Isaiah 9:15

The NET Bible®

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

New Century Version
The elders and important men were the head, and the prophets who speak lies were 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 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 sovereign master decreed judgment on Jacob, and it fell on Israel. ⁹ All the people were aware of it, the people of Ephraim and those living in Samaria. Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said, ¹⁰ "The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with chiseled stone; the sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars." ¹¹ Then the Lord provoked their adversaries to attack them, he stirred up their enemies— ¹² Syria from the east, and the Philistines from the west, they gobbled up Israelite territory. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again. ¹³ The people did not return to the one who struck them, they did not seek reconciliation with the Lord who commands armies. ¹⁴ So the Lord cut off Israel's head and tail, both the shoots and stalk in one day. ¹⁵ The leaders and the highly respected people are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. ¹⁶ The leaders of this nation were misleading people, and the people being led were destroyed. ¹⁷ So the sovereign master was not pleased with their young men, he took no pity on their orphans and widows; for the whole nation was godless and did wicked things, every mouth was speaking disgraceful words. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

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
God said to Noah and his sons,

Genesis 9:10
and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature of the earth.

Exodus 28:12
You are to put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod, stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron will bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for a memorial.

Deuteronomy 7:9
So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

1 Kings 8:23
He prayed: "O Lord , God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with sincerity.

Nehemiah 9:32
"So now, our God—the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity—do not regard as inconsequential all the hardship that has befallen us—our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people—from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day!

Psalms 106:45
He remembered his covenant with them, and relented because of his great loyal love.

Jeremiah 14:21
For the honor of your name, do not treat Jerusalem with contempt. Do not treat with disdain the place where your glorious throne sits. Be mindful of your covenant with us. Do not break it!

Ezekiel 16:60
Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting covenant with you.

Luke 1:72
He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant—

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.