John Gill Commentary Isaiah 19:13

"The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have caused Egypt to go astray, that are the corner-stone of her tribes." — Isaiah 19:13 (ASV)

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.

This city was the chief of the first of the nomes or provinces of Egypt, from where 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.