Isaiah 14
14
Restoration of Judah
1The Lord Yahweh will most certainly
show tender mercy to the Israelites. # 14:1 Or “to Jacob.” See Rom. 9–11.
He will choose them again and settle them in their own land. # 14:1 See 1 Kings 8:56; Isa. 32:18.
Even foreigners will accompany them
and join with the Jewish people. # 14:1 Or “house of Jacob.” “Foreigners” (gentiles) and Jews make up “the one new race of humanity.” See Eph. 2:11–22.
2Nations will take them back to their own place, # 14:2 See Isa. 49:22; 60:9; 66:20. They will bring them to their own place; that is, into the body of Christ (see John 14:1–3; 1 Cor. 12:18; Eph. 4:16).
and the Jews # 14:2 Or “house of Israel.” will own their enemies # 14:2 Or “possess them as menservants and maidservants.” as their inheritance
in the land Yahweh gave them. # 14:2 See Ps. 126.
They will take their captors captive
and rule over those who once oppressed them. # 14:2 See Isa. 60:14. The oppressors today are Satan (see Rom. 16:20) and the mind of man (see 2 Cor. 10:3–5).
Downfall of the King of Babylon
3In that day, when the Lord Yahweh has given you rest from your pain, trouble, and cruel bondage, # 14:3 See Matt. 11:28–30; Rom. 6:1–14; Heb. 3–4. 4you will jeer at the king of Babylon and recite this proverb: # 14:4 “Proverb” is the Hebrew word mashal, a homonym for both “proverb” (Prov. 1:1) and “to rule [as king],” “to triumph,” or “to take dominion.” The life and power of “Babylon” (confusion) is conquered by the indwelling life of Christ.
“Your oppressor has been stilled and your onslaught is over! # 14:4 Or “the golden city has ceased.”
5The Lord Yahweh has shattered the staff of the wicked,
the brutal rod # 14:5 A “brutal rod,” a metonymy, represents the authority of wicked rulers. of the rulers.
6With their unceasing blows they used it cruelly
to strike down nations.
They subdued nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.
7But now the whole earth rests and is at peace.
It bursts out with singing; # 14:7 With the oppressive tyranny of the systems of Babylon destroyed, the prophet now saw the people break out with rejoicing and singing. See Isa. 44:23; 49:13; 52:9; 54:1; 55:12.
8even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon # 14:8 In the Christian tradition, the cypress is a symbol of death, life, and resurrection. The cypress supplied boards and timber for doors (see 1 Kings 6:15, 33) and beams for roofing the temple (see 2 Chron. 3:5). The towering cedars of Lebanon speak of God’s anointed servants standing tall and upright, bringing favor to the world (see footnote on Ps. 92:12). join in,
rejoicing over your demise, saying,
‘Now that you were laid low,
no woodsman comes to cut us down.’ ”
The Underworld
9The underworld # 14:9 Or “Sheol,” which represents both the underworld and the personification of the evil it represents. is all astir in preparation,
ready to meet you when you show up.
It rouses the spirits of the dead to greet you!
All the former tyrants # 14:9 Or “great goats,” a likely symbol of tyrants, or “It roused all the giants that ruled the earth” (LXX). and despots # 14:9 Or “kings.” These former rulers are depicted in the underworld (Sheol) as sitting on thrones of darkness.
rise from their thrones!
10One and all will say to you:
“Look at you! You’ve become as weak as we are.
Now you’re just like us!
11Your pompous pride brought you down to the underworld
with the hum of harps. # 14:11 Or “the sound of your harps.” The Hebrew word for “harp” can also be translated “jars” or “pitchers,” with an implication of the noise of clashing jars being broken.
But you will lie on a bed of maggots,
and a blanket of worms will cover you!”
The Son of the Dawn
12“Look how you have fallen from your heavenly place,
O shining one, # 14:12 Or “daystar” or “morning star.” Many scholars and expositors view this passage (vv. 12–21) as not only the fall of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar but also the fall of Satan from heaven (see Luke 10:18). Lucifer, a name for Satan, is the Latin word for “the morning star” or “Venus.” Some view this passage as referring to Adam and the sin of man (see 2 Thess. 2:3–8). son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the ground,
you who conquered nations. # 14:12 Or “laid low the people.”
13You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend into heaven
and exalt my throne above the stars of God. # 14:13 Lucifer wanted to mount up to the heavens. He desired to occupy the highest heavens, to probe the kingdom of the infinite God. His position of favor before God’s throne was not enough. He wanted a throne from which he could exercise final authority and make decisions pertaining to the angelic host (“the stars of God”). He wanted to rule over all the angels.
I will rule on the mountain of the congregation,
on the highest place of the sacred mountain. # 14:13 Or “the summit of Zaphon” or “the farthest reaches of the north” (Ps. 48:1–2). Lucifer desired to be enthroned in the highest place, having all the angelic assemblies in submission to him. He wanted to be the center of attention.
14I will rise past the tops of the clouds
and rival the Most High God!’
15Yet down to the underworld you go—
into the depths of the pit! # 14:15 Or “cistern,” a metaphor for the underworld.
16Everyone will stare at you and ponder your fate, # 14:16 Or “peer at you closely.” saying,
‘Is this the man who shook the earth
and made the kingdoms tremble?
17Is this the man who made the world a desert
and overthrew its cities and refused to free his prisoners
and let them return home?’
18Every king at death lies in state,
each in his crypt of splendor,
19but you are an unburied, trampled corpse,
thrown out of your grave like a rotten stick
and wrapped in the bloody clothing
of those slain by the sword.
20You will not have a burial like them,
because you destroyed both your land and your people.
May your wicked descendants never be mentioned again!
21Prepare to execute his sons because of the sins of their father. # 14:21 As translated from the Syriac and the Septuagint. Hebrew is “fathers [ancestors].” See Ezek. 18:20.
May they never rise to conquer the earth
and cover the world with their cities.”
Utter Extermination of Babylon
22“I will rise up against them,”
declares the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies.
“I will blot out the name Babylon and her survivors,
her offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord Yahweh.
23“I will turn it into a swampland and a place for wild animals. # 14:23 The meaning of the Hebrew word qippod is uncertain. Some translate it as “hedgehog,” “porcupine,” or “owl.”
Like dirt on the floor I will sweep it away
with the broom of destruction,”
declares the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies.
The Lord’s Plan for Assyria
24The Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies,
makes this solemn decree:
“Be sure of this: Just as I have planned, # 14:24 Or “imagined it.” so it will be.
Every purpose of my heart will surely come to pass.
25I will crush the Assyrians who invade my land.
I will trample them on my mountains.
Their yoke of slavery will be removed from my people
and their heavy burden from their shoulders.
26This is the plan that I have determined for the entire world.
I will accomplish it by the demonstration of my mighty power # 14:26 Or “the hand stretched out,” a metaphor for God accomplishing by his power.
throughout the earth!”
27For the Lord Yahweh, the Commander of Angel Armies,
has an amazing strategy, and who can thwart him?
When he moves in power, who can stop him? # 14:27 Or “When his hand is stretched out, who will turn it back?”
God’s Judgment of the Philistines
28This prophecy came to Isaiah in the year King Ahaz died: # 14:28 This prophecy is one of three that are dated in the book. See Isa. 6; 20:1–2.
Don’t rejoice too soon, you Philistines, # 14:28 The Hebrew meaning of Philistines is “those who roll in the dust.” They become a picture of believers who are walking in the flesh (see Gal. 5:16) and not living by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 8:4).
just because the rod # 14:28 The “rod” is a likely figure of speech for Ahaz, although some see it as a reference to Uzziah, the demise of the Davidic monarchy, or an Assyrian king. that beat you is broken!
29A snake # 14:29 The “snake” is possibly Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, who would have been like a snake to the Philistines, ready to strike them. will sprout from the root of that serpent,
and his descendant # 14:29 Or “firstfruit.” The oldest commentaries and the Jewish Targums interpret this last clause as a prophecy of the Messiah, who would be “like a flying, fiery, burning one.” The Targum states, “For from the sons of the son of Jesse shall the Messiah come forth and his deeds shall be among you as a deadly serpent” (John Frederick Stenning, The Targum of Isaiah [Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949], pp. 50–51). He would be more dangerous to the Philistines (a metaphor for the flesh) than any other king. will be like a flying, fiery, burning one. # 14:29 Or “seraph [burning one].” Some see the seraph as a type of fiery serpent, but the meaning of the Hebrew word seraph is clearly “a burning one.” See Isa. 6:6.
30And through him the poorest of the poor will find pasture # 14:30 Or “the firstborn [or firstfruits] of the poor will graze [in my pastures].” The “firstborn of the poor” is likely a figure of speech for “the poorest of the poor.”
and the needy will lie down in peace.
The Lord will starve the root of the Philistines with a famine
that will annihilate your survivors.
31Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt with fear, Philistia!
For a cloud of smoke # 14:31 The Syriac is “a stout [brave, valiant] one.” comes out of the north,
and there is no straggler among them. # 14:31 The meaning of this Hebrew clause is uncertain. This seems to be a picture of an invading army; however, the Septuagint is “and there is nothing more they need to live.”
32And what will be the answer of the messengers of the nations?
That the Lord has laid the foundation of Zion, # 14:32 See Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42; Eph. 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6–7.
and in her his needy ones will find shelter. # 14:32 Or “through him the humble will be saved” (LXX).
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Isaiah 14: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationIsaiah 14
14
Israel’s Taunt
1For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob (the captives in Babylon) and will again choose Israel, and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners (Gentiles) will join them [as proselytes] and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob (Israel). 2The peoples will take them along and bring them to their own place (Judea), and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord as male and female servants; and they will take captive those whose captives they have been, and they will rule over their [former] oppressors.
3And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and from the harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How the oppressor has ceased [his insolence],
And how the fury has ceased!
5The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of the [tyrant] rulers
6Which used to strike the peoples in anger with incessant blows,
Which subdued and ruled the nations in wrath with unrelenting persecution.
7The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break into shouts of joy.
8Even the cypress trees rejoice over you [kings of Babylon], even the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.’
9 # I.e. the nether world, the place of the dead, Hades. Sheol below is excited about you to meet you when you come [you tyrant of Babylon];
It stirs up the spirits of the dead [to greet you], all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones [in astonishment at your fall].
10All of them will respond [tauntingly] and say to you,
‘You have become as weak as we are.
You have become like us.
11Your pomp and magnificence have been brought down to Sheol,
Along with the music of your harps;
The maggots [which prey on the dead] are spread out under you [as a bed]
And worms are your covering [Babylonian rulers].’
12How you have fallen from heaven,
O #Many students of the Bible have felt that the passage which follows applies to Satan (cf Luke 10:18). It is clear from the larger context that the passage addresses the king of Babylon, but that does not rule out a secondary reference to Satan. Many commentators are of the opinion that the arrogance expressed here is satanic, and that the passage correctly represents Satan’s attitude because he was working through the Babylonian ruler. The Hebrew for this expression is translated “Lucifer” (“light-bringer”) in The Latin Vulgate, and is translated this way in the King James Version. But because of the association of that name with Satan, it is not used in this and other translations. Some students feel that the application of the name Lucifer to Satan, in spite of the long and confident teaching to that effect, is erroneous. The application of the name to Satan has existed since the third century a.d., and is based on the supposition that Luke 10:18 is an explanation of Is 14:12, which many authorities believe is not true. “Lucifer,” the light-bringer, is the Latin equivalent of the Greek word “Phosphoros,” which is used as a title of Christ in 2 Pet 1:19 and corresponds to the name “radiant and brilliant Morning Star” in Rev 22:16, a name Jesus called Himself. This passage here in Is 14:12ff clearly applies to the king of Babylon.star of the morning [light-bringer], son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the ground,
You who have weakened the nations [king of Babylon]!
13But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the remote parts of the north.
14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15But [in fact] you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the remote recesses of the pit (the region of the dead).
16Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will consider you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not permit his prisoners to return home?’
18All the kings of the nations, all of them lie [dead] in glorious array,
Each one in his own sepulcher.
19But you [king of Babylon] have been cast out of your tomb (denied burial)
Like a rejected branch,
Clothed with the slain who are pierced by the sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit [into which carcasses are thrown],
Like a dead body trampled [underfoot].
20You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have destroyed your land,
You have slain your people.
May the descendants of evildoers never be named!
21Prepare a slaughtering place for his sons
Because of the wickedness [the sin, the injustice, the wrongdoing] of their fathers.
They must not rise and take possession of the earth,
And fill the face of the world with cities.”
22“I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, and son and grandson,” declares the Lord. 23“I will also make Babylon a possession of the hedgehog and of #The city of Babylon was in the middle of a very fertile area, and it would have seemed reasonable to suppose that, regardless of what happened to the population, the region would always furnish pasturage for flocks. But Isaiah said it would become the possession of wild animals and would be covered with “swamps of water.” This is how that prophecy was literally fulfilled: after Babylon was taken, the whole area around the city was put under water from neglect of the canals and dikes of the Euphrates River. It became stagnant “swamps of water” among ruins haunted by wild animals, proclaiming to any who might see it that it had happened just as the Lord intended (Is 14:24).swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.
Judgment on Assyria
24The Lord of hosts has sworn [an oath], saying, “Just as I have intended, so it has certainly happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand— 25to break the Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains I will trample him underfoot. Then the Assyrian’s #The prophecy against Assyria had actually by this time already been fulfilled, but Isaiah attached it to the as yet unfulfilled prophecy against Babylon as a pledge or guarantee of the fulfillment of the latter.yoke will be removed from them (the people of Judah) and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26This is the plan [of God] decided for the whole earth [regarded as conquered and put under tribute by Assyria]; and this is the hand [of God] that is stretched out over all the nations. 27For the Lord of hosts has decided and planned, and who can annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”
Judgment on Philistia
28In the year that King Ahaz [of Judah] died this [mournful, inspired] oracle (#I.e. an urgent message the prophet is under compulsion to proclaim.a burden to be carried) came:
29“Do not rejoice, O Philistia, any of you,
Because the rod [of Judah] that struck you is broken;
For out of the serpent’s root will come a viper [King Hezekiah of Judah],
And its offspring will be a flying serpent.
30The firstborn of the helpless [of Judah] will feed [on My meadows],
And the needy will lie down in safety;
But I will kill your root with famine,
And your survivors will be put to death.
31Howl, O gate; cry, O city!
Melt away, O Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes out of the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks and no one stands detached [in Hezekiah’s battalions].
32Then what answer will one give the messengers of the [Philistine] nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
And the afflicted of His people will seek and find refuge in it.”
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