Isaiah 14:6

That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! -A CHORUS OF JEWS EXPRESS THEIR JOYFUL SURPRISE AT BABYLON'S DOWNFALL: the whole earth rejoices: the cedars of Lebanon taunt him. Verse 4. THOU SHALT TAKE UP THIS PROVERB. The Orientals, having few books, embodied their thoughts in weighty, figurative, briefly-expressed gnomes; Hebrew, mashal: cf. Introduction to Proverbs. Here a taunting song of triumph (Micah 2:4; Habakkuk 2:6). AGAINST THE KING OF BABYLON - the ideal representative of Babylon: perhaps Belshazzar, (Daniel 5:1.) The mystical Babylon is ultimately meant...

1-23 The whole plan of Divine Providence is arranged with a view to the good of the people of God. A settlement in the land of promise is of God's mercy. Let the church receive those whom God receives. God's people, wherever their lot is cast, should endeavour to recommend religion by a right and winning conversation. Those that would not be reconciled to them, should be humbled by them. This may be applied to the success of the gospel, when those were brought to obey it who had opposed it. God himself undertakes to work a blessed change. They shall have rest from their sorrow and fear, the sense of their present burdens, and the dread of worse. Babylon abounded in riches. The king of Babylon having the absolute command of so much wealth, by the help of it ruled the nations. This refers especially to the people of the Jews; and it filled up the measure of the king of Babylon's sins. Tyr...

HE WHO SMOTE - This may either refer to the king of Babylon, or to the rod or scepter which he had used, and which was now broken. Herder refers it to the scepter, ‘that which smote the nations.’ (On the meaning of the word “smote,” see the notes at Isaiah 10:20) THE PEOPLE - The nations that were subject to his authority. WITH A CONTINUAL STROKE - Margin, ‘A stroke without removing.’ Vulgate, _Plaga insanabili_ - ‘With an incurable plague.’ - Septuagint the same - Πληγῇ ἀνιάτῳ _Plēgē_ _aniatō_. The Hebrew is, as in the margin, ‘A smiting without removing,’ or without cessation. There was no relaxation in its oppressions, it was always engaged in acts of tyranny....

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 14:1 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, AND HER SONG OF TRIUMPH OVER BABYLON. The destruction of Babylon is to be followed by the restoration of Israel, with the good will of the nations, and by their exercising rule over their late oppressors (Isaiah 14:1, Isaiah 14:2). In this time of rest and refreshment they will sing a song of triumph over Babylon. The song extends from Isaiah 14:4 to...

HE WHO SMOTE THE PEOPLE IN WRATH WITH A CONTINUAL STROKE,.... The king of Babylon, who made war with the people and nations of the earth, and conquered them, smote them with the edge of the sword to gratify his passions, and satiate his bloodthirsty mind; and those that were spared, he ruled with rigour, and oppressed them with tribute and hard bondage; and, when he had conquered one nation, attacked another, and so went on pursuing his victories without intermission, giving no respite neither to his army, nor to the people: HE THAT RULED THE NATIONS IN ANGER; not with justice and clemency, but in a tyrannical and oppressive way, even his own nation, as well as the nations whom he subdued: IS PERSECUTED; is, pursued by the justice of God, overtaken and seized, and brought to condign punishment; [AND] NONE HINDERETH; the execution of the righteous judgment upon him; none of the neighbo...

Isaiah 14:1. _For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob._ This promise had a measure of fulfillment when Israel was brought back from Babylon; and still is it true that, when God's people come to their worst, there is always something better before them. On the other hand, it is equally sure that, when sinners come to their best, there is always something terrible awaiting them. The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, «God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew;» and his declaration agrees with this prophecy, «The Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land.» I believe that there will be a far grander fulfillment of this prophecy in that day when God shall bring back his chosen people to

CHAPTER 14 Israel's Restoration and Blessing After Babylon is Fallen and the Burden of Philistia 1. _Israel's restoration and exaltation (Isaiah 14:1)_ 2. _The proverb against the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:3)_ 3. _The triumph over Lucifer (Satan) (Isaiah 14:12)_ 4. _Babylon's destruction (Isaiah 14:21)_ 5. _The Assyrian broken (Isaiah 14:24)_ 6. _The burden of Philistia (Isaiah 14:28)_ When the last great Babylon is

ISAIAH 13:1 TO ISAIAH 14:23. THE UTTER RUIN OF BABYLON AND TRIUMPHAL ODE OVER HER MONARCH'S DEATH. Historical conditions are here presupposed entirely different from those of Isaiah's time. The subject of Isaiah 13 is the overthrow of Babylon by the Medes a century and a half after his age. Since the downfall is said to lie in the near future, the prophecy must have been written very near the close of the Exile. The description of Babylon is also not true to the situation of Isaiah's day. The great oppressing empire, whose downfall he predicted, was Assyria. Babylon was subject to it, though it revolted from time to time, and it was united in friendly relations with Judah by hate for the common oppressor. In our prophecy Babylon is no longer a subject state, but the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldea

CONTINUAL. unremitting. RULED THE NATIONS. trod down nations. IS PERSECUTED, AND NONE HINDERETH. with an unsparing persecution....

_b_ 8. The first strophe is like a sigh of relief breathed by the whole of creation, when the disturber of its peace has vanished from the scene....