Isaías 19:13

13 Se han desvanecido los príncipes de Zoán; se han engañado los príncipes de Menfis; engañaron a Egipto las esquinas de sus familias

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.

---

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 Ciertamente son necios los príncipes de Zoán; el consejo de los prudentes consejeros de Faraón se ha desvanecido. ¿Cómo diréis por Faraón: Yo soy hijo de los sabios, e hijo de los reyes antiguos

12 ¿Dónde están ahora aquellos tus prudentes? Que te digan ahora, o te hagan saber qué es lo que el SEÑOR de los ejércitos ha determinado sobre Egipto

13 Se han desvanecido los príncipes de Zoán; se han engañado los príncipes de Menfis; engañaron a Egipto las esquinas de sus familias

14 El SEÑOR mezcló espíritu de vahido en medio de él; e hicieron errar a Egipto en toda su obra, como desatina el borracho en su vómito

15 Y no aprovechará a Egipto cosa que haga la cabeza o la cola, la rama o el junco