Isaiah 19:15

Isaiah 19:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
• New International Version (NIV)There is nothing Egypt can do— head or tail, palm branch or reed.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Neither will there be any work for Egypt, Which the head or tail, Palm branch or bulrush, may do.

Context of Isaiah 19:15

13The princes of Zoan have acted like fools, The princes of Memphis are deluded [and entertain false hope]; Those who are the cornerstone of her tribes Have led Egypt astray. 14The Lord has mixed a spirit of distortion within her; Her leaders have caused Egypt to stagger in all that she does, As a drunken man staggers in his vomit. There will be no work for Egypt Which head or tail, [high] palm branch or [low] bulrush, may do. 16In that day the Egyptians will become like [helpless] women, and they will tremble and be frightened because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17The land of Judah [Assyria’s ally] will become a terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts which He is planning against Egypt.

Isaiah 19:15 word by word

וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה לְמִצְרַ֖יִם מַֽעֲשֶׂ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר יַעֲשֶׂ֛ה רֹ֥אשׁ וְזָנָ֖ב כִּפָּ֥ה וְאַגְמֽוֹן׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• workמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deedH4639
• for Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• which the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• or tailזָנָבzânâb · tailH2180
• branchכִּפָּהkippâh · branchH3712
• or rushאַגְמֹן'agmôn · bulrushH100
• may doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213

Cross-references for Isaiah 19:15

• Isaiah 9:14Therefore the Lord cuts off head and tail [the highest and the lowest] from Israel, Both [the high] palm branch and [the low] bulrush in one day.
• Psalms 128:2For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands, You will be happy and blessed and it will be well with you.
• Proverbs 14:23In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.
• Habakkuk 3:17Though the fig tree does not blossom And there is no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive fails And the fields produce no food, Though the flock is cut off from the fold And there are no cattle in the stalls,
• Haggai 1:11I called for a drought on the land and the hill country, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11and to make it your ambition to live quietly and peacefully, and to mind your own affairs and work with your hands, just as we directed you,

Commentaries on Isaiah 19:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15The head or tail, branch or rush - R. D. Kimchi says, there are some who suppose that these words mean the dragon's head and tail; and refer to all those who are conversant in astronomy, astrology, etc.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Neither shall there be any work - The sense is, that there shall be such discord that no man, whether a prince, a politician, or a priest, shall be able to give any advice, or form any plan for the national safety and security, which shall be successful. Which the head or tail - High or low; strong or weak: those in office and those out of office; all shall be dispirited and confounded. Rosenmuller understands by the head here, the “political” orders of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15There is nothing Egypt can do: No leader, idol, or human wisdom can stop God’s judgment. The head and the tail represented all of Egypt's leaders, from the most important to the least important (see Isaiah 9:14–15).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-1515. work for Egypt--nothing which Egypt can do to extricate itself from the difficulty. head or tail--high or low (Is 19:11-15, and Is 19:8-10). branch or rush--the lofty palm branch or the humble reed (Is 9:14, 15; 10:33, 34).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 19:15

• War

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Rush
• Branch ;bough
• Evil
• Ezekiel
• Head
• Isaiah
• Palm Tree
• Philistines

Commentaries on Isaiah 19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings