Isaiah 9:12
in Isaiah 9Aram from the east and Philistia from the west have devoured Israel with open mouths. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
KJV
The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
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This verse in Isaiah 9
Commentary
12 notes on this verseWith open mouth “On every side” - בכל פה bechol peh, in every corner, in every part of their country, pursuing them to the remotest extremities, and the most retired parts. So the Chaldee בכל אתר bechol athar, in every place.
This site's exposition
raised up the foes of Rezin
on Isaiah 9:11-12
The Lord raises "the foes of Rezin," and "Aram from the east and Philistia from the west" devour Israel together. Verse 12 closes with the refrain, "His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised," which recurs four times. Each stanza ends with the threat still standing.
This site's exposition
Aram from the east and Philistia from the west
Aram had been Israel's ally against Judah in 7:1. Barnes thought it probable that after the death of Rezin the Arameans joined the Assyrian invasion of Samaria. The refrain at the end of this verse returns in 9:17, 9:21 and 10:4.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Chapter IX - (Verses 8 onwards) The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, the attack of persecution: and the Lord will lead the Syrians, who were friends, from the east, according to the location of their land, and the Philistines from the west, who attacked Judah, and they shall devour Israel, they shall destroy, with their whole …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Syrians - For though Rezin, king of Syria was destroyed, yet the body of the nation survived, and submitted themselves to the king of Assyria, and upon his command invaded Israel afterwards. Before - Hebrew. on the east: for Syria stood eastward from Israel.
The Philistines were not now looked upon as formidable enemies, and the Syrians were looked upon as firm friends; and yet these shall devour Israel. When men's ways displease the Lord he makes even their friends to be at war with them. God would take from the midst of them those they confided in and promised themselves help from,
The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The reason why the judgments of God are prolonged is because the point is not gained, sinners are not brought to repentance by them. The people turn not to him that smites them, and therefore he continues to smite them; for when God judges he will overcome, and the proudest stoutest sinner shall either bend or break.
Note, When enemies are set up, and joined in confederacy against a people, God's hand must be acknowledged in it. Note further, Those that partake with each other in sin, as Syria and Israel in invading Judah, must expect to share in the punishment of sin.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Jer 35:11), [ABEN EZRA, GESENIUS]. HORSLEY less probably takes "Syrians before," as the Syrians to the east, that is, not Rezin's subjects, but the Assyrians: "Aram" being the common name of Syrians and Assyrians. Philistines--of Palestine. behind--from the west: in marking the points of the compass, Orientalists face the east, which is before them: the west is behind.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The Syrians - Isa 7:1. The Syrians had been the allies of the Israelites. But after the death of Rezin, it is probable that they joined the Assyrians, and united with them in the invasion of Samaria. - Aben Ezra; Grotius. “Before.” Hebrew ‘From the east.’ Syria was situated to the east of Samaria, and the meaning is here, that they would pour in upon Samaria from that side. And the Philistines - The Philistines occupied the country southwest of Samaria, lying along on the shores of the Mediterranean. It is not particularly mentioned in the Scriptures that they invaded Samaria after this prediction of Isaiah, but such a thing is by no means improbable. They were long unsubdued; were full of hostility to the Jewish people; and were many times engaged with them in wars and several times subdued them; Judg. 13; 14; 2Ch 28:18. The name Palestine is derived from Philistine, although this people occupied but a small part of the country; see Reland’s Palestine, c. vii. Behind - That is, from the west - the region where they dwelt. The sacred writers speak as if looking toward the east, the rising sun, and they speak of the west as the region behind them; see the notes at Job 23:8-9. And they shall devour - Hebrew, ‘They shall eat.’ This figure is taken from a ravenous beast; and means that they should come up with raging desires, and fierce impetuosity, to destroy the nation. With open mouth - Hebrew, ‘With the whole mouth.’ The metaphor is derived from raging and furious animals. Chaldee, ‘In every place.’ For all this - Notwithstanding all this. His anger ... - see the note at Isa 5:25.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
to the One Who smites it To the Holy One, blessed be He, Who brings these afflictions upon them.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Aram from the east Aram harmed them from the east in the days of Jehoahaz and Joash, and the Philistines harmed them from the west, for the Philistines are west of them.
a large arch and a small arch An expression denoting kings and sultans.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲרָ֣ם | ʾaram | Aram | H758 → | 143 times |
| מִקֶּ֗דֶם | mikedem | from [the] east | H6924 → | 87 times |
| וּפְלִשְׁתִּים֙ | ufelishtim | and Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| מֵֽאָח֔וֹר | meachor | from [the] west | H268 → | 41 times |
| וַיֹּאכְל֥וּ | vaiyokhelu | and they consumed | H398 → | 810 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | with all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| פֶּ֑ה | peh | [the] mouth | H6310 → | 498 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | for all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| זֹאת֙ | zot | this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁ֣ב | shav | it has turned back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אַפּ֔וֹ | ʾapo | anger his | H639 → | 276 times |
| וְע֖וֹד | veod | and still | H5750 → | 490 times |
| יָד֥וֹ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| נְטוּיָֽה׃ | netuyah | [is] stretched out | H5186 → | 214 times |
אֲרָ֣םAram
ʾaramH758 →143 times
מִקֶּ֗דֶםfrom [the] east
mikedemH6924 →87 times
וּפְלִשְׁתִּים֙and Philistines
ufelishtimH6430 →287 times
מֵֽאָח֔וֹרfrom [the] west
meachorH268 →41 times
וַיֹּאכְל֥וּand they consumed
vaiyokheluH398 →810 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
בְּכָל־with all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
פֶּ֑ה[the] mouth
pehH6310 →498 times
בְּכָל־for all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
זֹאת֙this
zotH2063 →603 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
שָׁ֣בit has turned back
shavH7725 →1056 times
אַפּ֔וֹanger his
ʾapoH639 →276 times
וְע֖וֹדand still
veodH5750 →490 times
יָד֥וֹhand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
נְטוּיָֽה׃[is] stretched out
netuyahH5186 →214 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 5:25Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all…
it leads to
- Isaiah 10:4
Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- Isaiah 9:21
Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- 2 Kings 9:37
And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”
- Isaiah 9:17
Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite…
- Jeremiah 4:24
I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were quaking; all the hills were swaying.
- Isaiah 10:4
Through
2 Kings 16:6At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram, drove out the men of Judah, and sent the Edomites into Elath, where they live to this day.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 14:22
Azariah was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his fathers.
- 2 Kings 14:22
Through
2 Chronicles 28:18The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 16:57
before your wickedness was uncovered? Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom and all those around her, and by the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you.
- Ezekiel 16:57
Through
Psalms 79:7for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:34–35
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies…
- Jeremiah 51:34–35
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Isaiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.