God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 19:11
11The leaders of Zoan are nothing but fools. The wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors gives stupid advice. How can you tell Pharaoh, “I’m a descendant of wise men, a descendant of ancient kings”?
Isaiah 19:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
- New International Version (NIV)The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings”?
- English Standard Version (ESV)The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings"?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give foolish counsel. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings?”
Context of Isaiah 19:11
9Linenworkers and weavers will be ashamed. 10Egypt’s weavers will be crushed. Those who work for money will be distressed. The leaders of Zoan are nothing but fools. The wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors gives stupid advice. How can you tell Pharaoh, “I’m a descendant of wise men, a descendant of ancient kings”? 12Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you. Let them explain what the Lord of Armies is planning against Egypt. 13The leaders of Zoan are acting foolishly. The leaders of Memphis are led astray. The leaders who are the cornerstones of its tribes mislead the Egyptians.
Read all of Isaiah 19Isaiah 19:11 word by word
אַךְ־אֱוִלִים֙ שָׂ֣רֵי צֹ֔עַן חַכְמֵי֙ יֹעֲצֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה עֵצָ֖ה נִבְעָרָ֑ה אֵ֚יךְ תֹּאמְר֣וּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה בֶּן־חֲכָמִ֥ים אֲנִ֖י בֶּן־מַלְכֵי־קֶֽדֶם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Surely the princesשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
- of Zoanצֹ֫עַןtsô‛an · ZoanH6814
- foolsאֱוִיל'ĕvîyl · fool(ish)H191
- the counselעֵצָה‛êtsâh · counselH6098
- of the wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
- counsellorsיָעַץyâ‛ats · to adviseH3289
- of Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
- is become brutishבָּעַרbâ‛ar · be brutishH1197
- how sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of ancientקֶ֫דֶםqedem qêdmâh · front: oldH6924
- kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
Cross-references for Isaiah 19:11
- Isaiah 19:3The Egyptians will lose courage. I will unravel their plans. They will turn to idols, ghosts, mediums, and fortunetellers.
- Isaiah 29:14That is why I am going to do something completely amazing for these people once again. The wisdom of their wise people will disappear. The intelligence of their intelligent people will be hidden.”
- Isaiah 44:25I cause the signs of false prophets to fail and make fools of fortunetellers. I make wise men retreat and turn their knowledge into foolishness.
- Job 5:12He keeps shrewd people from carrying out their plans so that they cannot do anything successfully.
- Job 12:17He leads counselors away barefoot and makes fools out of judges.
- Psalms 33:10The Lord blocks the plans of the nations. He frustrates the schemes of the people of the world.
- Jeremiah 49:7This is what the Lord of Armies says about Edom: Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman? Has wisdom disappeared from your people? Has their wisdom vanished?
- Ezekiel 7:26One disaster will happen after another. One rumor will follow another. People will ask for a vision from a prophet. The teachings of priests and the advice of leaders will disappear.
- 1 Corinthians 1:19Scripture says, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will reject the intelligence of intelligent people.”
- Isaiah 30:4Although Pharaoh’s officials are in Zoan and his messengers have reached Hanes,
- Numbers 13:22They went through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived. They are descendants of Anak. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
- Psalms 78:12In front of their ancestors he performed miracles in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
- Ezekiel 30:14I will destroy Pathros, set fire to Zoan, and bring punishment on Thebes.
- Psalms 73:22I was stupid, and I did not understand. I was like a dumb animal in your presence.
- Psalms 92:6A stupid person cannot know and a fool cannot understand
- Proverbs 30:2I’m more ⌞like⌟ a dumb animal than a human being. I don’t ⌞even⌟ have human understanding.
Commentaries on Isaiah 19:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11The counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become brutish "Have counseled a brutish counsel" - The sentence as it now stands in the Hebrew, is imperfect: it wants the verb. Archbishop Secker conjectures that the words פרעה יועצי yoatsey pharoh should be transposed; which would in some degree remove the difficulty. But it is to be observed, that the translator of the Vulgate seems to have found in his copy the verb יעצו yaatsu added after פרעה pharoh…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Surely the princes - The following verses, to Isaiah 19:16, are designed to describe further the calamities that were coming upon Egypt by a want of wisdom in their rulers. They would be unable to devise means to meet the impending calamities, and would actually increase the national misery by their unwise counsels. The word princes‘ here is taken evidently for the rulers or counselors of state. Of Zoan - The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Chaldee, render this…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11Zoan was the capital of Egypt, located in the Nile delta (see Numbers 13:22). princes … wise counselors: The king relied on the strategies and advice of wise men (Isaiah 19:12; see Genesis 41:39–40). The officials of Zoan were famous for their wise ancestors, and Egypt often boasted about them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. Zoan--The Greeks called it Tanis, a city of Lower Egypt, east of the Tanitic arms of the Nile, now San; it was one the Egyptian towns nearest to Palestine (Nu 13:22), the scene of Moses' miracles (Psa 78:12, 43). It, or else Memphis, was the capital under Sethos. I am ... son of the wise ... kings--Ye have no advice to suggest to Pharaoh in the crisis, notwithstanding that ye boast of descent from wise and royal ancestors. The priests were the usual…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 19:11
In the dictionaries
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
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