What does Isaiah 14:24 mean?
Isaiah delivered an oracle against Babylon in Chapter 13. This is followed by a taunt-song against Babylon's fallen king in this chapter (Isaiah 14:4–21). Now, the prophet begins to prophesy about Assyria (Isaiah 14:24–27).Commentators speculate that this is not a new oracle, but a continuation of the prophecy against Babylon. These scholars suggest that "Babylon" mentioned in this chapter is the representative name for all the Mesopotamian powers in the region. They suggest that this prediction focuses more specifically on Assyria. Or, perhaps, the Lord sees future Babylon as a mere extension of Assyria, which was the major threat of Isaiah's time.
In either case, this is a revelation from the Lord. Isaiah simply quotes God as saying what He will do. The Lord of hosts has sworn to act in a specific way, and that is what will happen. "Hosts" here is referring to the armies of angels the Lord has at His command. God makes it clear that He will do as He has decided to do. Nothing will cause the course of events to be altered.
