Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

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,
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 :
NASB They devour what is on the right hand but are still hungry, And they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.
CSB They carve meat on the right, but they are still hungry; they have eaten on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one eats the flesh of his own arm.
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.
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:
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.

What does Isaiah 9:20 mean?

The destructive power of sin is a terrible force. Isaiah has used fire as a metaphor to show how godlessness and immorality spread and grow in power. That trend eventually burns everything in its path and leads to more burning in the form of God's wrath (Isaiah 9:18–19). Now Isaiah, subtly changes metaphors to describes sin as a way of devouring other people. A few commentators suggest this is a reference to actual cannibalism in Israel. In this interpretation, this could have been the result of enemy sieges cutting off food supplies. More likely, though, Isaiah is describing the appetite for sin.

Sin is never satisfied. Even when it destroys others. The more the appetite is fed, the more it grows, like a fire burning out of control (James 3:5; Psalm 83:14). We destroy ourselves and everyone within reach to feed our want for wickedness. This endless, unchecked feast of evil is why God's destruction was coming on Israel.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit