Isaiah 9:15
New International Version
the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

New Living Translation
The leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail.

English Standard Version
the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;

Berean Standard Bible
The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.

King James Bible
The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

New King James Version
The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.

New American Standard Bible
The head is the elder and esteemed man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.

NASB 1995
The head is the elder and honorable man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.

NASB 1977
The head is the elder and honorable man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.

Legacy Standard Bible
The head is the elder and the highly respected man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.

Amplified Bible
The elderly and honorable man, he is the head; And the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.

Christian Standard Bible
The head is the elder, the honored one; the tail is the prophet, the one teaching lies.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The head is the elder, the honored one; the tail is the prophet, the lying teacher.

American Standard Version
The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The Elder and the honorable face, he is the head, and the Prophet that teaches falsehood, he is the rear end

Brenton Septuagint Translation
the old man, and them that respect persons, this is the head; and the prophet teaching unlawful things, he is the tail.

Contemporary English Version
Their rulers and leaders were the head, and the lying prophets were the tail.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The aged and honourable, he is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

English Revised Version
The ancient and the honourable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Respected and honored leaders are the head. Prophets who teach lies are the tail.

Good News Translation
The old and honorable men are the head--and the tail is the prophets whose teachings are lies!

International Standard Version
the elder and the dignitary is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

JPS Tanakh 1917
The elder and the man of rank, he is the head; And the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Literal Standard Version
Elderly and accepted of faces—he [is] the head, | And prophet teaching falsehood—he [is] the tail.

Majority Standard Bible
The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.

New American Bible
(The elder and the noble are the head, the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.)

NET Bible
The leaders and the highly respected people are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

New Revised Standard Version
elders and dignitaries are the head, and prophets who teach lies are the tail;

New Heart English Bible
The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

Webster's Bible Translation
The ancient and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

World English Bible
The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

Young's Literal Translation
Elder, and accepted of face, he is the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he is the tail.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Judgment Against Israel's Hypocrisy
14So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day. 15The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies. 16For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up.…

Cross References
Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

Job 22:8
while the land belonged to a mighty man, and a man of honor lived on it.

Isaiah 3:2
the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder,

Isaiah 3:3
the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter.

Isaiah 19:15
There is nothing Egypt can do--head or tail, palm or reed.

Isaiah 23:9
The LORD of Hosts planned it, to defile all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the renowned of the earth.

Isaiah 28:7
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.


Treasury of Scripture

The ancient and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.

ancient

Isaiah 3:5
And 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 5:13
Therefore 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 9:6
And 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.

the prophet

Isaiah 28:17
Judgment 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 29:10
For the LORD 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 13:18
He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

Jump to Previous
Accepted Ancient Elder Elders Face False. Falsehood Gives Head Honorable Honored Honourable Honoured Lies Prominent Prophet Prophets Rank Responsible Tail Teach Teacher Teaches Teacheth Teaching
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Accepted Ancient Elder Elders Face False. Falsehood Gives Head Honorable Honored Honourable Honoured Lies Prominent Prophet Prophets Rank Responsible Tail Teach Teacher Teaches Teacheth Teaching
Isaiah 9
1. What joy shall be in the midst of afflictions, by the birth and kingdom of Christ
8. The judgments upon Israel for their pride
13. For their hypocrisy
18. And for their unrepentance














(15) The ancient and honourable . . .--Comp. Isaiah 3:2-3, for the meaning of the words. These, the prophet seems to say, were the true leaders of the people. The ideal work of the prophet was, indeed, that of a teacher who was to lead even them, but corruptio optimi pessima; and to Isaiah, as to Jeremiah, there was no class so contemptible and base as that of spiritual guides whose policy was that of a time-serving selfishness. The verse is rejected by some critics as a marginal note that has found its way into the text; but the prophet may well have given his own interpretation of this formula. (Comp. Isaiah 28:7; Isaiah 29:10; Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 23:9-40.)

Verse 15. - Some suppose this verse to be a gloss, or marginal note, which has crept into the text; but it is too pointed and sarcastic for a mere gloss. There is no reason to doubt its being Isaiah's. Having spoken of "the tail," he takes the opportunity of lashing the false prophet, who claimed to be among the "honorable," but was really the lowest of the low, worse than his dupes, the true "tail" (comp. Isaiah 28:7; Isaiah 29:10; Isaiah 30:10).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The head
הָרֹ֑אשׁ (hā·rōš)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

is the elder
זָקֵ֥ן (zā·qên)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2205: Old

and the honorable
וּנְשׂוּא־ (ū·nə·śū-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

man
ה֣וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

and the tail
הַזָּנָֽב׃ (haz·zā·nāḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2180: Tail, end, stump

is the prophet
וְנָבִ֥יא (wə·nā·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

who teaches
מֽוֹרֶה־ (mō·w·reh-)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3384: To flow as water, to lay, throw, to point out, to teach

lies.
שֶּׁ֖קֶר (še·qer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8267: Deception, disappointment, falsehood


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 9:15 The elder and the honorable man (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 9:14
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