Isaiah 30:4 (DRB)

Passage

For thy princes were in Tanis, and thy messengers came even to Hanes.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 30:2 Who walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, hoping for help in the strength of Pharao, and trusting in the shadow of Egypt.

Isaiah 30:3 And the strength of Pharao shall be to your confusion, and the confidence of the shadow of Egypt to your shame.

Isaiah 30:4 For thy princes were in Tanis, and thy messengers came even to Hanes.

Isaiah 30:5 They were all confounded at a people that could not profit them: they were no help, nor to any profit, but to confusion and to reproach.

Isaiah 30:6 The burden of the beasts of the south. In a land of trouble and distress, from whence come the lioness, and the lion, the viper and the flying basilisk, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of beasts, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels to a people that shall not be able to profit them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "princes", "tanis", "messengers", "came", "even", and "hanes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "princes" and "tanis", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And the strength of Pharao shall be..." into verse 5's "They were all confounded at a people...", so "princes" and "tanis" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "princes" and "tanis" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.