Isaiah 1:9 (LSB)

Passage

Unless Yahweh of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:7 Your land is desolate; Your cities are burned with fire; Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

Isaiah 1:8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.

Isaiah 1:9 Unless Yahweh of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.

Isaiah 1:10 Hear the word of Yahweh, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah.

Isaiah 1:11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says Yahweh. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats I take no pleasure.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "unless", "yahweh", "hosts", "left", "survivors", "like", and "sodom". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "unless" and "yahweh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "The daughter of Zion is left like..." into verse 10's "Hear the word of Yahweh You rulers...", so "unless" and "yahweh" 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 "unless" and "yahweh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.