For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The "strange work" and "strange act" aren't strange because God delights in judgment, but because this time, the judgment is against His own people. It's a departure from His usual pattern of defending them, highlighting the severity of their sin and the unusual measure God must take.
For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work!
English Standard Version (ESV)
In the preceding verses, Isaiah has been denouncing the drunken leaders of Jerusalem who feel secure in their false alliances and deceitful plans, believing they have made a pact with death itself. Now, the prophet shifts to describe the swift and terrible judgment that God is about to bring upon them, referencing past battles where God intervened decisively for His people. This verse sets the stage for God's judgment, which will be both familiar in its power and deeply unsettling in its target.
Why would Isaiah recall ancient battles when warning Jerusalem about future disaster?
Isaiah invokes two specific historical moments when God powerfully intervened:
By referencing these well-known triumphs, Isaiah reminds his audience that God has a history of acting decisively for His people. However, he immediately pivots, revealing that God's coming action will be a reversal of these past interventions. Instead of defeating foreign enemies for Israel, God will act against Israel with similar overwhelming force.
What makes God's 'deed' and 'work' so 'strange' and 'alien'?
The core of this verse's shock value lies in the description of God's actions as 'strange' and 'alien.' This isn't because God is doing something new in principle (He judges sin), but because of who the target is:
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Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God, revealed to Israel, signifying His self-existence, eternal nature, and faithfulness to His promises.
This verse powerfully contrasts God's past interventions to save His people with a future, 'strange' work of judgment against them. The references to David's victories at Perazim and Gibeon highlight God's power to break enemies, but here, that same power is invoked to describe His wrath against His own unfaithful people, a concept that would have been deeply unsettling to Isaiah's audience.
~1010 BC
David's Victory at Baal-Perazim
King David, with God's direct help, decisively defeated the Philistines at Baal-Perazim, a place near Jerusalem. This victory was so complete that David named the place 'Perazim', meaning 'breaches', because God had broken through his enemies like a flood.
~1010 BC
David's Victory at Gibeon
Shortly after the victory at Baal-Perazim, David again led his forces against the Philistines, this time in the Valley of Gibeon, achieving another significant triumph.
Late 8th Century BC
Prophecies of Assyrian Threat
Isaiah had been prophesying for decades about the looming threat of the Assyrian Empire against both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting its inhabitants. This event served as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of unfaithfulness.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
Under King Hezekiah, Judah faced a massive invasion by Assyrian forces led by Sennacherib. Jerusalem itself was besieged, but miraculously spared from destruction by divine intervention.
This passage describes David's victory at Baal-Perazim, a direct historical reference Isaiah uses to illustrate God's power and swift judgment.
1 Chronicles 14:11This account also details the victory at Baal-Perazim, reinforcing the historical context and emphasizing God's intervention on David's behalf against the Philistines.
Joshua 10:10While commentators debate whether Isaiah refers to Joshua's victory or David's, this passage describes God's intervention at Gibeon against the Amorites, illustrating divine power in battle.
Isaiah 10:5-6This section speaks of God using the Assyrians as his 'rod' to punish Israel, echoing the theme of God using foreign nations in His judgment, though Isaiah 28:21 highlights the 'strangeness' of this for his own people.
Jeremiah 5:16Jeremiah echoes Isaiah's lament about God's judgment against His people by describing the 'arrow of the Lord' and the 'destruction' to come, further emphasizing the severity and divine origin of the coming wrath.
cambridgeIsaiah 28:21: "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."
21 . The “strangeness” of Jehovah’s work ( Isaiah 5:12 , Isaiah 10:12 ) consists in his fighting with the foreigners against his own people. The historical allusions are to David’s victories over the Philistines in the vicinity of Jerusalem; see 2 Samuel 5:20 f.; 1 Chronicles 14:11 f. (Baal-Perazim);…
clarkeIsaiah 28:21: "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."
As in Mount Perazim - כהר kehar; but בהר bahar, In the mount, is the reading of two of Kennicott's, one of De Rossi's, and one of my own MSS.
The "strange work" and "strange act" aren't strange because God delights in judgment, but because this time, the judgment is against His own people. It's a departure from His usual pattern of defending them, highlighting the severity of their sin and the unusual measure God must take.
In the preceding verses, Isaiah has been denouncing the drunken leaders of Jerusalem who feel secure in their false alliances and deceitful plans, believing they have made a pact with death itself. Now, the prophet shifts to describe the swift and terrible judgment that God is about to bring upon them, referencing past battles where God intervened decisively for His people. This verse sets the stage for God's judgment, which will be both familiar in its power and deeply unsettling in its target.
In the preceding verses, Isaiah has been denouncing the drunken leaders of Jerusalem who feel secure in their false alliances and deceitful plans, believing they have made a pact with death itself. Now, the prophet shifts to describe the swift and terrible judgment that God is about to bring upon them, referencing past battles where God intervened decisively for His people. This verse sets the stage for God's judgment, which will be both familiar in its power and deeply unsettling in its target.
"For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work!" — The "strange work" and "strange act" aren't strange because God delights in judgment, but because this time, the judgment is against His own people. It's a departure from His usual pattern of defendi…
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Last reviewed October 2026