Isaiah 9:15 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:13 And the people are not returned to him who hath struck them, and have not sought after the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 9:14 And the Lord shall destroy out of Israel the head and the tail, him that bendeth down, and him that holdeth back, in one day.

Isaiah 9:15 The aged and honourable, he is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Isaiah 9:16 And they that call this people blessed, shall cause them to err: and they that are called blessed, shall be thrown down, headlong.

Isaiah 9:17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men: neither shall he have mercy on their fatherless, and widows: for every one is a hypocrite and wicked, and every mouth hath spoken folly. For all this his indignation is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "aged", "honourable", "head", "prophet", "teacheth", "lies", and "tail". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "aged" and "honourable", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And the Lord shall destroy out of..." into verse 16's "And they that call this people blessed...", so "aged" and "honourable" 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 "aged" and "honourable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.