Isaiah 14

This chapter belongs to chapters 13–23 of Isaiah, a collection of oracles (proclamations of God's word) addressed to various nations. It continues the burden against Babylon that begins in Isaiah 13.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The LORD has mercy on Jacob and brings Israel back to its own land. Israel comes to rule over those who had oppressed it.
• Verses 3–11 A song to be sung concerning the king of Babylon on the day Israel is given rest. When the oppressor ceases, the whole earth is at rest. The kings of Sheol rise to meet him, saying, "Art thou become like unto us?"
• Verses 12–21 "Lucifer, son of the morning," who sought to ascend into heaven and be like the Most High, is brought down to the sides of the pit. He is cast out even of his grave, and his offspring are cut off.
• Verses 22–23 The LORD of hosts declares that He will cut off from Babylon the name and remnant and make the land desolate.
• Verses 24–27 The LORD swears that He will tread Assyria under foot upon His mountains and remove its yoke from Israel. No one can turn back His purpose.
• Verses 28–32 A burden received in the year King Ahaz died. Philistia is told not to rejoice that the rod that struck it is broken, for smoke is coming from the north, while the afflicted of His people will take refuge in Zion.

Key Verses

• Isaiah 14:12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" — A representative verse depicting the downfall of the proud, it has served as a basis for interpretations linking the passage with the fall of Satan.
• Isaiah 14:24 "Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass" — Summarizes the chapter's theme that the rise and fall of nations lie under God's plan.
• Isaiah 14:32 "The LORD hath founded Zion" — Promises that a refuge exists even in the midst of judgment.

People and Places

• The king of Babylon: The subject of the taunt song. The text does not name him, and scholars differ as to his identity.
• Ahaz: King of Judah. In verse 28 his death marks the time of this oracle.
• Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, Zion
• Lebanon: A mountain region renowned for its cedars. In verse 8 the cedars rejoice that the felling of trees has ceased.
• Sheol: The abode of the dead (KJV "hell"). It serves as the setting of the song in verses 9–15.

Points for Reflection

• The "morning star" of verse 12 (Hebrew helel, "shining one") was rendered Lucifer ("light-bearer," the morning star) in the Latin Vulgate, a rendering the KJV retains. From early church fathers such as Origen onward, a tradition developed of reading this passage together with Ezekiel 28 as an account of Satan falling from heaven through pride.
• By contrast, John Calvin rejected this application, arguing that the context speaks of the king of Babylon. Many commentators today likewise read it as a taunt against the king of Babylon, as verse 4 states. Some interpreters hold both readings together, discerning a spiritual reality behind the king's pride.
• "Lucifer" is a designation that arose from the translation of this verse. Scripture does not use it as a proper name for Satan.
• Two sayings of Jesus in the New Testament are often read alongside this chapter. One is "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke 10:18). The other, addressed to Capernaum—"which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell" (Matthew 11:23)—recalls the language of verses 13–15. The theme of Babylon's fall reappears in Revelation 18.
• Views differ on the exact year of Ahaz's death and on the identity of "the rod of him that smote thee" in verse 29.

In the Korean Church

The chapter is commonly cited together with Ezekiel 28 in sermons and Bible studies on the origin of Satan. It is also frequently used as a text warning against pride.