Isaiah 9:15

The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. THE ANCIENT - the older. HONOURABLE - the man of rank. THE PROPHET THAT TEACHETH LIES, HE (IS) THE TAIL. There were many such in Samaria (; ; cf. as to "tail," )....

15._The ancient and honorable, he is the head. _What he had spoken allegorically about _the head _and _the tail _he explains more plainly and without a figure. He says that the _heads _are the princes and nobles who had the charge of public affairs, and sat at the helm of the commonwealth. To these he adds the _false prophets_, and says that they are meant by _the tail_. But he explains only the first part of the verse, and says nothing about the _branch and reed_. The reason why he omitted them is easily explained. It is, because he intended to press hardest on those who were more heinous transgressors, and who led others to commit sin, in consequence of the influence which they obtained from their high rank. He gives to the prophets the name of _the tail_, not because they were mean and contemptible, as some think; but he intended to denote the lowest parts of the whole body. By _the h...

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 out; and when men's ways displease the Lord, he makes even their friends to be at war with them. God would take away those they thought to have help from. Their rulers were the head. Their false prophets were the tail and the rush, the most despicable. In these civil contests, men preyed on near relations who were as their own flesh. The people turn not to Him who smites them, therefore he continues to smite: for when God judges, he will overco...

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....

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 9:1 THE TROUBLES OF ISRAEL SHALL END THROUGH THE BIRTH OF A MARVELOUS CHILD. The section of the prophecy commencing with Isaiah 7:1 terminates in this glorious burst of glad and gracious promise. The gist of the whole section is: "Israel shall not suffer from Pekah and Rezin; her oppressors shall be Assyria and Egypt, more especially the former; Assyria shall overwhelm her, crush her, lay her low; she shall remain awhile in gloom and darkness; but at length the darkness shall be dispelled; a 'great light' shall shine forth, first in the north, then over all th

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

CHAPTER 9 The Message of Hope Concerning Israel's Future and the Impending Judgments 1. _The Messiah, His Name, His rule, His kingdom (Isaiah 9:1)_ 2. _Judgment upon Israel (Isaiah 9:8)_ 3. _The impenitent nation (Isaiah 9:13)_ 4. _The wrath of Jehovah (Isaiah 9:18)_ 5. _Unrighteous judges and three questions (Isaiah 10:1_ Matthew 4:12 quotes the opening verses of this chapter. This applies to His double advent. The first and second coming

ISAIAH 9:8 TO ISAIAH 10:4. YAHWEH SMITES EPHRAIM WITH STROKE AFTER STROKE. It is generally agreed that Isaiah 5:26 formed the closing strophe of this poem (p. 440). The date is probably before the coalition of Syria and Ephraim (Isaiah 9:11 f.), _i.e._ between 740 and 735. It is one of Isaiah's earliest prophecies. It is very uncertain whether the whole is a prediction of the future, or whether, with the exception of the conclusion, it describes calamities that have already overtaken the people. On the whole the former view is preferable. It is that adopted in RV, the tenses being taken as prophetic perfects, the alternative view being given in

HEAD. TAIL. Reference to Pentateuch. Only here and Deuteronomy 28:13; Deuteronomy 28:44....

Isaiah 9:8 to Isaiah 10:4 (+ Isaiah 5:25-30) Jehovah's hand stretched out in wrath over His people. An oracle against North Israel The key-note of the prophecy is given in the recurrent refrain Isaiah 9:12; Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:4; Isaiah 5:25. (On the reasons for including ch....