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:
and he
Isaiah 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
Leviticus 26:26-29 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied…
Jeremiah 19:9 And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.
snatch.
they eat what is on the left, but they are still not satisfied.
The repetition of the action, now on the left, emphasizes the pervasive nature of their dissatisfaction. This can be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual state of the nation, where despite their efforts to find satisfaction in various ways, they remain unfulfilled. This reflects the broader biblical principle that only God can truly satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart, as seen in passages like Psalm 107:9, which speaks of God satisfying the longing soul. Historically, this could also allude to the dire conditions during the Assyrian invasions, where even basic necessities were scarce.
Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring.
This shocking imagery is a hyperbolic expression of the extreme consequences of sin and judgment. It may be understood literally, as cannibalism was a horrific reality during extreme sieges, as recorded in 2 Kings 6:28-29 during the siege of Samaria. Symbolically, it represents the self-destructive nature of sin, where individuals harm their own families and communities in their pursuit of survival or satisfaction. This phrase also serves as a stark warning of the depths to which humanity can fall when it turns away from God. In a prophetic sense, it highlights the need for a savior, pointing to the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who offers true life and satisfaction.
“They slice meat on the right but still go hungry” (Isaiah 9:20a).
• The picture is of people hacking away at whatever is nearest, urgently grabbing resources.
• This frantic self-reliance parallels Isaiah 5:8, where greedy land-grabbing brings judgment.
• It is the same desperate spirit God warns about in Micah 6:14: “You will eat but not be satisfied.”
• The scene anticipates the chaos of siege conditions (2 Kings 25:3), when food becomes scarce and every scrap on the “right” side is snatched.
• No matter how much they seize, emptiness remains (Leviticus 26:26; Proverbs 27:20).
• God’s curse for covenant rebellion includes hunger that hard work cannot relieve (Deuteronomy 28:48).
• The deeper issue is spiritual famine—rejecting the Lord leaves an appetite nothing earthly can fill (Amos 8:11).
“They devour on the left but are not satisfied” (Isaiah 9:20b).
• The right hand and the left hand together picture every direction—people scavenge everywhere.
• Yet even after turning to the “other side,” relief is elusive, echoing Haggai 1:6: “You eat, but you are never satisfied.”
• This restless consumption mirrors the prodigal in Luke 15:16 who longed to fill himself with pig food once the far country’s resources dried up.
• God deliberately frustrates rebellious appetites so that people see the futility of trusting in themselves (Isaiah 55:2).
• Like the idols in Habakkuk 2:5 that “never have enough,” sin keeps promising satisfaction and never delivers.
• The only true fullness is found in returning to the Lord (Psalm 107:9).
“Each one eats the flesh of his own arm” (Isaiah 9:20c).
• Literally, cannibalism tragically occurred during Israel’s sieges (2 Kings 6:28-29; Lamentations 4:10), fulfilling covenant warnings (Deuteronomy 28:53-57).
• Figuratively, the verse launches Isaiah 9:21 where Ephraim and Manasseh turn on each other; the nation consumes itself in civil strife (Galatians 5:15).
• Sin’s end-game is self-destruction: when God’s protection is withdrawn, people destroy the very “flesh” that should be dear to them (Romans 1:28-31).
Isaiah 9:20 paints a grim progression: frantic grabbing on the right, then the left, yet hunger remains until the people finally consume their own. The verse exposes the emptiness of self-sufficiency and the horrific consequences of persistent rebellion. Only by turning back to the Lord who “satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9) can the cycle of insatiable hunger and mutual destruction be broken.
Verse 20. - He shall snatch; rather, one shall devour. A man, i.e., shall plunder and ravage in one quarter, and yet not be satisfied; then he shall do the same in another, and still desire more. "Increase of appetite shall grow by what it feeds on." There shall be no sense of satiety anywhere. The flesh of his own arm. In a civil war, or a time of anarchy, each man is always "eating the flesh of his own arm" - i.e. injuring his neighbor, who is his own natural protector and defender.