Isaiah 14

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:3

The hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve (comp. Isaiah 47:6 ). We have no detailed account of the Babylonian, as we have of the Egyptian, servitude; but it was probably well-nigh as grievous. A few, of royal descent, might be eunuchs in the palace of the great king ( 2 Kings 20:18 ; Daniel 1:3 ), and hold offices of trust; but with the bulk of the nation it was otherwise. Psalms 137:1-9 , has the plaintive ring which marks it as the utterance of a sorely oppressed people. And... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:3

The Lord's rest. "The Lord shall give thee rest." The word " rest " summarizes God's deliverances, and God's protections, and God's provisions, for his captive people. Assurbanipal boasts that he made his Arabian prisoners carry heavy burdens and build brickwork. And the wearied Hebrews in Egypt were promised the Lord's rest in Canaan. Treating the topic in a comprehensive manner, we may say that the rest which God provides for his creatures must be like himself , and it must be ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4

Thou shalt take up this proverb ; rather, this parable , as the word is translated in Numbers 23:1-30 , and Numbers 24:1-25 .; in Job 26:1 ; Job 29:1 ; Psalms 49:4 ; Psalms 78:2 ; Ezekiel 17:2 ; Ezekiel 20:49 ; Ezekiel 21:5 ; Ezekiel 24:3 ; Micah 2:4 ; Habakkuk 2:6 ; or "this taunting speech," as our translators render in the margin (see Cheyne, ad loc .; and comp. Hebrews 2:6 ). The golden city . There are two readings here— madhebah and marhebah . ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4

God's judgments on other nations than our own. The "burdens" are given as a series of prophetic visions; events pass before the prophet's mind as in a moving panorama, and he notes down just the things that more particularly arrested his attention. A prophetical description of an event will differ from an historical account of the same event, by being a irate outline, or else a vigorous word-painting of certain salient features, rather than a circumstantial detail. Prophetical work is akin... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4-23

Triumph over enemies. The "taunt-song" of Israel, as it has been called (Cheyne), like the "song of Deborah" in the Book of Judges (5.), raises the question how far triumph over a national enemy is a feeling that can be indulged with propriety. There can be no doubt that it is— I. A NATURAL FEELING . "The song of Deborah and Barak" expresses the feelings which have usually animated the victors in national contests from the beginning of the world to the present day. The poems of Homer... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4-23

Sin and its humiliations. This strong, poetical utterance of Isaiah, though primarily directed against one particular city and, probably, one individual king, may convey to us all some serviceable lessons respecting sin generally, and more especially the humiliations which are in its train. We gather therefrom— I. THAT THE OPPRESSIVENESS OF SIN , THOUGH LONG CONTINUED , WILL CERTAINLY BE BROKEN DOWN . (Verses 4-7.) Sin is constantly, naturally, oppressive. It... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:5

The staff … the scepter . Symbols of Babylonian power (scrap. Isaiah 10:5 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:5

The false staff. "The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked." True of the King of Babylon, this is true also of every evil man. It was a sentence that God commanded to be taken up as a proverb against him, and it may be illustrated as a universal proverb in all ages and nations. Men lean on a staff; and unless God be the Rod and the Staff, assuredly it will be broken. I. HEALTH IS A STAFF . Men lean on that. A well-organized frame and a well-strung nervous system cause men to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:6

He who smote the people ; rather, which smote the peoples . The participle translated "he who smote" refers to "staff" or "scepter." With a continual stroke ; i.e. incessantly, one war following another without pause or stop. He that ruled , etc.; rather, which ruled the nations in anger with a persecution that held not back . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:7

At rest … singing . The first result of the fall of Babylon is general peace, rest, and quiet; then the nations, recognizing the blessedness of the change, burst out into a song of rejoicing. The peace did not really continue very long; for Persia took up the role of conqueror which Babylon had been forced to drop, and, under Cambyses and Darius Hystaspis, produced as much stir and disturbance as had been caused by Babylon; Still, there was an interval of about eleven years between the... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4-23

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:4-23

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 14:7

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