Isaiah 9:12

12 Arameans from the east have opened their mouths and swallowed Israel up. So have Philistines from the west. Even then, the LORD is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.

Isaiah 9:12 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 9:12

The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind
Rezin, king of Syria, the confederate of the Israelites, being slain, his people joined the Assyrians against Israel; and they, with others mentioned, beset them on all sides, before and behind, east and west; and so the Targum, Septuagint, and other versions, render it, the Syrians on the east, or from the rising of the sun; and the Philistines on the west, or from the setting of the sun; for, as Kimchi observes, Syria lay east of the land of Israel, and Palestine on the West ^F2: and they shall devour Israel with open mouth:
greedily and presently; make, as it were, but one morsel of him: for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand [is]
stretched out still;
that is, the anger of God, that was not turned away; he had not yet stirred up all his wrath, he had not done with them, he had still other judgments to bring upon them; and his hand continued to be stretched out to inflict them, seeing they were not brought to repentance by what was already done unto them; so the Targum,

``for all this they do not return from their sins, that he may turn away his anger from them, but still retain their sins; and yet his stroke will be to take vengeance on them.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 So Noldius renders it, Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 10. No. 69.

Isaiah 9:12 In-Context

10 "The brick buildings have fallen down. But we will rebuild them with blocks of stone. The fig trees have been chopped down. But we'll plant cedar trees in place of them."

11 In spite of that, the LORD has made Rezin's enemies stronger. He has stirred up Assyria to fight against Israel.

12 Arameans from the east have opened their mouths and swallowed Israel up. So have Philistines from the west. Even then, the LORD is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.

13 But his people have not returned to the One who struck them down. They haven't turned for help to the LORD who rules over all.

14 So he will cut off from Israel heads and tails alike. In a single day he will cut off palm branches and tall grass alike. The palm branches are the people who rule over others. The tall grass is the people who bow down to them.