Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.
And there is no work to Egypt, That head or tail, branch or reed, may do.
Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.
Isaiah — The gospel prophet — a Judean court-prophet across Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (c. 740–700 BC) who sees past Assyria to Babylon and past Babylon to the Messiah. Sixty-six chapters divided into the Book of Judgment (1–39) and the Book of Comfort (40–66), climaxing in the Servant wounded for our transgressions.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
Voices6
(Verse 12 and following) How can you say to Pharaoh: I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has planned against Egypt. The princes of Tanis have become foolish, the princes of Memphis are deluded; the leaders of Egypt have led it astray. The Lord has poured into them a spirit of confusion; they have made Egypt stagger in all its undertakings, as a drunkard staggers and vomits.
Jerome· Commentary on Isaiah, 420patristic
Third, the error of the people themselves: and they have caused Egypt to err. Head, namely, neither with respect to the beginning; tail, nor the end; that bends down, in respect to the old man; that holds back, in respect to the youth, who lacks …
Thomas Aquinas· Commentary on Isaiah, 1274patristic
(Verse. 14, 15.) The Lord mixed in its midst the spirit of dizziness: and he caused Egypt to wander in all its work, like a drunkard and a vomiter: and Egypt will have no work that it does, bending and restraining head and tail. First let us speak about the interpretation, and afterwards we will discuss what is written. The spirit of dizziness can also be interpreted as the spirit of error. In addition, in what we have translated as bending and restraining, we can say bending and lascivious, so that we understand old man and child.
Jerome· Commentary on Isaiah, 420patristic
Neither shall there be any work for Egypt,....
John Gill· Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)reformed
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.
Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)evangelical
Note, The flourishing of a kingdom depends much upon the industry of the people; and then things are likely to do well when all hands are at work, when the head and top-branch do not disdain to labour, and the labour of the tail and rush is not disdained.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
Proverbs 14:23There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
leads to
The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”
For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
Through
Habakkuk 3:17Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold…
leads to
Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?
They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword…
If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
The whole web at once: see the Arc.
The verses this one reaches6
So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day.
and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.
Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls,
I have summoned a drought on the fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the labor of your hands.”
There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.
