
God declares His fury isn't for His people, but He wishes for adversaries like thorns and briers so He can battle and destroy them. This reveals His strong desire to fight for His vineyard, not against it, eager to demonstrate His power against any who threaten His beloved.
In this passage, God, speaking as a protective owner of a vineyard, addresses the impending threat of his people's enemies. He declares that his anger has passed, and if these adversaries dare to attack, he longs for the chance to utterly destroy them, like burning thorns and briers. However, he then pivots to offer a way out: reconciliation and peace for those who would turn to him and grasp his strength.
In this passage, God, speaking as a protective owner of a vineyard, addresses the impending threat of his people's enemies. He declares that his anger has passed, and if these adversaries dare to attack, he longs for the chance to utterly destroy them, like burning thorns and briers. However, he then pivots to offer a way out: reconciliation and peace for those who would turn to him and grasp his strength.
"I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together." — God declares His fury isn't for His people, but He wishes for adversaries like thorns and briers so He can battle and destroy them. This reveals His strong desire to fight for His vineyard, not a…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026