Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 9:14
14So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day.
Isaiah 9:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.
- New International Version (NIV)So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day;
- English Standard Version (ESV)So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
Context of Isaiah 9:14
12Aram from the east and Philistia from the west have consumed Israel with open mouths. In all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still raised to strike. 13The people did not turn to him who struck them; they did not seek the Lord of Armies. So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day. 15The head is the elder, the honored one; the tail is the prophet, the one teaching lies. 16The leaders of the people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up.
Read all of Isaiah 9Isaiah 9:14 word by word
וַיַּכְרֵ֨ת יְהוָ֜ה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֗ל רֹ֧אשׁ וְזָנָ֛ב כִּפָּ֥ה וְאַגְמ֖וֹן י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Therefore the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- will cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
- from Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- and tailזָנָבzânâb · tailH2180
- branchכִּפָּהkippâh · branchH3712
- and rushאַגְמֹן'agmôn · bulrushH100
- in oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
Cross-references for Isaiah 9:14
- Isaiah 3:2heroes and warriors, judges and prophets, fortune-tellers and elders,
- Isaiah 19:15No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt.
- 2 Kings 17:6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes.
- Hosea 1:4Then the Lord said to him: Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
- Hosea 4:5You will stumble by day; the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother.
- Hosea 5:12So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah.
- Hosea 8:8Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like discarded pottery.
- Hosea 9:11Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird: no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
- Hosea 13:3Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, or like smoke from a window.
- Amos 2:14Escape will fail the swift, the strong one will not maintain his strength, and the warrior will not save his life.
- Amos 3:12The Lord says: As the shepherd snatches two legs or a piece of an ear from the lion’s mouth, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be rescued with only the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch.
- Amos 5:2She has fallen; Virgin Israel will never rise again. She lies abandoned on her land with no one to raise her up.
- Amos 6:11For the Lord commands: The large house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.
- Amos 7:8The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” I replied, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will no longer spare them:
- Amos 9:1I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: Strike the capitals of the pillars so that the thresholds shake; knock them down on the heads of all the people. Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of the fugitives will escape.
- Micah 1:6Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations.
Commentaries on Isaiah 9:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14In one day - Thirteen MSS. of Kennicott and De Rossi read ביום beyond in a day; and another has a rasure in the place of the letter ב beth .Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Will cut off head and tail - This is a proverbial expression, which is explained in the following verse; see also Deuteronomy 28:13-14. The head is often used to denote those in honor and authority. The tail is an expression applicable to the lower ranks, and would commonly indicate more than simply the common people. It would imply contempt; a state of great abjectness and meanness. Branch and rush - This is also a proverbial expression, meaning the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-21Verses 8-21 Those are ripening apace for ruin, whose hearts are unhumbled under humbling providences. For that which God designs, in smiting us, is, to turn us to himself; and if this point be not gained by lesser judgments, greater may be expected. The leaders of the people misled them. We have reason to be afraid of those that speak well of us, when we do ill. Wickedness was universal, all were infected with it. They shall be in trouble, and see no way…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-17God used punishment to call his people to repentance. Repentance means turning away from sin and turning back to God. His goal was not to destroy Israel, but to correct them and bring them back to himself. However, Israel had become apostate. This means they had turned away from the Lord and rejected him. They refused to repent or to seek the Lord.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1713-17. Second strophe. turneth not--the design of God's chastisements; not fulfilled in their case; a new cause for punishment (Jr 2:20; 5:3).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 9:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 9
- 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
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