Isaiah 9:12 (GNV)

Passage

Aram before and the Philistims behinde, and they shall deuoure Israel with open mouth: yet for all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:10 The brickes are fallen, but we will build it with hewen stones: the wilde figge trees are cut downe, but we will change them into ceders.

Isaiah 9:11 Neuerthelesse the Lord will raise vp the aduersaries of Rezin against him, and ioyne his enemies together.

Isaiah 9:12 Aram before and the Philistims behinde, and they shall deuoure Israel with open mouth: yet for all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 9:13 For the people turneth not vnto him that smiteth them, neither doe they seeke the Lord of hostes.

Isaiah 9:14 Therefore will the Lord cut off from Israel head and taile, branche and rush in one day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "aram", "before", "philistims", "behinde", "shall", "deuoure", "israel", and "open". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "aram" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Neuerthelesse the Lord will raise vp the..." into verse 13's "For the people turneth not vnto him...", so "aram" 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 "aram" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.