Isaiah 14

15. to hell--to Sheol ( Isaiah 14:6 ), thou who hast said, "I will ascend into heaven" ( Matthew 11:23 ).
sides of the pit--antithetical to the "sides of the north" ( Isaiah 14:13 ). Thus the reference is to the sides of the sepulcher round which the dead were arranged in niches. But MAURER here, as in Isaiah 14:13 , translates, "the extreme," or innermost parts of the sepulchre: as in Ezekiel 32:23 (compare 1 Samuel 24:3 ).

Isaiah 14:16-20 . THE PASSERS-BY CONTEMPLATE WITH ASTONISHMENT THE BODY OF THE KING OF BABYLON CAST OUT, INSTEAD OF LYING IN A SPLENDID MAUSOLEUM, AND CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THEIR SENSES THAT IT IS HE.

16. narrowly look--to be certain they are not mistaken.
consider--"meditate upon" [HORSLEY].

17. opened not . . . house . . . prisoners--But MAURER, as Margin, "Did not let his captives loose homewards."

18. All--that is, This is the usual practice.
in glory--in a grand mausoleum.
house--that is, "sepulchre," as in Ecclesiastes 12:5 ; "grave" ( Isaiah 14:19 ). To be excluded from the family sepulcher was a mark of infamy ( Isaiah 34:3 , Jeremiah 22:19 , 1 Kings 13:22 , 2 Chronicles 21:20 , 24:25 , 28:27 ).

19. cast out of--not that he had lain in the grave and was then cast out of it, but "cast out without a grave," such as might have been expected by thee ("thy").
branch--a useless sucker starting up from the root of a tree, and cut away by the husbandman.
raiment of those . . . slain--covered with gore, and regarded with abhorrence as unclean by the Jews. Rather, "clothed (that is, covered) with the slain"; as in Job 7:5 , "My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust" [MAURER].
thrust through--that is, "the slain who have been thrust through," &c.
stones of . . . pit--whose bodies are buried in sepulchres excavated amidst stones, whereas the king of Babylon is an unburied "carcass trodden under foot."

20. not . . . joined with them--whereas the princes slain with thee shall be buried, thou shalt not.
thou . . . destroyed . . . land--Belshazzar (or Naboned) oppressed his land with wars and tyranny, so that he was much hated [XENOPHON, Cyropædia 4.6,3 7.5,32].
seed . . . never be renowned--rather, "shall not be named for ever"; the Babylonian dynasty shall end with Belshazzar; his family shall not be perpetuated [HORSLEY].

Isaiah 14:21-23 . GOD'S DETERMINATION TO DESTROY BABYLON.

21. Prepare, &c.--charge to the Medes and Persians, as if they were God's conscious instruments.
his children--Belshazzar's ( Exodus 20:5 ).
rise--to occupy the places of their fathers.
fill . . . with cities--MAURER translates, "enemies," as the Hebrew means in 1 Samuel 28:16 , Psalms 139:20 ; namely, lest they inundate the world with their armies. VITRINGA translates, "disturbers." In English Version the meaning is, "lest they fill the land with such cities" of pride as Babylon was.

22. against them--the family of the king of Babylon.
name--all the male representatives, so that the name shall become extinct ( Isaiah 56:5 , Ruth 4:5 ).
remnant--all that is left of them. The dynasty shall cease ( Daniel 5:28-31 ). Compare as to Babylon in general, Jeremiah 51:62 .

23. bittern--rather, "the hedgehog" [MAURER and GESENIUS]. STRABO (16:1) states that enormous hedgehogs were found in the islands of the Euphrates.
pools--owing to Cyrus turning the waters of the Euphrates over the country.
besom--sweep-net [MAURER], ( 1 Kings 14:10 , 2 Kings 21:13 ).

Isaiah 14:24-27 . A FRAGMENT AS TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIANS UNDER SENNACHERIB.

This would comfort the Jews when captives in Babylon, being a pledge that God, who had by that time fulfilled the promise concerning Sennacherib (though now still future), would also fulfil His promise as to destroying Babylon, Judah's enemy.

24. In this verse the Lord's thought (purpose) stands in antithesis to the Assyrians' thoughts ( Isaiah 10:7 ). (See Isaiah 46:10 Isaiah 46:11 , 1 Samuel 15:29 , Malachi 3:6 ).

25. That--My purpose, namely, "that."
break . . . yoke--( Isaiah 10:27 ).
my mountains--Sennacherib's army was destroyed on the mountains near Jerusalem ( Isaiah 10:33 Isaiah 10:34 ). God regarded Judah as peculiarly His.

26. This is . . . purpose . . . whole earth--A hint that the prophecy embraces the present world of all ages in its scope, of which the purpose concerning Babylon and Assyria, the then representatives of the world power, is but a part.
hand . . . stretched out upon--namely, in punishment ( Isaiah 5:25 ).

27. ( Daniel 4:35 ).

Isaiah 14:28-32 . PROPHECY AGAINST PHILISTIA.

To comfort the Jews, lest they should fear that people; not in order to call the Philistines to repentance, since the prophecy was probably never circulated among them. They had been subdued by Uzziah or Azariah ( 2 Chronicles 26:6 ); but in the reign of Ahaz ( 2 Chronicles 28:18 ), they took several towns in south Judea. Now Isaiah denounces their final subjugation by Hezekiah.

28. In . . . year . . . Ahaz died--726 B.C. Probably it was in this year that the Philistines threw off the yoke put on them by Uzziah.

29. Palestina--literally, "the land of sojourners."
rod . . . broken--The yoke imposed by Uzziah ( 2 Chronicles 26:6 ) was thrown off under Ahaz ( 2 Chronicles 28:18 ).
serpent's root--the stock of Jesse ( Isaiah 11:1 ). Uzziah was doubtless regarded by the Philistines as a biting "serpent." But though the effects of his bite have been got rid of, a more deadly viper, or "cockatrice" (literally, "viper's offspring," as Philistia would regard him), namely, Hezekiah awaits you ( 2 Kings 18:8 ).

30. first-born of . . . poor--Hebraism, for the most abject poor; the first-born being the foremost of the family. Compare "first-born of death" ( Job 18:13 ), for the most fatal death. The Jews, heretofore exposed to Philistine invasions and alarms, shall be in safety. Compare Psalms 72:4 , "Children of the needy," expressing those "needy in condition."
feed--image from a flock feeding in safety.
root--radical destruction.
He shall slay--Jehovah shall. The change of person, "He" after "I," is a common Hebraism.

31. gate--that is, ye who throng the gate; the chief place of concourse in a city.
from . . . north--Judea, north and east of Palestine.
smoke--from the signal-fire, whereby a hostile army was called together; the Jews' signal-fire is meant here, the "pillar of cloud and fire," ( Exodus 13:21 , Nehemiah 9:19 ); or else from the region devastated by fire [MAURER]. GESENIUS less probably refers it to the cloud of dust raised by the invading army.
none . . . alone . . . in . . . appointed times--Rather, "There shall not be a straggler among his (the enemy's) levies." The Jewish host shall advance on Palestine in close array; none shall fall back or ing from weariness ( Isaiah 5:26 Isaiah 5:27 ), [LOWTH]. MAURER thinks the Hebrew will not bear the rendering "levies" or "armies." He translates, "There is not one (of the Philistine watch guards) who will remain alone (exposed to the enemy) at his post," through fright. On "alone," compare Psalms 102:7 , Hosea 8:9 .

32. messengers of the nation--When messengers come from Philistia to enquire as to the state of Judea, the reply shall be, that the Lord . . . ( Psalms 87:1 Psalms 87:5 , 102:16 ).
poor--( Zephaniah 3:12 ).