Isaiah 9:15 (GNV)

Passage

The ancient and the honorable man, he is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the taile.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:13 For the people turneth not vnto him that smiteth them, neither doe they seeke the Lord of hostes.

Isaiah 9:14 Therefore will the Lord cut off from Israel head and taile, branche and rush in one day.

Isaiah 9:15 The ancient and the honorable man, he is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the taile.

Isaiah 9:16 For the leaders of the people cause them to erre: and they that are led by them are deuoured.

Isaiah 9:17 Therefore shall the Lord haue no pleasure in their yong men, neither will he haue compassion of their fatherlesse and of their widowes: for euery one is an hypocrite and wicked, and euery mouth speaketh follie: yet for all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out stil.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Therefore will the Lord cut off from..." into verse 16's "For the leaders of the people cause...", so "ancient" and "honorable" 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 "ancient" and "honorable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.