Revised Literal Translation
Isaiah 9:15
15The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
Isaiah 9:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
- New International Version (NIV)the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
- English Standard Version (ESV)the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
- New King James Version (NKJV)The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
Context of Isaiah 9:15
13For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek Yhwh of Armies. 14Therefore Yhwh will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 16For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. 17Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Read all of Isaiah 9Isaiah 9:15 word by word
זָקֵ֥ן וּנְשׂוּא־פָנִ֖ים ה֣וּא הָרֹ֑אשׁ וְנָבִ֥יא מֽוֹרֶה־שֶּׁ֖קֶר ה֥וּא הַזָּנָֽב׃Read the interlinear
- The ancientזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
- and honourableנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: kindnessH5375
- and honourableפָּנֶהpânîym · face: kindnessH6440
- heהוּאhû' hîy' · he/she/itH1931
- the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: leaderH7218
- and the prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
- that teachethיָרָהyârâh yârâ' · to showH3384
- liesשֶׁ֫קֶרsheqer · deceptionH8267
- the tailזָנָבzânâb · tailH2180
Cross-references for Isaiah 9:15
- Isaiah 3:5And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
- Isaiah 5:13Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
- 1 Samuel 9:6And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.
- Isaiah 28:17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
- Isaiah 29:10For Yhwh hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
- 1 Kings 13:18He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of Yhwh, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
- 1 Kings 22:22And Yhwh said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
- Jeremiah 5:31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
- Jeremiah 14:14Then Yhwh said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
- Jeremiah 23:9Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of Yhwh, and because of the words of his holiness.
- Jeremiah 27:9Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
- Jeremiah 28:15Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; Yhwh hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
- Jeremiah 29:21Thus saith Yhwh of Armies, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
- Ezekiel 13:1And the word of Yhwh came unto me, saying,
- Hosea 9:8The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
- Malachi 2:9Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
Commentaries on Isaiah 9:15
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15The ancient - The elder; the old man. And honorable - Hebrew, The man of elevated countenance.‘ The man of rank and office. The prophet that teacheth lies - The false prophet. Of those there were many; and probably at this time many in Samaria.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 9:15
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries