Isaiah 14:4-23

4 that you will ¹take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, "How ²the oppressor has ceased, And how fury has ceased!

5 "The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers

6 ³Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing * strokes, Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained * persecution.

7 "The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They ⁴break forth into shouts of joy.

8 "Even the ⁵cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.'

9 "⁶Sheol from beneath * is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

10 "⁷They will all respond and say to you, 'Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us.

11 'Your ⁸pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.'

12 "How you have ⁹fallen from heaven, O ¹⁰star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

13 "But you said in your heart, 'I will ¹¹ascend to heaven; I will ¹²raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

14 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; ¹³I will make myself like the Most High.'

15 "Nevertheless you ¹⁴will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,

17 Who made the world like a ¹⁵wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who ¹⁶did not allow his prisoners to go home?'

18 "All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb.

19 "But you have been ¹⁷cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the ¹⁸pit Like a ¹⁹trampled corpse.

20 "You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the ²⁰offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.

21 "Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the ²¹iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities."

22 "I will rise up against them," declares the LORD of hosts, "and will cut off from Babylon ²²name and survivors, ²³offspring and posterity," declares the LORD.

23 "I will also make it a possession for the ²⁴hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of ²⁵destruction," declares the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 14:4-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 14

This chapter contains prophecies of the restoration of the Jews, of the fall of the king of Babylon, and the destruction of the Assyrian empire, and of the ruin of Palestine. The moving cause of the restoration of the Jews, and their settlement in their own land, is the distinguishing mercy of God towards them; the accomplishment of it, proselytes joined unto them; the means, people of other nations, who should bring them into it, and whom they should possess and rule over; and the consequence of it, rest from sorrow, fear, and hard bondage, Isa 14:1-3 upon which they are introduced as taking up a proverb, or a triumphant song, concerning the king of Babylon, wondering at his fall, and ascribing it to the Lord, Isa 14:4,5 representing the inhabitants of the earth, and great men of it, as at peace, and rest, and rejoicing, who before were continually disturbed, and smitten by him, Isa 14:6-8 introducing the dead, and those in hell, meeting him, and welcoming him into their regions, with taunts and jeers; upbraiding him with his weakness, shame, and disgrace he was come into; putting him in mind of his former pomp and splendour, pride, arrogance, and haughtiness, Isa 14:9-15 spectators are brought in, as amazed at the low, mean, and despicable condition he was brought into, considering what he had done in the world, in kingdoms and cities, but was now denied a burial, when other kings lay in their pompous sepulchres, Isa 14:16-20 and then it is foretold that that whole royal family should be cut off, and Babylon, the metropolis of his kingdom, should be utterly destroyed, Isa 14:21-23 all which was settled and fixed by the purpose of God, which could not be made void, Isa 14:24-27 and next follows a prophecy of the destruction of Palestine; the date of the prophecy is given Isa 14:28 the inhabitants of Palestine are bid not to rejoice at the death of one of the kings of Judah, since another should arise, who would be fatal to them, Isa 14:29 and while the Jews would be in safety, they would be destroyed by famine and war, Isa 14:30,31 from all which it would appear, and it might be told the messengers of the nations, or any inquiring persons, that Zion is of the Lord's founding, and under his care and protection, and that his people have great reason and encouragement to trust in him, Isa 14:32.

Cross References

• 1. Habakkuk 2:6
• 2. Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 16:4; Isaiah 49:26; Isaiah 51:13; Isaiah 54:14
• 3. Isaiah 10:14; Isaiah 47:6
• 4. Psalms 47:1-3; Psalms 98:1-9; Psalms 126:1-3
• 5. Isaiah 55:12; Ezekiel 31:16
• 6. Isaiah 5:14
• 7. Ezekiel 32:21
• 8. Isaiah 5:14
• 9. Isaiah 34:4; Luke 10:18; Revelation 8:10; Revelation 9:1
• 10. 2 Peter 1:19; Revelation 2:28; Revelation 22:16
• 11. Ezekiel 28:2
• 12. Daniel 5:22, 23; Daniel 8:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:4
• 13. Isaiah 47:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:4
• 14. Ezekiel 28:8; Matthew 11:23; Luke 10:15
• 15. Joel 2:3
• 16. Isaiah 45:13
• 17. Isaiah 22:16-18
• 18. Jeremiah 41:7, 9
• 19. Isaiah 5:25
• 20. Job 18:16, 19; Psalms 21:10; Psalms 37:28; Isaiah 1:4; Isaiah 31:2
• 21. Exodus 20:5; Leviticus 26:39; Isaiah 13:16; Matthew 23:35
• 22. Proverbs 10:7
• 23. Job 18:19; Isaiah 47:9
• 24. Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14
• 25. 1 Kings 14:10; Isaiah 13:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "proverb"
• [b]. Amended from the meaningless "medhebah" to "marhebah"
• [c]. Or "ruled"
• [d]. Or "shades" (Heb "Repha'im")
• [e]. Lit "male goats"
• [f]. Heb "Helel;" i.e. shining one
• [g]. Lit "show themselves attentive to"
• [h]. Lit "open"
• [i]. Lit "house"
• [j]. Lit "an abhorred branch"
• [k]. Or "As the clothing of those who are slain"