Isaiah 59:20

Turn Away Ungodliness

Doctrine shifted

Quoted by the apostles in Romans 11:26, in the older Greek wording

Side by Side

The Older Text

Septuagint, translated before Messiah

And the deliverer shall come for Sion’s sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

The Later Text

Masoretic, finished about 1,000 years after the cross

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Yahuah.

Quoted in Romans 11:26

Paul on the deliverance of Israel

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

Your KJV reads: the Hebrew in Isaiah, and the Greek wording in Romans.

See what changed and why ↓

What Your Bible Says

There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Romans 11:26–27 KJV

Paul says the Deliverer comes and turns ungodliness away from Jacob. The turning is His work. Then Yahuah speaks: “when I shall take away their sins.”

What the Jewish Bible Says

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Yahuah.
Isaiah 59:20 KJV

Here the Redeemer comes to those in Jacob who have already turned from sin. The turning is theirs, and it comes first.

Yet the same chapter has already said no one in Israel could fix the problem. Yahuah “saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him” (Isaiah 59:16). The chapter itself points to Yahuah acting first.

What Changed

The same scene, with the order reversed. In the older text the Deliverer comes and removes ungodliness from Jacob. In the later text He comes only to those who have removed it themselves.

Paul quoted the older wording to explain how Israel would be saved: not by first making themselves worthy, but by Yahuah taking away their sins.

Who Does the Turning

Yahuah says it plainly elsewhere: “there is no saviour beside me” (Hosea 13:4), and “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely” (Hosea 14:4). Deliverance begins with His act. The walk of obedience follows it. Put the order the other way and deliverance becomes a reward for the man who fixed himself first.

Which One Is Right?

The Greek Bible, translated before Messiah, says the Deliverer turns ungodliness away from Jacob.

Paul quoted that line in Romans 11.

The Masoretic text says He comes to those who turn from transgression.

Purpose of the Change

The effect of the later wording is a Redeemer who comes only to those who have already turned, which suits a religion of earning one’s place. The Greek, and Paul, make the turning Yahuah’s gift.

The Bottom Line

Paul’s Bible said the Deliverer turns ungodliness away from Jacob. Deliverance starts with Yahuah’s act, not man’s merit.

The redeemed give the credit where it belongs: “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10).

Dig Deeper The evidence, for anyone who wants it

Out of Zion?

Paul’s “out of Sion” matches neither text exactly. The Greek says “for Sion’s sake,” the Hebrew says “to Zion.” Paul may be echoing Psalm 14:7: “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!” The part about turning ungodliness away from Jacob, however, matches the Greek word for word.

Taking Away Sins

Paul’s next words, “when I shall take away their sins,” echo Isaiah 27:9: “this is all the fruit to take away his sin.” Both verses put the removal of sin in Yahuah’s hands.

The Redeemer

The Hebrew word is go’el, the kinsman who buys back what was lost. Yahuah is that Redeemer. He paid the price, and the price was His Son. The Deliverer comes from Him and does His work. Isaiah 59 opens the same way: “Yahuah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save” (Isaiah 59:1).

An Honest Note

Scripture does call men to turn: “Come, and let us return unto Yahuah” (Hosea 6:1). The question is not whether men turn, but what comes first. The Hebrew phrase here is short, and the Greek may reflect a different Hebrew copy or a freer rendering. That cannot be proven either way. What can be shown is which wording Paul trusted to explain Israel’s deliverance.