Isaiah 9:20 (YLT)

Passage

And cutteth down on the right, and hath been hungry, And he devoureth on the left, And they have not been satisfied, Each the flesh of his own arm they devour.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:18 For burned as a fire hath wickedness, Brier and thorn it devoureth, And it kindleth in thickets of the forest, And they lift themselves up, an exaltation of smoke!

Isaiah 9:19 In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts Hath the land been consumed, And the people is as fuel of fire; A man on his brother hath no pity,

Isaiah 9:20 And cutteth down on the right, and hath been hungry, And he devoureth on the left, And they have not been satisfied, Each the flesh of his own arm they devour.

Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh--Ephraim, and Ephraim--Manasseh, Together they <FI>are<Fi> against Judah, With all this not turned back hath His anger. And still His hand is stretched out!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cutteth", "down", "right", "hath", "been", "hungry", "devoureth", and "left". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cutteth" and "down", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts..." into verse 21's "Manasseh--Ephraim and Ephraim--Manasseh Together they FI are...", so "cutteth" and "down" 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 "cutteth" and "down" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.