Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 14:9–12

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14:9Sheol16 below is stirred up about you,

ready to meet you when you arrive.

It rouses17 the spirits of the dead for you,

all the former leaders of the earth;18

it makes all the former kings of the nations

rise from their thrones.19

14:10All of them respond to you, saying:

‘You too have become weak like us!

You have become just like us!

14:11Your splendor20 has been brought down to Sheol,

as well as the sound of your stringed instruments.21

You lie on a bed of maggots,

with a blanket of worms over you.22

14:12Look how you have fallen from the sky,

O shining one, son of the dawn!23

You have been cut down to the ground,

O conqueror24 of the nations!25

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Footnotes

  1. 16 Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
  2. 17 Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See §145.t.
  3. 18 Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See *עַתּוּד.
  4. 19 Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
  5. 20 Or “pride” (, ); , , “pomp.”
  6. 21 Or “harps” (, , ).
  7. 22 Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
  8. 23 The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See הֵילֵל. What is the background for the imagery in vv. 12–15? This whole section (vv. 4b–21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address him in vv. 9ff., he is called “the man” in v. 16, and, according to vv. 19–20, he possesses a physical body. Nevertheless the language of vv. 12–15 has led some to see a dual referent in the taunt song. These verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king (cf. vv. 9–11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar, the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup failed and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur. Some Christians have seen an allusion to the fall of Satan here, but this seems contextually unwarranted (see J. Martin, “Isaiah,” , ).
  9. 24 Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”
  10. 25 In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.

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

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Sheol beneath is stirred up

to meet you when you come;

it rouses the shades to greet you,

all who were leaders of the earth;

it raises from their thrones

all who were kings of the nations.

All of them will answer

and say to you:

‘You too have become as weak as we!

You have become like us!’

Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,

the sound of your harps;

maggots are laid as a bed beneath you,

and worms are your covers.

“How you are fallen from heaven,

O Day Star, son of Dawn!

How you are cut down to the ground,

you who laid the nations low!

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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.

They will all respond,

they will say to you,

“You also have become weak, as we are;

you have become like us.”

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,

along with the noise of your harps;

maggots are spread out beneath you

and worms cover you.

How you have fallen from heaven,

morning star, son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth,

you who once laid low the nations!

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Sheol below is eager to greet your coming,

stirring up the spirits of the departed for you—

all the rulers of the earth—

making all the kings of the nations

rise from their thrones.

They all respond to you, saying,

“You too have become as weak as we are;

you have become like us!

Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol,

along with the music of your harps.

Maggots are spread out under you,

and worms cover you.”

Shining morning star,

how you have fallen from the heavens!

You destroyer of nations,

you have been cut down to the ground.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

“In the place of the dead there is excitement

over your arrival.

The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead

stand up to see you.

With one voice they all cry out,

‘Now you are as weak as we are!

Your might and power were buried with you.

The sound of the harp in your palace has ceased.

Now maggots are your sheet,

and worms your blanket.’

“How you are fallen from heaven,

O shining star, son of the morning!

You have been thrown down to the earth,

you who destroyed the nations of the world.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

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.

All of them will respond and say to you,

‘You yourself also were made weak like us!

You have become the same as us!’

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.

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of dawn!

You are cut down to the ground, conqueror of nations!

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming:

It stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth;

It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

All they shall speak and say unto thee,

Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols:

The worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!

How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Public Domain