Isaiah 1:9 (YLT)

Passage

Unless Jehovah of Hosts had left to us a remnant, Shortly--as Sodom we had been, To Gomorrah we had been like!

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:7 Your land <FI>is<Fi> a desolation, your cities burnt with fire, Your ground, before you strangers are consuming it, And a desolation as overthrown by strangers!

Isaiah 1:8 And left hath been the daughter of Zion, As a booth in a vineyard, As a lodge in a place of cucumbers--as a city besieged.

Isaiah 1:9 Unless Jehovah of Hosts had left to us a remnant, Shortly--as Sodom we had been, To Gomorrah we had been like!

Isaiah 1:10 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye rulers of Sodom, Give ear to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah,

Isaiah 1:11 `Why to Me the abundance of your sacrifices? saith Jehovah, I have been satiated <FI>with<Fi> burnt-offerings of rams, And fat of fatlings; And blood of bullocks, and lambs, And he-goats I have not desired.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "unless", "jehovah", "hosts", "left", "remnant", "shortly--as", "sodom", and "been". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "unless" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And left hath been the daughter of..." into verse 10's "Hear the word of Jehovah ye rulers...", so "unless" 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 "unless" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.