Isaiah 14:16

Verse

Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble,

American Standard Version (1901)

They that see thee shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Bible in Basic English

Those who see you will be looking on you with care, they will be in deep thought, saying, Is this the troubler of the earth, the shaker of kingdoms?

Free Bible Version

Those who see you will stare at you, examining you closely, asking, ‘Is this the man who shook the earth, who made kingdoms tremble?

Geneva Bible 1599

They that see thee, shall looke vpon thee and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, and that did shake the kingdomes?

King James (Authorized) Version

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

One Unity Resource Bible

Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;

Translation for Translators

The other dead people there stare at you; they wonder what happened to you. They say, ‘Is this the man who caused the earth to shake and caused the people in many kingdoms to tremble?

Unlocked Literal Bible

Those who see you will gaze at you and they will pay attention to you. They will say, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,

Noah Webster Bible

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying , Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that shook kingdoms:

World English Bible

Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms,

Young's Literal Translation

Thy beholders look to thee, to thee they attend, Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, Shaking kingdoms?

Context

The Fall of the King of Babylon

¹⁵But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. ¹⁶Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble, ¹⁷who turned the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return to their homes?”

Summary

In this verse, Isaiah prophesies about the downfall of the king of Babylon, highlighting the ultimate end of his pride and arrogance. The once mighty ruler will be reduced to a mere object of scorn and contempt, as even those who were once subjugated by him will express shock at his downfall. This passage serves as a reminder of the consequences of pride and the fleeting nature of earthly power, emphasizing the importance of humility and righteousness before God.

Commentary

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

The prophet then continues in the language of prediction. "They that see thee look, considering thee, look at thee thoughtfully: Is this the man that set the earth trembling, and kingdoms shaking? that made the world a wilderness, and destroyed its cities, and did not release its prisoners (to their) home?" The scene is no longer in Hades (Knobel, Umbreit). Those who are speaking thus have no longer the Chaldean before them as a mere shade, but as an unburied corpse that has fallen into corruption. As tēbēl is feminine, the suffixes in Isa 14:17 must refer, according to a constructio ad sensum, to the world as changed into a wilderness (midbâr). Pâthach, to open, namely locks and fetters; here, with baithâh, it is equivalent to releasing or letting go (syn. shillēach, Jer 50:33). By the "prisoners" the Jewish exiles are principally intended; and it was their release that had never entered the mind of the king of Babylon.

Isaiah 14:16

The Fall of the King of Babylon

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble,

American Standard Version (1901)

They that see thee shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Bible in Basic English

Those who see you will be looking on you with care, they will be in deep thought, saying, Is this the troubler of the earth, the shaker of kingdoms?

Free Bible Version

Those who see you will stare at you, examining you closely, asking, ‘Is this the man who shook the earth, who made kingdoms tremble?

Geneva Bible 1599

They that see thee, shall looke vpon thee and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, and that did shake the kingdomes?

King James (Authorized) Version

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

One Unity Resource Bible

Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;

Translation for Translators

The other dead people there stare at you; they wonder what happened to you. They say, ‘Is this the man who caused the earth to shake and caused the people in many kingdoms to tremble?

Unlocked Literal Bible

Those who see you will gaze at you and they will pay attention to you. They will say, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,

Noah Webster Bible

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying , Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that shook kingdoms:

World English Bible

Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms,

Young's Literal Translation

Thy beholders look to thee, to thee they attend, Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, Shaking kingdoms?

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Isaiah 14:16

Verse

Context

The Fall of the King of Babylon

Summary

Commentary

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Isaiah 14:16

The Fall of the King of Babylon

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary