Isaiah 9:20

9:20 They devoured ¹  on the right, but were still hungry,

they ate on the left, but were not satisfied.

People even ate ²  the flesh of their own arm! ³ 

Isaiah 22:13

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! ⁴ 

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ⁵ 

Isaiah 31:3

31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;

their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.

The Lord will strike with ⁶  his hand;

the one who helps will stumble

and the one being helped will fall.

Together they will perish. ⁷ 

Isaiah 44:16

44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –

over that half he cooks ⁸  meat;

he roasts a meal and fills himself.

Yes, he warms himself and says,

‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’

Isaiah 49:26

49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;

they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. ⁹ 

Then all humankind ¹⁰  will recognize that

I am the Lord, your deliverer,

your protector, ¹¹  the powerful ruler of Jacob.” ¹² 

Isaiah 66:17

66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, ¹³  those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice ¹⁴  – they will all be destroyed together,” ¹⁵  says the Lord.

Isaiah 66:23-24

66:23 From one month ¹⁶  to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people ¹⁷  will come to worship me,” ¹⁸  says the Lord. 66:24 “They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die, ¹⁹  and the fire that consumes them will not die out. ²⁰  All people will find the sight abhorrent.” ²¹ 

[9:20]  ¹ tn Or “cut.” The verb גָּזַר (gazar) means “to cut.” If it is understood here, then one might paraphrase, “They slice off meat on the right.” However, HALOT 187 s.v. I גזר, proposes here a rare homonym meaning “to devour.”

[9:20]  ² tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite without vav consecutive or an imperfect used in a customary sense, describing continual or repeated behavior in past time.

[9:20]  ³ tn Some suggest that זְרֹעוֹ (zÿro’o, “his arm”) be repointed זַרְעוֹ (zar’o, “his offspring”). In either case, the metaphor is that of a desperately hungry man who resorts to an almost unthinkable act to satisfy his appetite. He eats everything he can find to his right, but still being unsatisfied, then turns to his left and eats everything he can find there. Still being desperate for food, he then resorts to eating his own flesh (or offspring, as this phrase is metaphorically understood by some English versions, e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT). The reality behind the metaphor is the political turmoil of the period, as the next verse explains. There was civil strife within the northern kingdom; even the descendants of Joseph were at each other’s throats. Then the northern kingdom turned on their southern brother, Judah.

[22:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

[22:13]  ⁵ tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

[31:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.”

[31:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”

[44:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”

[49:26]  ¹³ sn Verse 26a depicts siege warfare and bloody defeat. The besieged enemy will be so starved they will their own flesh. The bloodstained bodies lying on the blood-soaked battle site will look as if they collapsed in drunkenness.

[49:26]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB).

[49:26]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:26]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.” See 1:24.

[66:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.

[66:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”

[66:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”

[66:23]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “new moon.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[66:23]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NAB, NASB, NIV “all mankind”; NLT “All humanity.”

[66:23]  ²¹ tn Or “bow down before” (NASB).

[66:24]  ²² tn Heb “for their worm will not die.”

[66:24]  ²³ tn Heb “and their fire will not be extinguished.”

[66:24]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”