Isaiah 9:15

New Century Version

The elders and important men were the head, and the prophets who speak lies were the tail.

Parallel Translations

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

Hebrew Names Version
The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.

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

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

New American Standard Bible
The head is the elder and esteemed 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.

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

Geneva Bible (1587)
The ancient and the honorable man, he is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the taile.

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

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

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

Complete Jewish Bible
For those leading this people lead them astray, and those led by them are destroyed.

Darby Translation
the ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Easy-to-Read Version
(The head means the elders and important leaders. The tail means the prophets who told lies.)

George Lamsa Translation
The elder and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.

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

Lexham English Bible
Elders and the respectable are the head, and prophets who teach lies are the tail.

Literal Translation
The elder and the exalted of face; he is the head. And the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
By the heade, is vnderstonde the Senatoure and honorable man, and by ye tale, the prophet that preacheth lyes.

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

Bible in Basic English
The man who is honoured and responsible is the head, and the prophet who gives false teaching is the tail.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For they that lead this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

King James Version (1611)
The ancient and honourable, hee is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the taile.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
By the head, is vnderstande the senatour and honourable man, and by the tayle, the prophete that preached lyes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
the old man, and them that respect persons, this is the head; and the prophet teaching unlawful things, 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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
An elde man and onourable, he is the heed, and a profete techynge a leesyng, he is the tail.

Update Bible Version
The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies, he 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.

New English Translation
The leaders and the highly respected people are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

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

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

New Life Bible
The leaders and men of honor are the head, and the tail is the false preachers who teach lies.

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

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The eider and favourite, he, is the head, - And the prophet teaching falsehood, he, is the tail;

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

Revised Standard Version
the elder and honored 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.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The head is the elder and honorable man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.

Contextual Overview

⁸ The Lord sent a message against the people of Jacob; it says that God will judge Israel. ⁹ Then everyone in Israel, even the leaders in Samaria, will know that God has sent it. Those people are proud and brag by saying, ¹⁰ "These bricks have fallen, but we will build again with cut stones. These small trees have been chopped down, but we will put great cedars there." ¹¹ But the Lord has brought the enemies of Rezin against them; he has stirred up their enemies against them. ¹² The Arameans came from the east and the Philistines from the west, and they ate up Israel with their armies. But the Lord was still angry; his hand was still raised to punish the people. ¹³ But the people did not return to the one who had struck them; they did not follow the Lord All-Powerful. ¹⁴ So the Lord cut off Israel's head and tail, taking away both the branch and stalk in one day. ¹⁵ The elders and important men were the head, and the prophets who speak lies were the tail. ¹⁶ Those who led the people led them in the wrong direction, and those who followed them were destroyed. ¹⁷ So the Lord is not happy with the young people, nor will he show mercy to the orphans and widows. All the people are separated from God and are very evil; they all speak lies. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ancient: Isaiah 3:5, Isaiah 5:13, 1 Samuel 9:6

the prophet: Isaiah 28:17, Isaiah 29:10, 1 Kings 13:18, 1 Kings 22:22-24, Jeremiah 5:31, Jeremiah 14:14, Jeremiah 14:15, Jeremiah 23:9, Jeremiah 23:14, Jeremiah 23:15, Jeremiah 23:25-27, Jeremiah 27:9, Jeremiah 27:10, Jeremiah 27:14, Jeremiah 27:15, Jeremiah 28:15, Jeremiah 28:16, Jeremiah 29:21, Jeremiah 29:22, Ezekiel 13:1-16, Ezekiel 13:19, Ezekiel 13:22, Hosea 9:8, Malachi 2:9, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:24, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Galatians 1:8, Galatians 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, 2 Timothy 4:2, 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 4:1, Revelation 19:20

Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:29 - General Deuteronomy 13:1 - a prophet Deuteronomy 13:5 - prophet Deuteronomy 28:13 - the head Joshua 10:19 - smite Nehemiah 6:14 - on the prophetess Proverbs 12:22 - Lying Proverbs 19:9 - and Isaiah 3:2 - the ancient Isaiah 3:12 - lead thee Isaiah 19:15 - General Jeremiah 20:6 - thy friends Jeremiah 27:16 - for Jeremiah 32:32 - they Lamentations 2:14 - prophets Amos 2:4 - and their Micah 2:11 - a man Micah 3:5 - concerning Zephaniah 3:4 - light Zechariah 11:17 - idol Matthew 23:13 - woe 2 Corinthians 11:15 - whose Ephesians 4:25 - putting 1 Timothy 4:2 - lies Revelation 9:19 - in their tails Revelation 12:3 - ten Revelation 21:8 - and all Revelation 22:15 - whosoever

Cross-References

Genesis 9:8
Then God said to Noah and his sons,

Genesis 9:10
and with every living thing that is with you—the birds, the tame and the wild animals, and with everything that came out of the boat with you—with every living thing on earth.

Exodus 28:12
Then put the two stones on the two straps of the holy vest as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. Aaron is to wear their names on his shoulders in the presence of the Lord as reminders of the sons of Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:9
So know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God. He will keep his agreement of love for a thousand lifetimes for people who love him and obey his commands.

1 Kings 8:23
and said: " Lord , God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep your agreement of love with your servants who truly follow you.

Nehemiah 9:32
"And so, our God, you are the great and mighty and wonderful God. You keep your agreement of love. Do not let all our trouble seem unimportant to you. This trouble has come to us, to our kings and our leaders, to our priests and prophets, to our ancestors and all your people from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.

Psalms 106:45
He remembered his agreement with them, and he felt sorry for them because of his great love.

Jeremiah 14:21
For your sake, do not hate us. Do not take away the honor from your glorious throne. Remember your agreement with us, and do not break it.

Ezekiel 16:60
But I will remember my agreement I made with you when you were young, and I will make an agreement that will continue forever with you.

Luke 1:72
He said he would give mercy to our ancestors and that he would remember his holy promise.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The ancient and honourable, he [is] the head,.... The elder in office, not in age; and who, on account of his office, dignity, and riches, is honoured by men, is of a venerable countenance himself, and is reverenced when seen and looked upon by others, and received by persons with pleasure and cheerfulness; as the phrase used signifies. The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "who admire", or "have" men's "persons in admiration"; which is the character Jude gives of false teachers, Judges 1:16 who are next described:

and the prophet that teacheth lies, he [is] the tail; so called from their low extract, being often of a mean original and descent; or rather from the meanness of their spirits, their flattery of princes and great men, to whom they tell lies, and prophesy smooth and false things, for the sake of a little sordid gain, in allusion to dogs that wag their tails at their masters; or from the poison of their doctrines, some creatures having poison in their tails, and do much mischief with them. See Revelation 9:19.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The 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.