- Home
- Bible
- Isaiah
- Chapter 14
- Verse 14
Isaiah 14:13
Verse
Context
The Fall of the King of Babylon
12How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. 13You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. 14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Sermons
T. Austin-Sparks
B.H. Clendennen
Don CourvilleT. Austin-Sparks
Watchman NeeSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
I will ascend into heaven - I will get the empire of the whole world. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God - above the Israelites, who are here termed the stars of God. So the Targum of Jonathan, and R. D. Kimchi. This chapter speaks not of the ambition and fall of Satan, but of the pride, arrogance, and fall of Nebuchadnezzar. The mount of the congregation "The mount of the Divine Presence" - It appears plainly from Exo 25:22, and Exo 29:42, Exo 29:43, where God appoints the place of meeting with Moses, and promises to meet with him before the ark to commune with him, and to speak unto him; and to meet the children of Israel at the door of the tabernacle; that the tabernacle, and afterwards the door of the tabernacle, and Mount Zion, (or Moriah, which is reckoned a part of Mount Zion), whereon it stood, was called the tabernacle, and the mount of convention or of appointment; not from the people's assembling there to perform the services of their religion, (which is what our translation expresses by calling it the tabernacle of the congregation), but because God appointed that for the place where he himself would meet with Moses, and commune with him, and would meet with the people. Therefore הר מועד har moed, the "mountain of the assembly," or אהל מועד ohel moed, the "tabernacle of the assembly," means the place appointed by God, where he would present himself; agreeably to which I have rendered it in this place, the mount of the Divine Presence.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
"And thou, thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and sit down on the mount of the assembly of gods in the corner of the north. I will ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless, thou wilt be cast down into the region of the dead, into the corner of the pit." An antithetical circumstantial clause commences with veattah, just as in Isa 14:19, "whilst thou," or "whereas thou." The har hammōēd (mount of assembly) cannot be Zion, as is assumed by Schegg and others, who are led astray by the parallel in Psa 48:3, which has been entirely misunderstood, and has no bearing upon this passage at all. Zion was neither a northern point of the earth, nor was it situated on the north of Jerusalem. The prophet makes the king of Babylon speak according to the general notion of his people, who had not the seat of the Deity in the midst of them, as the Israelites had, but who placed it on the summit of the northern mountains, which were lost in the clouds, just as the Hindus place it on the fabulous mountains of Kailâsa, which lie towards the north beyond the Himalayas (Lassen, i. 34ff.). ירכתים (with an aspirated כ in a loosely closed syllable) are the two sides into which a thing parts, the two legs of an angle, and then the apex at which the legs separate. And so here, צפון ירכּתי (with an unaspirated Caph in a triply closed syllable) is the uttermost extremity of the north, from which the northern mountains stretch fork-like into the land, and yarcethe-bor the interior of the pit into which its two walls slope, and from which it unfolds or widens. All the foolhardy purposes of the Chaldean are finally comprehended in this, "I will make myself like the Most High;" just as the Assyrians, according to Ctesias, and the Persians, according to the Persae of Aeschylus, really called their king God, and the Sassanidae call themselves bag, Theos, upon coins and inscriptions ('eddammeh is hithpael, equivalent to 'ethdammeh, which the usual assimilation of the preformative Tav: Ges. 34, 2, b). By the אך in Psa 48:14, the high-flying pride of the Chaldean is contrasted with his punishment, which hurls him down into the lowest depths. אך, which was originally affirmative, and then restrictive (as rak was originally restrictive and then affirmative), passes over here into an adversative, just as in Psa 49:16; Job 13:15 (a change seen still more frequently in אכן); nevertheless thou wilt be hurled down; nothing but that will occur, and not what you propose. The prophetic tūrad is language that neither befits the inhabitants of Hades, who greet his advent, nor the Israel singing the mashal; but the words of Israel have imperceptibly passed into words of the prophet, who still sees in the distance, and as something future, what the mashal commemorates as already past.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
above . . . God--In Dan 8:10, "stars" express earthly potentates. "The stars" are often also used to express heavenly principalities (Job 38:7). mount of the congregation--the place of solemn meeting between God and His people in the temple at Jerusalem. In Dan 11:37, and Th2 2:4, this is attributed to Antichrist. sides of the north--namely, the sides of Mount Moriah on which the temple was built; north of Mount Zion (Psa 48:2). However, the parallelism supports the notion that the Babylonian king expresses himself according to his own, and not Jewish opinions (so in Isa 10:10) thus "mount of the congregation" will mean the northern mountain (perhaps in Armenia) fabled by the Babylonians to be the common meeting-place of their gods. "Both sides" imply the angle in which the sides meet; and so the expression comes to mean "the extreme parts of the north." So the Hindus place the Meru, the dwelling-place of their gods, in the north, in the Himalayan mountains. So the Greeks, in the northern Olympus. The Persian followers of Zoroaster put the Ai-bordsch in the Caucasus north of them. The allusion to the stars harmonizes with this; namely, that those near the North Pole, the region of the aurora borealis (compare see on Job 23:9; Job 37:22) [MAURER, Septuagint, Syriac].
John Gill Bible Commentary
For thou hast said in thine heart,.... Which shows the pride and haughtiness that were in his heart; and were the cause and reason of his fall, for pride goes before a fall; it was the cause of the fall of angels, and of Adam, and of many kings and kingdoms; see Pro 16:18 with this compare Rev 18:7, I will ascend into heaven; be above all men, rule over the whole world; and so the Targum. "I will ascend on high;'' unless by it is meant the temple at Jerusalem, where Jehovah dwelt, an emblem of heaven, to which sense the following clauses incline; and so the Romish antichrist sits in the temple of God, and on his throne as if he was God, Th2 2:4. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; which he has made and set in the heavens, and preserves; meaning either the angels, Job 38:7 or rather the kings and princes of the earth, over whom he placed himself, having subdued them under him. It may be applied to ecclesiastical persons, pastors, and bishops of churches, compared to stars, Rev 1:20 the third part of which the dragon drew with his tail, Rev 12:4 and over whom the bishop of Rome has usurped an universal dominion. The Targum is, "over the people of God I will put the throne of my kingdom;'' notoriously true of the man of sin: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: that is, as some think, in the temple where the tribes of Israel gathered together for worship, which was built upon Mount Zion; which, as Kimchi says, lay north of Jerusalem; see Psa 48:2 so the tabernacle is often called the tabernacle of the congregation; but, as Cocceius and Vitringa observe, Mount Zion was not to the north, but to the south of Jerusalem; wherefore not that mount, but Mount Moriah, which was to the north of Mount Zion, is designed; however, not Babylon is here meant, as R. Joseph Kimchi thought; called, as he supposes, "the mount of the congregation", because all the world were gathered thither to the king of Babylon; and a "mount", because a strong city; and said to be "in the sides of the north", because it lay north east to the continent; but, as one observes, he had no need to boast of sitting there, where he was already. Jarchi thinks the last clause refers to the north side of the altar, in the court, where the sacrifice was killed, Lev 1:11 and may point at the seat of the Romish antichrist, and the sacerdotal power usurped by him, to offer sacrifice for the sins of men, particularly the bloodless sacrifice of the Mass.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
14:13 This verse alludes to the Canaanite belief that the chief god El and the other gods were enthroned on Mount Zaphon, a northern mountain (see Ps 48:2; for a New Testament application, see Matt 11:23; Luke 10:15).
Isaiah 14:13
The Fall of the King of Babylon
12How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. 13You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. 14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Gods Order in Christ - Part 9
By T. Austin-Sparks1.8K44:43Order In ChristNUM 10:9PSA 27:4ISA 14:13In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing and abiding in the word of God. They highlight the battle between life and death and the need for spiritual togetherness among believers. The speaker discusses the disruption of God's heavenly order by Satan and the importance of humility in restoring that order. They also emphasize the role of the church in representing and depositing the work of Christ. The sermon concludes with a challenge to individuals to consider the practical and challenging nature of being a true representation of the church.
Abraham, My Friend: 05 Looking Forward to the City
By Ron Bailey1.3K15:37AbrahamGEN 4:17GEN 11:4ISA 14:13MAT 6:33JHN 14:2JHN 15:5HEB 11:10In this sermon, the speaker explores the life of Abraham and his journey towards becoming a praying man and a friend of God. The importance of the first step in any venture is emphasized, as mistakes in the foundation can be costly to rectify. Abraham's perseverance and enthusiasm were sustained by his desire and hunger for the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. The sermon also contrasts the city built by Cain in defiance of God's punishment with the city that Abraham looked forward to, highlighting the importance of expectation and anticipation in faith.
Satan's Religion
By B.H. Clendennen1.3K44:18ISA 14:13
This sermon delves into the dangers of Satan's religion, focusing on how he seeks to dilute and compromise the message of Christ by promoting counterfeit doctrines and false teachings within Christian churches. The speaker emphasizes the importance of holding fast to the true Word of God, the total humanity and deity of Jesus Christ, and the need to avoid idolatry and false worship that the devil accepts. Various Bible verses are used to highlight the deceptive tactics of Satan's religion and the importance of discerning true doctrine from false teachings.
On Eagles' Wings Pt 97
By Don Courville34528:45Radio ShowGEN 3:21PSA 85:6PSA 85:13ISA 14:13MAT 6:33In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the power of God and how believers should not be defeated by the lies of the enemy. He highlights the need for revival and how it reveals areas of deception and apostasy in our lives. The preacher shares personal experiences of being humbled by God and being shown areas of pride and bitterness. He also discusses the impact of Adam and Eve's sin, which brought humanity under the influence of Satan, but emphasizes the victory that can be found through the cross and the blood of Christ.
(I) the Gospel of God's Great Love - Part 2 (Satan Pioneers Sin and Iniquity)
By Robert Wurtz II0ISA 14:13MAT 25:41JHN 8:44EPH 2:3REV 12:4Robert Wurtz II preaches about the consequences of deviating from God's will, emphasizing the destructive path of rebellion led by Satan, who sought to exalt himself above God and created a broad road to destruction. This rebellion twisted Satan into a spirit of corruption, leading to his eternal ruin and separation from God's goodness and grace. Satan's 'I will' attitude transformed him into an enemy of God, forever disobedient and the father of all who follow in his lawless ways.
The Great Prize
By T. Austin-Sparks0GEN 3:5ISA 14:13MRK 10:21ACT 16:16ACT 16:25ROM 8:18ROM 8:29EPH 3:20PHP 3:8T. Austin-Sparks preaches on the pursuit of gaining Christ and reaching the prize of being conformed to His image, emphasizing the importance of knowing the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and the conformity to His death. He contrasts the choices of the rich young ruler who clung to his possessions and Paul who gladly chose the heavenly prize over earthly treasures. The sermon highlights the need for believers to let go of self-interest, embrace suffering as a path to glory, and ultimately magnify Christ in their lives.
I. the Origin of the Tempter
By Watchman Nee0Spiritual WarfareThe Nature of TemptationGEN 3:5ISA 14:13JHN 14:302CO 4:4EPH 2:21TI 3:61PE 5:82PE 2:4REV 2:9REV 12:9Watchman Nee explores the origin of the tempter, revealing that he was once a beautiful and wise creature who fell from grace by aspiring to be equal with God. This pride led to his judgment and the establishment of his kingdom, where he tempts humanity with the allure of becoming like gods. Nee emphasizes the importance of recognizing the tempter's various names and roles, as well as the reality of his influence in the world today. He warns Christians to remain vigilant against pride and to fully embrace Christ as their identity to avoid falling into the same judgment as the devil. Ultimately, Nee calls for a deeper understanding of the tempter's tactics and the need for believers to be watchful and discerning.
Jeroboam's Idolatry
By C.I. Scofield0GEN 3:1DEU 11:292SA 7:111KI 12:28ISA 14:13C.I. Scofield delves into the story of Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:25-33, highlighting the dangers of substituting true religion with false religion and the consequences of apostasy. Jeroboam's apostasy began with his rebellion against God's authority, leading to the establishment of his own altar, priesthood, and religious practices. This serves as a warning against forsaking divine truth and creating man-made rituals and beliefs, even if they are disguised with Christian elements.
The Battle of the Mind - 1
By Anton Bosch0GEN 11:4ISA 14:13ACT 1:8ROM 8:62CO 10:3EPH 6:17JAS 4:7Anton Bosch emphasizes the spiritual battle within the mind and heart of a Christian, highlighting the need to use God's spiritual weapons to overcome deeply entrenched strongholds of wrong thoughts and behaviors. The key to victory lies in employing the Word of God, prayer, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to bring every thought into obedience to Christ. These strongholds, built over time through self-justification and worldly influences, hinder our relationship with God and must be torn down through God's power and our cooperation.
Behold Christ
By K.P. Yohannan0Christ's ExampleHumilityPRO 16:18ISA 14:13MAT 23:12LUK 14:11JHN 3:30ROM 12:3EPH 4:2PHP 2:3JAS 4:61PE 5:5K.P. Yohannan emphasizes the importance of humility by reflecting on Christ's example of selflessness and servitude. He urges believers to recognize that every challenge is an opportunity to cultivate a humble spirit, mirroring Jesus' humility in our interactions with others. Yohannan warns against using humility as a means for personal gain, highlighting that true humility allows Christ's life to be perfected within us. He contrasts the destructive nature of pride, which leads to spiritual downfall, with the redemptive power of Christ's humility demonstrated through His sacrifice. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a daily commitment to decrease ourselves so that Christ may increase in our lives.
And David Said Unto God, I Have Sinned Greatly
By F.B. Meyer0PrideHumility1CH 21:8ISA 14:13F.B. Meyer emphasizes David's acknowledgment of his sin rooted in pride and self-glorification, contrasting it with the humility that God desires from His followers. He warns against the temptation to boast about our achievements and possessions, reminding us that all we have is a gift from God. Meyer calls for a return to a humble heart, echoing the sentiments of John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul, urging believers to recognize their dependence on God's grace rather than their own merits.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
I will ascend into heaven - I will get the empire of the whole world. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God - above the Israelites, who are here termed the stars of God. So the Targum of Jonathan, and R. D. Kimchi. This chapter speaks not of the ambition and fall of Satan, but of the pride, arrogance, and fall of Nebuchadnezzar. The mount of the congregation "The mount of the Divine Presence" - It appears plainly from Exo 25:22, and Exo 29:42, Exo 29:43, where God appoints the place of meeting with Moses, and promises to meet with him before the ark to commune with him, and to speak unto him; and to meet the children of Israel at the door of the tabernacle; that the tabernacle, and afterwards the door of the tabernacle, and Mount Zion, (or Moriah, which is reckoned a part of Mount Zion), whereon it stood, was called the tabernacle, and the mount of convention or of appointment; not from the people's assembling there to perform the services of their religion, (which is what our translation expresses by calling it the tabernacle of the congregation), but because God appointed that for the place where he himself would meet with Moses, and commune with him, and would meet with the people. Therefore הר מועד har moed, the "mountain of the assembly," or אהל מועד ohel moed, the "tabernacle of the assembly," means the place appointed by God, where he would present himself; agreeably to which I have rendered it in this place, the mount of the Divine Presence.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
"And thou, thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and sit down on the mount of the assembly of gods in the corner of the north. I will ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless, thou wilt be cast down into the region of the dead, into the corner of the pit." An antithetical circumstantial clause commences with veattah, just as in Isa 14:19, "whilst thou," or "whereas thou." The har hammōēd (mount of assembly) cannot be Zion, as is assumed by Schegg and others, who are led astray by the parallel in Psa 48:3, which has been entirely misunderstood, and has no bearing upon this passage at all. Zion was neither a northern point of the earth, nor was it situated on the north of Jerusalem. The prophet makes the king of Babylon speak according to the general notion of his people, who had not the seat of the Deity in the midst of them, as the Israelites had, but who placed it on the summit of the northern mountains, which were lost in the clouds, just as the Hindus place it on the fabulous mountains of Kailâsa, which lie towards the north beyond the Himalayas (Lassen, i. 34ff.). ירכתים (with an aspirated כ in a loosely closed syllable) are the two sides into which a thing parts, the two legs of an angle, and then the apex at which the legs separate. And so here, צפון ירכּתי (with an unaspirated Caph in a triply closed syllable) is the uttermost extremity of the north, from which the northern mountains stretch fork-like into the land, and yarcethe-bor the interior of the pit into which its two walls slope, and from which it unfolds or widens. All the foolhardy purposes of the Chaldean are finally comprehended in this, "I will make myself like the Most High;" just as the Assyrians, according to Ctesias, and the Persians, according to the Persae of Aeschylus, really called their king God, and the Sassanidae call themselves bag, Theos, upon coins and inscriptions ('eddammeh is hithpael, equivalent to 'ethdammeh, which the usual assimilation of the preformative Tav: Ges. 34, 2, b). By the אך in Psa 48:14, the high-flying pride of the Chaldean is contrasted with his punishment, which hurls him down into the lowest depths. אך, which was originally affirmative, and then restrictive (as rak was originally restrictive and then affirmative), passes over here into an adversative, just as in Psa 49:16; Job 13:15 (a change seen still more frequently in אכן); nevertheless thou wilt be hurled down; nothing but that will occur, and not what you propose. The prophetic tūrad is language that neither befits the inhabitants of Hades, who greet his advent, nor the Israel singing the mashal; but the words of Israel have imperceptibly passed into words of the prophet, who still sees in the distance, and as something future, what the mashal commemorates as already past.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
above . . . God--In Dan 8:10, "stars" express earthly potentates. "The stars" are often also used to express heavenly principalities (Job 38:7). mount of the congregation--the place of solemn meeting between God and His people in the temple at Jerusalem. In Dan 11:37, and Th2 2:4, this is attributed to Antichrist. sides of the north--namely, the sides of Mount Moriah on which the temple was built; north of Mount Zion (Psa 48:2). However, the parallelism supports the notion that the Babylonian king expresses himself according to his own, and not Jewish opinions (so in Isa 10:10) thus "mount of the congregation" will mean the northern mountain (perhaps in Armenia) fabled by the Babylonians to be the common meeting-place of their gods. "Both sides" imply the angle in which the sides meet; and so the expression comes to mean "the extreme parts of the north." So the Hindus place the Meru, the dwelling-place of their gods, in the north, in the Himalayan mountains. So the Greeks, in the northern Olympus. The Persian followers of Zoroaster put the Ai-bordsch in the Caucasus north of them. The allusion to the stars harmonizes with this; namely, that those near the North Pole, the region of the aurora borealis (compare see on Job 23:9; Job 37:22) [MAURER, Septuagint, Syriac].
John Gill Bible Commentary
For thou hast said in thine heart,.... Which shows the pride and haughtiness that were in his heart; and were the cause and reason of his fall, for pride goes before a fall; it was the cause of the fall of angels, and of Adam, and of many kings and kingdoms; see Pro 16:18 with this compare Rev 18:7, I will ascend into heaven; be above all men, rule over the whole world; and so the Targum. "I will ascend on high;'' unless by it is meant the temple at Jerusalem, where Jehovah dwelt, an emblem of heaven, to which sense the following clauses incline; and so the Romish antichrist sits in the temple of God, and on his throne as if he was God, Th2 2:4. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; which he has made and set in the heavens, and preserves; meaning either the angels, Job 38:7 or rather the kings and princes of the earth, over whom he placed himself, having subdued them under him. It may be applied to ecclesiastical persons, pastors, and bishops of churches, compared to stars, Rev 1:20 the third part of which the dragon drew with his tail, Rev 12:4 and over whom the bishop of Rome has usurped an universal dominion. The Targum is, "over the people of God I will put the throne of my kingdom;'' notoriously true of the man of sin: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: that is, as some think, in the temple where the tribes of Israel gathered together for worship, which was built upon Mount Zion; which, as Kimchi says, lay north of Jerusalem; see Psa 48:2 so the tabernacle is often called the tabernacle of the congregation; but, as Cocceius and Vitringa observe, Mount Zion was not to the north, but to the south of Jerusalem; wherefore not that mount, but Mount Moriah, which was to the north of Mount Zion, is designed; however, not Babylon is here meant, as R. Joseph Kimchi thought; called, as he supposes, "the mount of the congregation", because all the world were gathered thither to the king of Babylon; and a "mount", because a strong city; and said to be "in the sides of the north", because it lay north east to the continent; but, as one observes, he had no need to boast of sitting there, where he was already. Jarchi thinks the last clause refers to the north side of the altar, in the court, where the sacrifice was killed, Lev 1:11 and may point at the seat of the Romish antichrist, and the sacerdotal power usurped by him, to offer sacrifice for the sins of men, particularly the bloodless sacrifice of the Mass.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
14:13 This verse alludes to the Canaanite belief that the chief god El and the other gods were enthroned on Mount Zaphon, a northern mountain (see Ps 48:2; for a New Testament application, see Matt 11:23; Luke 10:15).