Isaiah 14:8

8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, “Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.”

Isaiah 14:8 in Other Translations

8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'

8 Even the trees of the forest— the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon— sing out this joyous song: ‘Since you have been cut down, no one will come now to cut us down!’

8 Ponderosa pine trees are happy, giant Lebanon cedars are relieved, saying, "Since you've been cut down, there's no one around to cut us down."

8 Even the cypresses and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over you: "Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter has come against us."

Isaiah 14:8 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 14:8

Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, [and] the cedars of
Lebanon
Which by, a prosopopoeia are represented as singing and rejoicing, as inanimate creatures often are in Scripture, these being now in no danger of being cut down, to make way for his armies; see ( Isaiah 37:34 ) or to furnish him with timber for shipping, or building of houses: or else these words are to be understood metaphorically of kings and princes of the earth, comparable to such trees, for their height, strength, and substance; see ( Zechariah 11:2 ) who would now be no longer in fear of him, or in subjection to him. So the Targum,

``the rulers also rejoiced over thee, the rich in substance said;''

not only the common people, the inhabitants of the earth, as before, but the princes of it rejoiced at his ruin; and so will the kings of the earth rejoice at the destruction of the whore of Rome, when they shall hate her, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire; though others, that have committed fornication with her, will lament her case, ( Revelation 17:16 ) ( 18:9 ) : [saying], since thou art, laid down;
or "art asleep" ^F1; that is, dead; it being usual in the eastern nations to express death by sleep: no feller is come up against us;
or "cutter of wood", to whom the king of Babylon is compared, for cutting down nations, and bringing them into subjection to him, in whose heart it was to destroy and cut off nations, not a few; being as an axe in the hand of the Lord, whereby trees, large and high, were cut down; see ( Isaiah 10:5 Isaiah 10:7 Isaiah 10:15 ) but now, since this feller of wood was gone, the axe was laid aside, and broke to pieces, there was none to give the nations any disturbance; and so it will be when antichrist is destroyed, there will be no more persecution of the church and people of God.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (tbkv) "dormisti", Pagninus.

Isaiah 14:8 In-Context

6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.

7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.

8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, “Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.”

9 The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations.

10 They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”

Cross References

• 1. S 1 Chronicles 16:33; S Psalms 65:13; Ezekiel 31:16
• 2. S 2 Kings 19:23; Isaiah 37:24