Isaiah 19:11
The princes of Zoan are mere fools;
What it says
The princes of Zoan are called fools and Pharaoh's wise counsel is exposed as empty.
What it is doing
This verse begins the critique of Egypt's celebrated wisdom.
In context
1This is the burden against Egypt: 2“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; 3Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, 4I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a harsh master, 5The waters of the Nile will dry up, 6The canals will stink; 7The bulrushes by the Nile, 8Then the fishermen will mourn, 9The workers in flax will be dismayed, 10The workers in cloth will be dejected, 11The princes of Zoan are mere fools; 12Where are your wise men now? 13The princes of Zoan have become fools; 14The LORD has poured into her 15There is nothing Egypt can do —