What does Isaiah 14:1 mean?
Isaiah's prophecy against Babylon is interrupted for two verses, Isaiah 14:1–2, to describe the Lord's restoration of His people. The prophet is referring to the people of Israel by the name of their ancestor, Jacob. When this prediction was written, the southern two tribes of Israel were under dire threat from the Assyrians. However, Isaiah is writing about a time in the future during which Judah will be in exile as captives in Babylon. The future destruction of Babylon was described in the previous chapter (Isaiah 13). That will provide for the full release of Judah from captivity, as well as the return to the land of Israel. This event is described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.After the defeat of Babylon, the Lord will again have compassion for His people. He will "choose" them again. This doesn't mean that the Lord ever abandoned Israel completely or broke any of His promises to them. Instead, the Lord will renew His choice of Israel as His own people. He will demonstrate His faithfulness to those promises made to Israel by bringing them back to the Promised Land once more.
Isaiah adds that sojourners will join Israel and connect themselves to Jacob's house. These are people from other nations who will return to live and work among the Israelites in the reformed land of Israel.