Isaiah 14:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?’

NIV: the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?'

NASB: Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’

CSB: who turned the world into a wilderness, who destroyed its cities and would not release the prisoners to return home? "

NLT: Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’

KJV: That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

NKJV: Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’

Astonished reactions come from those who see the fallen king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:1–3). This ruler who caused nations to shake with fear has not even been awarded a proper funeral. Isaiah has been going through a taunt song mocking this former ruler (Isaiah 14:4–16).

How could this happen to a man powerful enough to make the world "like a desert." Isaiah could mean this in the sense of causing once highly trafficked areas to be abandoned by all. Travelers would fear being killed or captured by the king's ravenous armies How could such a ruler overthrew cities now be completely powerless?

After all, this was the man who made prisoners of entire people groups. This king would not allow them to return to their home countries even decades later. The idea was to keep people from redeveloping a sense of national pride and the ability to rebel against his rule over them. The people of Judah remained in exile in Babylon for 70 years. Now death had taken all the power and fearsomeness away from their captor.

Chapter 14:3–23 contains a mocking, sarcastic dirge for the fallen king of Babylon. The song imitates the respects otherwise paid to honor a fallen king. Instead, this song describes celebration of both people and trees at his death. The fallen kings in Sheol rise to mock the man for his weakness. The king is sarcastically referred to as the "Day Star"—leading to speculation that this is also a description of Satan's fall from heaven. The fallen one had ambition to become like the Most High among the gods, but instead was cut down to nothing in his death.

After the oracle against Babylon in the previous chapter, Isaiah briefly describes what will follow for Judah. In compassion, the Lord will choose His people once more. He will return them to their homeland. They will sing a mocking taunt-song against the fallen king of Babylon. Isaiah pronounces oracles from the Lord against Assyria and Philistia. The Lord will break the Assyrians in His land. With heavy symbolism, Isaiah seems to prophecy that the Assyrians will defeat the Philistines with a siege four years before it happens. God's people will find refuge in Zion.

Chapter 14 follows the oracle about the destruction of Babylon with a brief encouragement to the people of Judah. The Lord will restore them to the land. They will taunt the fallen Babylonian king, using phrases many also associate with the fall of Satan. Isaiah pronounces oracles from the Lord against Assyria and Philistia. He declares that He will break the Assyrians in His land, freeing His people from their oppression. Philistia will fall at the Lord's hand to a famine inflicted on them by a power from the north. Next, Isaiah's prophecy will turn to Moab.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 5/3/2024 6:39:50 AM