What does it mean that the people do not turn to the one who smites them?

This line means that even though God has already allowed painful events and troubles to strike the nation, the people still refuse to come back to Him. The “one who smites” is the Lord, using hardship as a kind of rod to correct them. Instead of seeing their suffering as a call to repent and seek God’s help, they go on in the same sins. It shows hearts so hardened that even strong discipline does not move them toward prayer, obedience, or real change.

What is meant by God cutting off head and tail, branch and rush in one day?

“Head and tail, branch and rush” is a picture of the whole nation from top to bottom. The “head” is the ancient and honorable leaders, those in high positions. The “tail” is the lying prophet who drags people along with false words. Branch and rush point to the strong and the weak, the high and the low. God is saying His judgment will be complete and sudden. No rank or class will be spared, because sin has spread through every level of the people.

Who are the head and the tail in this passage?

The passage itself explains the picture. The “head” is the ancient and honorable, the older men in authority who are respected in the community. They should have led wisely but instead shared in the nation’s sin. The “tail” is the prophet who teaches lies. Rather than speaking God’s truth, this prophet flatters, misleads, and tells people what they want to hear. Together, corrupt officials and lying prophets twist justice and truth, so they both share in the blame for the nation’s downfall.

How do the leaders cause the people to err and be destroyed?

The leaders mislead the people by calling evil good, promising blessing while people live in open sin, and teaching lies instead of God’s word. When leaders praise a sinful people as if they were safe and right with God, they harden them in their wicked ways. Those who follow such guidance are “swallowed up,” meaning they end up ruined along with their teachers. The passage shows that both sides share responsibility: it is wrong to deceive, and it is also dangerous to follow blindly without testing what is taught.

Why does God say He will not have joy in the young men or mercy on widows and orphans?

Normally, God shows special care for the weak, like widows and orphans, and delights to bless the young. Here, though, the sin is so widespread that even these groups are caught up in hypocrisy and evil. The words stress how deep the corruption has gone. God is not saying He has changed His character, but that in this situation there is no group left that is truly seeking Him. Because “everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,” His judgment reaches across the whole society without distinction.

What does it mean that everyone is a hypocrite and every mouth speaks folly?

Calling everyone a hypocrite means people pretend to be good on the outside while their hearts and actions are evil. They might keep religious forms or speak pious words, but their lives are full of wrongdoing. “Every mouth speaks folly” shows how their speech is empty, foolish, false, or sinful. Instead of honoring God and loving the truth, their words spread lies, vanity, and disrespect. The verse paints a picture of a people whose thoughts, words, and deeds have all turned away from what is right.

What does it mean that God’s anger is not turned away and His hand is stretched out still?

This phrase means that, even after earlier judgments, God’s anger against the nation’s sin has not ended. His “hand stretched out” is a picture of ongoing action, not of rescue here but of continued punishment. Since the people ignore warnings, refuse to repent, and keep listening to corrupt leaders, the time of discipline is not over. It reminds readers that if people push aside God’s calls to return, they should not expect His heavy hand to stop until there is real repentance and change.

How can this passage about judgment and false leaders apply to us today?

This passage warns that suffering alone does not change hearts; people need to actually turn to God. It also shows how serious it is when leaders, teachers, or pastors twist truth and comfort people in their sin instead of calling them to repentance. For us, it is a call to test what we hear by God’s word, not to follow voices that only say pleasant things. It also invites honest self‑examination, asking whether we are truly seeking the Lord when life is hard, or just carrying on in our own way.

Isa.9.13

Isaiah 9:13

KJV

¶ For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

Judgment against Israel’s Hypocrisy

¶ For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Cross References

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