Isaiah 30:4 (KJV)

Passage

For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 30:2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

Isaiah 30:3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

Isaiah 30:4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.

Isaiah 30:5 They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

Isaiah 30:6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be..." into verse 5's "They were all ashamed of a people...", so "princes" and "zoan" 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 "zoan" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.