Isaiah 9 20

Isaiah 9:20 kjv

And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:

Isaiah 9:20 nkjv

And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.

Isaiah 9:20 niv

On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring:

Isaiah 9:20 esv

They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm,

Isaiah 9:20 nlt

They will attack their neighbor on the right
but will still be hungry.
They will devour their neighbor on the left
but will not be satisfied.
In the end they will even eat their own children.

Isaiah 9 verses

Isaiah 9 20 meaning

Isaiah 9:20 describes the dire state of the Northern Kingdom of Israel under divine judgment, where internal conflict consumes the people. The prominent tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, representing the divided nation, metaphorically "devour" each other, indicating intense internecine strife, social exploitation, and political chaos. Paradoxically, this internal, self-destructive animosity coalesces into a unified, aggressive stance directed against their kinsmen in the Southern Kingdom, Judah. This verse paints a vivid picture of a society tearing itself apart from within due to unfaithfulness, eventually channeling its destructive energy outwards in misguided conflict.

Isaiah 9 20 Context

Isaiah 9:20 is situated within a larger oracle (9:8–10:4) specifically directed against the Northern Kingdom of Israel (often identified as Ephraim) due to its stubborn unfaithfulness and persistent rebellion against God. The immediate preceding verses (9:18-19) describe widespread wickedness consuming the land like fire, leading to a state where "no one spares his brother" and "every man devours the flesh of his own arm" because they remain hungry and unsatiated. This vivid imagery sets the stage for verse 20's specific manifestation of internal conflict.

Historically, this prophecy points to the turbulent period in the late 8th century BC, specifically during the Syro-Ephraimite War (c. 734-732 BC). At this time, the Northern Kingdom was politically unstable, with rapid succession of kings and deep internal divisions. Despite being God's covenant people, Israel rejected His discipline and continued in sin. The alliance of Aram (Syria) and Ephraim (Israel) against Judah, described in Isa 7, highlights the external aggression mentioned in 9:20. Ultimately, these internal and external pressures, exacerbated by Assyrian expansion under Tiglath-Pileser III, led to the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC. The internal 'devouring' in v.20 points to the civil unrest, exploitation, and moral decay that weakened Israel, making it vulnerable and ripe for divine judgment.

Isaiah 9 20 Word analysis

• מְנַשֶּׁה (M'nasheh) / Manasseh: Refers to the Israelite tribe descended from Joseph's eldest son. Geographically, it represented significant northern and transjordan territories of the Northern Kingdom. In this context, it symbolizes a part of the greater Israelite nation.
• אֶת־אֶפְרַיִם (et-Efrayim) / Ephraim: Refers to the tribe descended from Joseph's second son. Ephraim became the most powerful and populous tribe in the Northern Kingdom, often synonymous with the entire kingdom itself. Its capital, Samaria, was in Ephraimite territory.
  • Word group "Manasseh will devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh": This phrase graphically illustrates reciprocal and intense internal conflict. The Hebrew doesn't explicitly repeat the verb "devour," but it is implied from the preceding verse (9:19, "every man devours the flesh of his own arm"). It depicts a self-destructive cycle of mutual exploitation, civil war, rapacious greed, or desperate action born of famine and judgment. It means that the constituent parts of Israel, instead of uniting, were tearing each other apart. This wasn't merely a political disagreement but a profound societal cannibalization, signifying total breakdown.
• יַחְדָּו (yachdav) / together: This adverb emphasizes a united action. Despite their earlier mutual destruction, a perverse unity is achieved when they focus their animosity outwards.
• הֵמָּה (hemmah) / they: A pronoun specifying Manasseh and Ephraim, now acting in concert.
• עַל־יְהוּדָה ('al-Y'hudah) / against Judah: The preposition 'al implies hostility and direct opposition. Judah refers to the Southern Kingdom, the descendant line of David, with Jerusalem as its capital. It was Israel's kinsmen, a brother nation with whom they shared a covenant history, albeit divided for centuries.
  • Word group "together they will be against Judah": This shows the culmination of internal decay. The fratricidal conflict between Ephraim and Manasseh ceases (or is put aside) as they find a common enemy in Judah. This happened historically during the Syro-Ephraimite War, where Israel and Syria attacked Judah. This unity in aggression against a kinsman represents the deep spiritual corruption and disregard for covenant ties within the Northern Kingdom.

Isaiah 9 20 Bonus section

• Echoes of Covenant Curses: The imagery of "devouring" and internal strife resonates deeply with the covenant curses in Lev 26 and Deut 28, which warn of severe social disintegration, famine, and even cannibalism as consequences for rejecting God's laws and covenants. Isaiah draws on this established biblical theology of judgment.
• The Unnatural Alliance: The alliance against Judah is particularly perverse. Historically, both Israel and Judah shared Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. To turn on Judah in this way underscored the complete breakdown of their shared heritage and identity as God's chosen people, prioritizing political expediency and hostility over divine covenant and kinship.
• Prophetic Fulfillment and Warning: The immediate fulfillment of this prophecy occurred with the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria (722 BC), where their internal weakness contributed significantly to their demise. However, the verse also serves as a timeless warning against any nation or group, especially those claiming a covenant relationship with God, allowing internal divisions, selfishness, and unrighteousness to consume them, eventually leading to their ruin and misdirected conflict.

Isaiah 9 20 Commentary

Isaiah 9:20 delivers a powerful depiction of a nation utterly consumed by the consequences of its own unrighteousness. Under the hand of divine judgment, the Northern Kingdom of Israel (represented by its leading tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh) devolved into a state of internecine "devouring." This is not necessarily literal cannibalism, though the preceding verse's "eating the flesh of his own arm" and biblical curses of famine might hint at desperate measures. More likely, it metaphorically signifies rampant social exploitation, relentless internal political strife, tribal factionalism, and economic injustice, where countrymen brutally undermine and consume one another for personal or factional gain. The outcome is a self-inflicted wound, leaving the nation weakened and unstable.

Yet, in a striking paradox, this internal strife resolves into external aggression: the very factions that were consuming each other unite in opposition to their kin, Judah. This highlights the deep spiritual depravity: even in their disarray, Israel finds common ground not in repentance or returning to God, but in an alliance of animosity against a neighboring brother nation, mirroring the historical context of the Syro-Ephraimite War. The verse profoundly illustrates that a people forsaking God descends into a destructive cycle where self-cannibalization and misplaced external aggression become its hallmarks, proving the biblical principle that "there is no peace for the wicked." It warns against the corrosive power of sin to turn brothers into destroyers, ultimately undermining a society from within and without.