What does Isaiah 9:15 say?

Elder, and accepted of face, he is the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he is the tail.

What translation is this?

This passage is displayed in the Young's Literal Translation (YLT) translation on Scripture Lens.

What are related verses?

Related passages to Isaiah 9:15 include Isaiah 1:16-20, Jeremiah 7:1-15, Amos 5:21-24, Isaiah 9:14, and Isaiah 9:16, and more.

Isaiah 9:15 (YLT)

Passage

Elder, and accepted of face, he <FI>is<Fi> the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he <FI>is<Fi> the tail.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:13 And the people hath not turned back unto Him who is smiting it, And Jehovah of Hosts they have not sought.

Isaiah 9:14 And Jehovah cutteth off from Israel head and tail, Branch and reed--the same day,

Isaiah 9:15 Elder, and accepted of face, he <FI>is<Fi> the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he <FI>is<Fi> the tail.

Isaiah 9:16 And the eulogists of this people are causing to err, And its eulogised ones are consumed.

Isaiah 9:17 Therefore, over its young men the Lord rejoiceth not, And its orphans, and its widows He pitieth not, For every one <FI>is<Fi> profane, and an evil doer, And every mouth is speaking folly. With all this not turned back hath His anger, And still His hand is stretched out.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elder", "accepted", "face", "head", "prophet", "teacher", "falsehood", and "tail". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elder" and "accepted", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And Jehovah cutteth off from Israel head..." into verse 16's "And the eulogists of this people are...", so "elder" and "accepted" 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 "elder" and "accepted" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.