Isaiah 9:14 (YLT)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Isaiah 9:16 And the eulogists of this people are causing to err, And its eulogised ones are consumed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "cutteth", "israel", "head", "tail", "branch", "reed--the", and "same". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "cutteth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "And the people hath not turned back..." into verse 15's "Elder and accepted of face he FI...", so "jehovah" and "cutteth" 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 "jehovah" and "cutteth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.