Isaiah 9:13 (YLT)

Passage

And the people hath not turned back unto Him who is smiting it, And Jehovah of Hosts they have not sought.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:11 And Jehovah setteth the adversaries of Rezin on high above him, And his enemies he joineth together,

Isaiah 9:12 Aram from before, and Philistia from behind, And they devour Israel with the whole mouth. With all this not turned back hath His anger, And still His hand is stretched out.

Isaiah 9:13 And the people hath not turned back unto Him who is smiting it, And Jehovah of Hosts they have not sought.

Isaiah 9:14 And Jehovah cutteth off from Israel head and tail, Branch and reed--the same day,

Isaiah 9:15 Elder, and accepted of face, he <FI>is<Fi> the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he <FI>is<Fi> the tail.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "hath", "turned", "back", "smiting", "jehovah", "hosts", and "sought". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Aram from before and Philistia from behind..." into verse 14's "And Jehovah cutteth off from Israel head...", so "people" and "hath" 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 "people" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.