Isaiah 9:20 (LSB)

Passage

They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry, And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:18 For wickedness burns like a fire; It consumes briars and thorns; It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame, And they roll upward in a column of smoke.

Isaiah 9:19 By the fury of Yahweh of hosts the land is burned up, And the people are like fuel for the fire; No man spares his brother.

Isaiah 9:20 They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry, And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.

Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, And together they are against Judah. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn back, And His hand is still stretched out.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "slice", "right", "hand", "still", "hungry", "left", and "satisfied". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "slice" and "right", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "By the fury of Yahweh of hosts..." into verse 21's "Manasseh devours Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh And...", so "slice" and "right" 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 "slice" and "right" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.