Isaiah 9:12 (ASV)

Passage

the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:10 The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone; the sycomores are cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.

Isaiah 9:11 Therefore Jehovah will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies,

Isaiah 9:12 the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 9:13 Yet the people have not turned unto him that smote them, neither have they sought Jehovah of hosts.

Isaiah 9:14 Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "syrians", "before", "philistines", "behind", "shall", "devour", "israel", and "open". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "syrians" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Therefore Jehovah will set up on high..." into verse 13's "Yet the people have not turned unto...", so "syrians" and "before" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "syrians" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.