Isaías 19:13

13 Han obrado neciamente los príncipes de Zoán, se han engañado los príncipes de Menfis; han extraviado a Egipto los que son la piedra angular de sus tribus.

Isaías 19:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 19:13

The princes of Zoan are become fools
Or infatuated, in their counsels to Pharaoh, and by giving heed to the magicians and diviners; (See Gill on Isaiah 19:11): the princes of Noph are deceived;
called Moph, in ( Hosea 9:6 ) where our translation renders it Memphis; and so do the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions here; the Arabic version has it Menphis; the Syriac version Mophis; and the Targum Mephes; the city of Memphis is no doubt intended, which was the chief of the first of the nomes or provinces of Egypt, from whence it was called Memphites: it was the metropolis of upper Egypt, and the seat of their kings and princes; it was built by their first king Menes ^F20, or Mizraim, and had in it the famous temple of Vulcan; it continues to this day, and goes by the name of Alkair, or Grand Cairo: they have also seduced Egypt;
the princes of the above places, being deceived themselves by the diviners and astrologers, deceived the common people that inhabited the nomes and provinces where they dwelt; it being usual with such to follow their superiors in principle and practice: [even they that are] the stay of the tribes thereof;
or, "who are the corner of its tribes" ^F21; meaning the nomes or provinces of Egypt, especially the Tanitic and Memphitic nomes, whose provinces are mentioned; these are called tribes by the prophet, in the language of the Jews, which land were divided into tribes, as the land of Egypt was divided into nomes; and about this time it was divided into twelve kingdoms, as Israel was into twelve tribes: now, the princes of these tribes and kingdoms, who should have been as cornerstones, to which civil magistrates are compared, see ( Psalms 118:22 ) ( Zechariah 10:4 ) the stay and support of the people, and should have kept them right, these led them wrong, into mistakes and errors.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Ib. (Herodot. l. 2.) c. 99.
F21 (hyjbv tnp) "angulus [vel] tribuum ejus"; so some in Vatablus.

Isaías 19:13 In-Context

11 No son más que necios los príncipes de Zoán; el consejo de los más sabios consejeros de Faraón se ha vuelto torpe. ¿Cómo decís a Faraón: Yo soy hijo de los sabios, hijo de los antiguos reyes?

12 Pues bien, ¿dónde están tus sabios? Que ellos ahora te declaren, y te hagan saber lo que el SEÑOR de los ejércitos ha determinado contra Egipto.

13 Han obrado neciamente los príncipes de Zoán, se han engañado los príncipes de Menfis; han extraviado a Egipto los que son la piedra angular de sus tribus.

14 El SEÑOR ha mezclado en medio de ella un espíritu de distorsión, y han hecho extraviar a Egipto en todas sus empresas, como se tambalea el ebrio en su vómito.

15 Y no habrá para Egipto obra alguna que pueda hacer su cabeza o su cola, su hoja de palmera o su junco.