English Standard Version
Isaiah 9:14
14So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one 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;
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Therefore, in a single day the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.
Context of Isaiah 9:14
12The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 13The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts. So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day— 15the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; 16for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them 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 3:2the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder,
- Isaiah 19:15And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.
- 2 Kings 17:6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
- Hosea 1:4And the Lord said to him, "Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
- Hosea 4:5You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother.
- Hosea 5:12But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah.
- Hosea 8:8Israel is swallowed up; already they are among the nations as a useless vessel.
- Hosea 9:11Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!
- Hosea 13:3Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window.
- Amos 2:14Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life;
- Amos 3:12Thus says the Lord: "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.
- Amos 5:2"Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up."
- Amos 6:11For behold, the Lord commands, and the great house shall be struck down into fragments, and the little house into bits.
- Amos 7:8And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them;
- Amos 9:1I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: "Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.
- Micah 1:6Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards, and I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries