John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 19:15

"Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do." — Isaiah 19:15 (ASV)

Neither shall Egypt have any work to do. This is the conclusion of the former statement, for it means that all the Egyptians will be stupefied to such a degree that whatever they undertake will be fruitless. This must happen where there is no counsel, and it is the righteous punishment of our pride and rashness. He therefore intended to describe the result and effect, to show that it will be unhappy and miserable.

Head or tail, branch or rush. When he threatens both the head and the tail, he means that all ranks, from the highest to the lowest, all without exception, will be deprived of counsel, so that they will not succeed in anything. Or perhaps it will be thought to mean, instead, the order they observe in their actions. Hence we learn that both the beginning and the end of everything depend on God; for we ought to ask from him counsel, prudence, and success, if we do not wish the same thing that happened to the Egyptians to happen to us.