Isaiah 9:15
The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
Study Note
Study Note
The interpretive gloss identifying the 'head' as 'the ancient and honourable' and the 'tail' as 'the prophet that teacheth lies' (Isaiah 9:15) provides the authoritative explanation of the head-and-tail imagery in 9:14, directing the oracle specifically against false prophecy as a fundamental leadership failure. The identification of false prophets with the 'tail' — the bottom of the social hierarchy — inverts their claimed authority (prophets who claim divine speech are actually the most degraded element of leadership). The verse belongs to Isaiah 9:8-10:4's sustained indictment of northern Israel's leadership, using head-tail imagery drawn from Deuteronomy 28:13, 44 (head and tail as covenant blessing/curse). The passage contextualizes Isaiah's broader critique of the prophetic establishment that had compromised its calling.
Other Translations
The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
Elder, and accepted of face, he <FI>is<Fi> the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he <FI>is<Fi> the tail.
The man who is honoured and responsible is the head, and the prophet who gives false teaching is the tail.
Cross References
The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave …
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their …
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the …
For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets …
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: …
Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I …
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they …
Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, …