Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 14:18–23

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14:1836 As for all the kings of the nations,

all of them37 lie down in splendor,38

each in his own tomb.39

14:19But you have been thrown out of your grave

like a shoot that is thrown away.40

You lie among41 the slain,

among those who have been slashed by the sword,

among those headed for42 the stones of the pit,43

as if you were a mangled corpse.44

14:20You will not be buried with them,45

because you destroyed your land

and killed your people.

The offspring of the wicked

will never be mentioned again.

14:21Prepare to execute46 his sons

for the sins their ancestors have committed.47

They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,

or fill the surface of the world with cities.”48

14:22“I will rise up against them,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people,49

including the offspring she produces,”50

says the Lord.

14:23“I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals51

and covered with pools of stagnant water.

I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,”52

says the Lord who commands armies.

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Footnotes

  1. 36 It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b–10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
  2. 37 The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
  3. 38 This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
  4. 39 Heb “house” (so , ), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
  5. 40 Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
  6. 41 Heb “are clothed with.”
  7. 42 Heb “those going down to.”
  8. 43 בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. .
  9. 44 Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
  10. 45 Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so ).
  11. 46 Or “the place of slaughter for.”
  12. 47 Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
  13. 48 J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [], 1:, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
  14. 49 Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (, , and all similar).
  15. 50 Heb “descendant and child.”
  16. 51 Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. , “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, , , ).
  17. 52 Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press