Bible Strands
Isaiah 1:9
Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Isaiah addresses the remnant of Judah and Jerusalem, contrasting their current devastation with the total annihilation that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The declaration follows a description of Zion abandoned like a besieged outpost and immediately precedes a direct rebuke comparing the listeners to Sodom's rulers.
The words — לוּלֵי (lu.Lei) functions as a conditional "if not" or "unless," framing the entire statement as a hypothetical of total ruin. הוֹתִיר (ho.Tir) literally means "to leave behind" or "to spare," identifying the survival of the people as a deliberate act of preservation rather than a natural outcome.
The thread — The exact phrasing and theological point reappear in Romans 9:29, where Paul cites the passage to explain the survival of a faithful remnant amid widespread judgment. The theme of a preserved remnant also connects to Isaiah 37:31 and the historical account of Sodom's destruction in Genesis 19:24.
Why it lands — The text establishes that continued existence depends entirely on divine restraint rather than human merit or military strength. It demands recognition that survival is a granted reprieve, not an earned right, leaving the recipient accountable for how that preserved life is lived.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Cross-references
- Romans 9:29 It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”
- Isaiah 37:31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above.
- Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
- Lamentations 3:22 Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
- Amos 4:11 “Some of you I overthrew as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.
- Romans 11:4 And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
- Genesis 18:32 Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?” And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.”
- Isaiah 6:13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”
- Isaiah 10:20 On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 17:6 Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten—two or three berries atop the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel.