Isaiah 14:9

Isaiah 14:9

Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

a. ASV: Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

b. YLT: Sheol beneath hath been troubled at thee, To meet thy coming in, It is waking up for thee Rephaim, All chiefs ones of earth, It hath raised up from their thrones All kings of nations.

c. Amplified Bible Classic: Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead) below is stirred up to meet you at your coming [O tyrant Babylonian rulers]; it stirs up the shades of the dead to greet you—even all the chief ones of the earth; it raises from their thrones [in astonishment at your humbled condition] all the kings of the nations.

d. Septuagint: Hell from beneath is provoked to meet thee: all the great ones that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against thee, they that have raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: The nether-world from below trembles for you to greet your arrival; it has awakened the giants for you, all the leaders of the world, it has roused all the kings of the land out of their thrones.

1. “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming…”

a. Hell [Strong: 7585 shᵉʼôwl, sheh-ole'; or שְׁאֹל shᵉʼôl; from H7592; hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates:—grave, hell, pit.] [Gesenius: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit, the underworld, Sheol - the OT designation for the abode of the dead.]

1). Although the NIV refers to this as “the grave”, the context of the whole passage clearly shows this is the underworld, the place of departed spirits. This study will bear this out.

a). ). [NASB] “Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come…”

b). [RSV] “Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come, it rouses the shades to greet you…”

c). See above Translations.

b. [from] beneath [Strong: 8478 tachath takh'-ath from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.:--as, beneath, X flat, in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead of, under, X unto, X when...was mine, whereas, (where-)fore, with.]

c. [is] moved [for thee] [Strong: 7264 râgaz, raw-gaz'; a primitive root; to quiver (with any violent emotion, especially anger or fear):—be afraid, stand in awe, disquiet, fall out, fret, move, provoke, quake, rage, shake, tremble, trouble, be wroth.] [Gesenius: tremble, quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, be excited, be perturbed, to quake, be disquieted, be excited, be perturbed, to cause to quake, disquiet, enrage, disturb, to excite oneself.]

d. [to] meet [thee] [Strong: 7125 qirʼâh, keer-aw'; from H7122; an encountering, accidental, friendly or hostile (also adverbially, opposite):—× against (he come), help, meet, seek, × to, × in the way.]

e. [at thy] coming [Strong: 935 bôwʼ, bo; a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):—abide, apply, attain, × be, befall, besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, ×certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, ×doubtless again, eat, employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, have, × indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, × (well) stricken (in age), × surely, take (in), way.]

1). Some scholars teach this is the King of Babylon that the text is referring to, and of course Scripture clearly shows it.

a). Isaiah 14:4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

2). As the Scripture reveals though, that yes it is talking about the king of Babylon, it is also talking about and to the spirit behind the king of Babylon and in this case it is Lucifer, the devil.

a). Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

b). Both will end up in hell.

3). Along with a probable earthquake, the regions of the dammed quaking and trembling, there is accompanying it, a host of negative emotions, rage, anger, agitation, in preparation for the king of Babylon and or Lucifer to enter. The instances in Scripture where the curtain of death is pulled back for us to see behind it is not frequent, but we are seeing one here. There is another in the New Testament in the book of Luke where Jesus gives us the account of a beggar and a rich man. The beggar dies and goes to Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise while the rich man ends up in hell, in the very place that is the subject of Isaiah. In Luke’s gospel, the rich man after realizing his condition is hopeless pleads with Abraham to send someone to his father’s house to warn his five brothers not to come to hell.

a). Luke 16:27-31 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

b). The Life & Teachings of Christ, Gordon Lindsay: “Thus we see that [the rich man] had a memory. That memory brought him no consolation but only remorse and horror. In his present state of distress, he could visualize the time when his five brethren would join him in hades. They (having possibly shared his estate) were now engaged in doing what he had done during his lifetime. They were eating, drinking, and making merry—congratulating themselves on their good fortune. ..Since it was too late to ameliorate his own unhappy situation, his request now was that Lazarus be sent to his brethren to warn them against sharing his fate. Strange indeed is the fact that even some Christians have little interest in evangelizing the lost. But that desire is dominant in the place least expected—in hades, the abode of the lost!

c). Gordon Lindsay goes on to say it is the “fearful anticipation…of meeting those whom they have influenced for evil in their lifetime” that drove the rich man to plead for someone to warn his brothers. Perhaps this is the energy fueling hell to be “moved” not only with an earthquake but also with a host of negative emotions to meet the king of Babylon and or the devil.

2.  “…it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth…

a. [it] stirreth [up] [Strong: 5782 ʻûwr, oor; a primitive root (rather identical with through the idea of opening the eyes); to wake (literally or figuratively):—(a-) wake(-n, up), lift up (self), × master, raise (up), stir up (self).] [Gesenius: to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite, to be roused, to stir up, to be excited, be triumphant, to act in an aroused manner]

b. [the] dead [for thee] [Strong: 7496 râphâʼ, raw-faw'; from H7495 in the sense of H7503; properly, lax, i.e. (figuratively) a ghost (as dead; in plural only):—dead, deceased. ] [Gesenius: ghosts of the dead, shades, spirits]

c. [even] all [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

d. [the] chief [ones] [Strong: 6260 ʻattûwd, at-tood'; or עַתֻּד ʻattud; from H6257; prepared, i.e. full grown; spoken only (in plural) of he-goats, or (figuratively) leaders of the people:—chief one, (he) goat, ram. ] [Gesenius: ram, he-goat, chief one.] [AMG: A masculine noun indicating a goat, a male goat, a leader. It refers to a strong animal of the flock, a ram, he goat. It is used figuratively, therefore of a leader or people of strong character.]

d. [of the] earth [Strong: 776  ʼerets, eh'-rets; from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):—× common, country, earth, field, ground, land, × natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

1). The different translations reflect these definitions.

a). [NIV] “…it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world…”

b). [ASV] “…it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth…”

c). [Young’s Literal Translation: “It is waking up for thee Rephaim, All chiefs ones of earth…”

d). [Darby] “…stirring up the dead for thee, all the he-goats of the earth…”

2). The fact that these are the spirits of the dead that are being stirred up proves that this is hell. In Ezekiel we get another glimpse of the dead suffering in their judgment, surely these are among those who are being stirred up.

). Ezekiel 32:17-30 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

32:18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.

32:19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.

32:20 They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes.

32:21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.

32:22 Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:

32:23 Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.

32:24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

32:25 They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.

32:26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.

32:27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

32:28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.

32:29 There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.

32:30 There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.

3. “…it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.”

a. [it hath] raised up [Strong: 6965 quwm koom a primitive root; to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative):--abide, accomplish, X be clearer, confirm, continue, decree, X be dim, endure, X enemy, enjoin, get up, make good, help, hold, (help to) lift up (again), make, X but newly, ordain, perform, pitch, raise (up), rear (up), remain, (a-)rise (up) (again, against), rouse up, set (up), (e-)stablish, (make to) stand (up), stir up, strengthen, succeed, (as-, make) sure(-ly), (be) up(-hold, - rising). ] [Gesenius: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.]

b. [from their] thrones [Strong: 3678 kiççêʼ, kis-say'; or כִּסֵּה kiççêh; from H3680; properly, covered, i.e. a throne (as canopied):—seat, stool, throne. ] [Gesenius: seat (of honour), throne, seat, stool, royal dignity, authority, power (fig.)]

c. all [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

d. [the] kings [Strong: 4428 melek, meh'-lek; from H4427; a king:—king, royal.]

e. [of the] nations [Strong: 1471 gôwy, go'-ee; rarely (shortened) גֹּי gôy; apparently from the same root as H1465 (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts:—Gentile, heathen, nation, people.]

1). What an intriguing sight, the spirits of dead wicked kings stand up off of their thrones, to meet the king of Babylon and or Lucifer. They have been roused from their torments by the knowledge of their arrival. The other translations are interesting.

a). [NLT] “…The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead stand up to see you.”

b). [RSV] “…it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.”