Isaiah 14

The Restoration of Israel

1 But Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and he will again choose Israel and set them on their land, and the immigrant will join himself to them, and they will attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

2 And [the] nations will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will take possession of them in the land of Yahweh as slaves and female slaves. And this will happen: they will take their captors captive and rule over their oppressors.

The Downfall of the King of Babylon

3 And it shall happen on the day Yahweh gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and hard labor which {you had to perform},

4 that you will take this taunt against the king of Babylon, and you will say: "How [the] oppressor has ceased! [his] insolence has ceased.

5 Yahweh has broken [the] staff of [the] wicked, [the] scepter of rulers,

6 that struck [the] peoples in wrath, a blow without ceasing, that ruled [the] nations in anger {with unrestrained persecution}.

7 All of the earth rests [and] is quiet; they break forth [into] singing.

8 Even [the] cypresses rejoice over you, the cedars of Lebanon: 'Since you were laid down, no [wood] cutter comes up against us.'

9 Sheol below is getting excited over you, to meet {you when you come}; it arouses [the] dead spirits for you, all of [the] leaders of [the] earth. It raises all of [the] kings of [the] nations from their thrones.

10 All of them will respond and say to you, 'You yourself also were made weak like us! You have become the same as us!'

11 Your pride is brought down [to] Sheol, [and] the sound of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you like a bed, and your covering is worms.

12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of dawn! You are cut down to the ground, conqueror of nations!

13 And you yourself said in your heart, 'I will ascend [to] heaven; I will raise up my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on [the] mountain of assembly on the summit of Zaphon;

14 I will ascend to [the] high places of [the] clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.'

15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to [the] depths of [the] pit.

16 Those who see you will stare at you, they will look closely at you: '[Is] this the man who made the earth tremble, who caused kingdoms to shake,

17 who made [the] world like the desert and destroyed its cities, [who] would not let his prisoners go home?'

18 All [the] kings of [the] nations, all of them, lie in glory, each one in his house.

19 But [as for] you, you are thrown away from your grave, like an abhorrent shoot, clothed with [the] slain, those pierced [by the] sword, those who go down to [the] stones of [the] pit, like a corpse that is trodden down.

20 You will not be united with them in burial because you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people. [The] descendants of evildoers will not be mentioned for eternity!

21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons because of the sin of their ancestors. Let them not rise and take possession of [the] earth or fill up [the] face of [the] world [with] cities."

22 "And I will rise up against them," {declares} Yahweh of hosts, "and I will cut off name and a remnant from Babylon, and offspring and posterity," {declares} Yahweh.

23 "And I will make her a possession of [the] hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep her away with [the] broom of destruction," {declares} Yahweh of hosts.

Oracle of Judgment on Assyria

24 Yahweh of hosts has sworn, saying, "{Surely} just as I have intended, so it shall be. And just as I have planned, it shall stand:

25 to break Assyria in my land, and I will trample him down on my mountains; and he shall remove his yoke from them, and he shall remove his burden from his shoulders."

26 This [is] the plan that is planned concerning all of the earth; and this [is] the hand that is stretched out over all of the nations.

27 For Yahweh of hosts has planned, and who will frustrate [it]? And his hand [is] stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Oracle of Judgment on Philistia

28 In the year of the death of king Ahaz there was this oracle:

29 You must not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken, for a viper will come forth from [the] root of [the] snake, and its fruit [will be] a flying serpent.

30 And [the] firstborn of [the] poor will graze, and [the] needy will lie down in security; but I will cause your root to die in famine, and it will kill your remnant.

31 Wail, gate! Cry, city! Melt, Philistia, all of you! For smoke [is] coming from [the] north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

32 And what will one answer [the] messengers of [the] nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion, and the needy of his people will take refuge in it.

Isaiah 14 Commentary

Chapter 14

The destruction of Babylon, and the death of its proud monarch. (1-23) Assurance of the destruction of Assyria. (24-27) The destruction of the Philistines. (28-32)

Verses 1-23 The whole plan of Divine Providence is arranged with a view to the good of the people of God. A settlement in the land of promise is of God's mercy. Let the church receive those whom God receives. God's people, wherever their lot is cast, should endeavour to recommend religion by a right and winning conversation. Those that would not be reconciled to them, should be humbled by them. This may be applied to the success of the gospel, when those were brought to obey it who had opposed it. God himself undertakes to work a blessed change. They shall have rest from their sorrow and fear, the sense of their present burdens, and the dread of worse. Babylon abounded in riches. The king of Babylon having the absolute command of so much wealth, by the help of it ruled the nations. This refers especially to the people of the Jews; and it filled up the measure of the king of Babylon's sins. Tyrants sacrifice their true interest to their lusts and passions. It is gracious ambition to covet to be like the Most Holy, for he has said, Be ye holy, for I am holy; but it is sinful ambition to aim to be like the Most High, for he has said, He who exalts himself shall be abased. The devil thus drew our first parents to sin. Utter ruin should be brought upon him. Those that will not cease to sin, God will make to cease. He should be slain, and go down to the grave; this is the common fate of tyrants. True glory, that is, true grace, will go up with the soul to heaven, but vain pomp will go down with the body to the grave; there is an end of it. To be denied burial, if for righteousness' sake, may be rejoiced in, ( Matthew 5:12 ) . But if the just punishment of sin, it denotes that impenitent sinners shall rise to everlasting shame and contempt. Many triumphs should be in his fall. God will reckon with those that disturb the peace of mankind. The receiving the king of Babylon into the regions of the dead, shows there is a world of spirits, to which the souls of men remove at death. And that souls have converse with each other, though we have none with them; and that death and hell will be death and hell indeed, to all who fall unholy, from the height of this world's pomps, and the fulness of its pleasures. Learn from all this, that the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned. The royal city is to be ruined and forsaken. Thus the utter destruction of the New Testament Babylon is illustrated, ( Revelation 18:2 ) . When a people will not be made clean with the besom of reformation, what can they expect but to be swept off the face of the earth with the besom of destruction?

Verses 24-27 Let those that make themselves a yoke and a burden to God's people, see what they are to expect. Let those that are the called according to God's purpose, comfort themselves, that whatever God has purposed, it shall stand. The Lord of hosts has purposed to break the Assyrian's yoke; his hand is stretched out to execute this purpose; who has power to turn it back? By such dispensations of providence, the Almighty shows in the most convincing manner, that sin is hateful in his sight.

Verses 28-32 Assurance is given of the destruction of the Philistines and their power, by famine and war. Hezekiah would be more terrible to them than Uzziah had been. Instead of rejoicing, there would be lamentation, for the whole land would be ruined. Such destruction will come upon the proud and rebellious, but the Lord founded Zion for a refuge to poor sinners, who flee from the wrath to come, and trust in his mercy through Christ Jesus. Let us tell all around of our comforts and security, and exhort them to seek the same refuge and salvation.

Footnotes

• [a]. That is, the nations
• [b]. Literally "was worked by you"
• [c]. The meaning of the word is uncertain; others translate it as "fury," "hostility," or even "golden city"
• [d]. Literally "persecution without withholding"
• [e]. Literally "your entrance"
• [f]. Hebrew "maggot"
• [g]. Hebrew "worm"
• [h]. Hebrew "cloud"
• [i]. Or "fathers"
• [j]. That is, their
• [k]. Hebrew "shoulder"
• [l]. With fear or despair

Chapter Summary

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.