John Gill Commentary Isaiah 9:14

"Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day." — Isaiah 9:14 (ASV)

Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail , &c.] The former of these is afterwards interpreted as "the ancient and honourable", men in high places, civil magistrates, judges, governors, and elders of the people, the king as supreme, and all subordinate officers; and so the Targum says, ``the Lord will destroy from Israel the prince and the ruler;'' and the latter is interpreted of the false prophet. The people of Israel are compared to a beast with a tail, as they were so sadly degenerated and corrupted; as the Romish antichrist, in both his capacities, civil and ecclesiastical, is compared to a beast; one being the head, and the other the tail, (Revelation 13:1Revelation 13:2Revelation 13:11) and Rome Pagan to a dragon with a tail, (Revelation 12:3Revelation 12:4) and the Saracens and Turks to locusts with tails like the tails of scorpions, (Revelation 9:10Revelation 9:19) :

branch and rush, in one day . The Septuagint translate it, "great and small"; and so the Arabic version; the first word meaning the great men of the nation, in flourishing circumstances, like branches of trees; the latter the common people, like reeds and rushes, weak and feeble; so Kimchi explains them, ``the strong and the weak;'' though the Targum interprets both as the governor and lord; and so Jarchi says they signify kings and governors; but Aben Ezra translates the word as root and branch; and so they may denote the utter destruction of the people of Israel, fathers and children, high and low, rich and poor. See (Malachi 4:1) .