Isaiah 14:17

"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,"

Key Reflection

The original audience would have recognized that Isaiah 14:17 refers to a king's downfall, specifically King Sargon II of Assyria, though the passage also prophesies about a future ruler like King Cyrus of Persia. The imagery of the earth trembling and kingdoms being shaken depicts the immense impact of such rulers. When these people see the fallen monarch, they would stare in disbelief, contemplating how this great leader could have come to such a tragic end, questioning their own security in light of his fate.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

That made the world as a wilderness -That made cities and kingdoms desolate. That opened not the house of his prisoners -This is a description of his oppression and cruelty. Of course many prisoners would be taken in war. Instead of giving them liberty, he threw them into prison and kept them there. This may be rendered, ‘his prisoners he did not release that they might return home’ (see the Margin). The Chaldee renders it, ‘To his prisoners he did not open the door.’ The sense is substantially the same. The idea is, that he was cruel and oppressive.

More from Isaiah 14

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