Isaiah 9:14 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Isaiah 9:15 The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Isaiah 9:16 For they that lead this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "jehovah", "israel", "head", "tail", "palm-branch", and "rush". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Yet the people have not turned unto..." into verse 15's "The elder and the honorable man he...", so "therefore" and "jehovah" 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 "therefore" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.