Isaiah 9:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They will strike from the right side yet will remain unsatisfied, indicating a retreat and abandonment; they will feast on the left and still find no fulfillment, representing a consuming fire that ravages both sides. Each will devour the flesh of their own strength. As Symmachus notes, this refers to the flesh of one’s neighbor. Oh, a meal steeped in bitterness and filled with gall! Oh, food crafted by demonic forces! Oh, a vile banquet! A repast of sorrow, drawn from their own members—he became sustenance so enticing that it could never quench hunger: malignant and warring spirits invaded the city, more bitter than the pangs of death itself. Was it not preferable to perish from hunger than to encounter such costly remedy?

In that time, individuals will turn against one another, lacking compassion and devoid of familial bonds. They will exhibit wild and brutal behavior akin to ravenous creatures, attacking those around them driven by insatiable hunger. They will flit about like madmen, tormenting others indiscriminately, showing no mercy while fueled by an unquenchable desire to harm one another. A person who corrupts their own bodily strength remains unsatisfied, as it is said. It is astonishing! They will show no regard for themselves, as if consumed by unchecked madness. Once hope is lost, they will, like youthful warriors, take on dreadful actions without hesitation.

Anyone seeking assistance may find themselves ‘pushed away to the margins,’ which implies being regarded unfavorably, ‘as if in hunger and consuming bitter fruit. For those who fail to act righteously and honorably shall be nourished by what is disreputable and lacking merit. Thus, what does it mean to be ‘snatched from the bitter fruit’? The Prophet clarifies, ‘And he shall not be satisfied,’ he states, ‘a man who partakes of the flesh of his own kind.’ This metaphor illustrates a troubling state of mind, depicting how brethren turn upon one another with ferocity, consuming one another in their conflict.

The people turned away from what is right and found themselves filled with the temptations of the left, eagerly pursuing pleasures and wickedness while striving to grasp even more of the worst. Even as they continuously encounter the path of error, they remain unfulfilled, consuming their own vitality and harboring a relentless animosity toward the Church.

The individuals engaged in conflict with one another are portrayed as a ravenous creature, fiercely darting from side to side in search of sustenance, even turning on itself to fulfill its cravings. The animosity among the people will be so intense that each person will scramble in every direction to satisfy their desire for violence, and as one strikes their fellow beings—essentially their own kin—their thirst for blood will grow ever more unquenchable.