Isaiah 19:15
New International Version
There is nothing Egypt can do— head or tail, palm branch or reed.

New Living Translation
There is nothing Egypt can do. All are helpless— the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.

English Standard Version
And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.

Berean Standard Bible
There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm or reed.

King James Bible
Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

New King James Version
Neither will there be any work for Egypt, Which the head or tail, Palm branch or bulrush, may do.

New American Standard Bible
There will be no work for Egypt Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

NASB 1995
There will be no work for Egypt Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

NASB 1977
And there will be no work for Egypt Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

Legacy Standard Bible
There will be no work for Egypt Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

Amplified Bible
There will be no work for Egypt Which head or tail, [high] palm branch or [low] bulrush, may do.

Christian Standard Bible
No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt.

American Standard Version
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.

Contemporary English Version
No one in Egypt can do a thing, no matter who they are.

English Revised Version
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm branch or rush, may do.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
No one-leaders or followers, important or unimportant- can do anything for Egypt.

Good News Translation
No one in Egypt, rich or poor, important or unknown, can offer help.

International Standard Version
As a result, there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, can do.

Majority Standard Bible
There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm or reed.

NET Bible
Egypt will not be able to do a thing, head or tail, shoots and stalk.

New Heart English Bible
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm branch or rush, may do.

Webster's Bible Translation
Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may perform.

World English Bible
Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which head or tail, palm branch or rush, may do.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And there is no work to Egypt, "" That head or tail, branch or reed, may do.

Young's Literal Translation
And there is no work to Egypt, That head or tail, branch or reed, may do.

Smith's Literal Translation
And there shall not be to Egypt a work which shall make head and tail, branch and reed.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there shall be no work for Egypt, to make head or tail, him that bendeth down, or that holdeth back.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And there will be no work for Egypt that would produce a head or a tail, one who bows down or one who refrains from bowing down.

New American Bible
Egypt shall accomplish nothing— neither head nor tail, palm branch nor reed, shall accomplish anything.

New Revised Standard Version
Neither head nor tail, palm branch or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Neither shall there be any leader for the Egyptians who can make head or tail of it, or tail or head.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Egyptian shall not have a man who will make head or tail or tail or head
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, Which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And there shall be no work to the Egyptians, which shall make head or tail, or beginning or end.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
An Oracle Concerning Egypt
14The LORD has poured into her a spirit of confusion. Egypt has been led astray in all she does, as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit. 15There is nothing Egypt can do— head or tail, palm or reed.

Cross References
Jeremiah 46:11
Go up to Gilead for balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you try many remedies, but for you there is no healing.

Ezekiel 30:21-22
“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword. / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.

Hosea 5:13
When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.

Isaiah 30:7
Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.

Isaiah 31:3
But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.

Jeremiah 30:13
There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you.

Ezekiel 29:6-7
Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel. / When Israel took hold of you with their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.

Isaiah 20:5-6
Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed. / And on that day the dwellers of this coastland will say, ‘See what has happened to our source of hope, those to whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’”

Isaiah 30:3
But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.

Isaiah 30:5
everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them. They bring neither help nor benefit, but only shame and disgrace.”

Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.

2 Kings 18:21
Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

Lamentations 4:17
All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us.

Matthew 15:14
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

John 15:5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.


Treasury of Scripture

Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

Isaiah 9:14,15
Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day…

Psalm 128:2
For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Proverbs 14:23
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

Jump to Previous
Branch Bulrush Egypt Head High Low Palm Palm-Branch Perform Reed Rush Tail Work
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Branch Bulrush Egypt Head High Low Palm Palm-Branch Perform Reed Rush Tail Work
Isaiah 19
1. The confusion of Egypt
11. The foolishness of their princes
18. The calling of Egypt into the church
23. The covenant of Egypt, Assyria, and Israel














There is nothing Egypt can do
This phrase underscores the complete helplessness and impotence of Egypt in the face of divine judgment. The Hebrew root for "nothing" (אַיִן, 'ayin) conveys a sense of non-existence or void, emphasizing the totality of Egypt's inability to act or respond effectively. Historically, Egypt was a powerful nation, often seen as a symbol of human strength and wisdom. However, this verse highlights that no matter how mighty a nation may appear, it is powerless against the sovereign will of God. This serves as a reminder of the futility of relying on human strength and the importance of seeking divine guidance and intervention.

head or tail
The imagery of "head or tail" is a metaphor for completeness, representing the entirety of the Egyptian leadership and populace. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the "head" often symbolized leaders or those in authority, while the "tail" represented the common people or those of lower status. This phrase suggests that from the highest to the lowest, no one in Egypt will be able to escape the judgment or find a solution to their plight. It reflects the biblical principle that all are accountable to God, regardless of their social or political status.

palm branch or reed
The "palm branch" and "reed" further illustrate the totality of Egypt's incapacity. The palm branch, often associated with victory and prosperity, contrasts with the reed, which is fragile and easily broken. This juxtaposition highlights that neither the strong nor the weak, the prosperous nor the vulnerable, can withstand the decrees of the Almighty. In the broader scriptural context, this serves as a metaphor for the futility of human pride and the transient nature of earthly power and success. It calls believers to place their trust not in worldly symbols of strength but in the eternal power of God.

(15) The head or tail, branch or rush.--For this figurative description of all classes of the people, see Note on Isaiah 9:14.

Verse 15. - Neither shall there be, etc. Translate, And there shall be for Egypt no work in which both the head and the tail, both the palm branch and the rush, may (conjointly) work. The general spirit of perverseness shall prevent all union of high with low, rich with poor.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
There is
יִהְיֶ֥ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

nothing
וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

Egypt
לְמִצְרַ֖יִם (lə·miṣ·ra·yim)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

can do—
יַעֲשֶׂ֛ה (ya·‘ă·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

head
רֹ֥אשׁ (rōš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

or tail,
וְזָנָ֖ב (wə·zā·nāḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2180: Tail, end, stump

palm
כִּפָּ֥ה (kip·pāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3712: A branch, frond (of a palm tree)

or reed.
וְאַגְמֽוֹן׃ (wə·’aḡ·mō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 100: A bulrush, a rope of bulrushes


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 19:15 Neither shall there be for Egypt any (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 19:14
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