Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 19:15
Neither shall there be [any] work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
15. No concerted action is possible, and every proposal that is brought forward falls to the ground.
head and tail, palm-branch and rush, exactly as in ch. Isa 9:14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Neither shall there be any work – The sense is, that there shall be such discord that no man, whether a prince, a politician, or a priest, shall be able to give any advice, or form any plan for the national safety and security, which shall be successful.
Which the head or tail – High or low; strong or weak: those in office and those out of office; all shall be dispirited and confounded. Rosenmuller understands by the head here, the political orders of the nation, and by the tail the sacerdotal ranks. But the meaning more probably is, the highest and the lowest ranks – all the politicians, and priests, and princes, on the one hand, as the prophet had just stated Isa 19:11-15; and all the artificers, fishermen, etc., on the other, as he had stated Isa 19:8-10. This verse, therefore, is a summing up of all he had said about the calamities that were coming upon them.
Branch or rush – See these words explained in the note at Isa 9:14.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. The head or tail, branch or rush] R. D. Kimchi says, there are some who suppose that these words mean the dragon’s head and tail; and refer to all those who are conversant in astronomy, astrology, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
All people, both high and low, shall be at their wits end not knowing what to do.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. work for Egyptnothingwhich Egypt can do to extricate itself from the difficulty.
head or tailhigh orlow (Isa 19:11-15,and Isa 19:8-10).
branch or rushthelofty palm branch or the humble reed (Isa 9:14;Isa 9:15; Isa 10:33;Isa 10:34).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Neither shall there be [any] work for Egypt,…. No trade or business to carry on; their rivers being dried up, there was no flax to work with, and fine linen was a principal commodity of Egypt; nor any fish to catch, or rushes to make paper of, as before observed: or it would not be in the power of their hands to deliver themselves from the Assyrians that should come against them; and that they should be deprived of wisdom and counsel, and be at their wits’ end, not knowing what to do, or what step to take:
which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do: high or low, strong or weak, all ranks and orders of men shall have nothing to do; all shall be weak and dispirited, and void of counsel. By the “head” and “branch” may be meant the king and his nobles; and by the “tail” and “rush” the common people; see Isa 9:14. The Targum interprets the whole of their chief men thus,
“and the Egyptians shall have no king to reign, nor prince, noble, governor, or ruler.”
Jarchi explains it of the magicians, astrologers, and stargazers of Egypt, who, with all their boasted knowledge and wisdom, should not be able either to foresee or prevent the evil coming upon them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15. Neither shall Egypt have any work to do. This is the conclusion of the former statement, for it means that all the Egyptians shall be stupefied to such a degree that whatever they undertake shall be fruitless. This must happen where there is no counsel, and it is the righteous punishment of our pride and rashness. He therefore intended to describe the result and effect, so as to shew that it will be unhappy and miserable.
Head or tail, branch or rush. When he threatens both the head and the tail, he means, that all ranks, from the highest to the lowest, all without exception, shall be deprived of counsel, so that they will not succeed in anything. Or perhaps it will be thought rather to mean the order which they observe in their actions. Hence we learn, that both the beginning and the end of everything depend on God; for we ought to ask from him counsel, and prudence, and success, if we do not wish that the same thing should happen to us which happened to the Egyptians.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(15) The head or tail, branch or rush.For this figurative description of all classes of the people, see Note on Isa. 9:14.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Any work for Egypt Any plan or invention devised for Egypt’s extrication from difficulty by any class, or all classes combined, as expressed in the familiar proverbial designations, head or tail, which means high or low castes.
Branch or rush The same thought under figure of lofty palm branches, representing the high castes, and of the humble reeds along the Nile, denoting the lower classes the fellahs of this day.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 19:15 Neither shall there be [any] work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
Ver. 15. Neither shall there be any work. ] See on Isa 19:14 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
rush. See note on Isa 9:14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 9:14, Isa 9:15, Psa 128:2, Pro 14:23, Hab 3:17, Hag 1:11, 1Th 4:11, 1Th 4:12
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
19:15 Neither shall there be [any] work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may {o} perform.
(o) Neither the great or the small, the strong or the weak.