Isaiah 14:12

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!

a. ASV: How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations!

b. Amplified Classic:  How have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened and laid low the nations [O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!]

c. YLT: How hast thou fallen from the heavens, O shining one, son of the dawn! Thou hast been cut down to earth, O weakener of nations.

d.  Septuagint: How has Lucifer, that rose in the morning, fallen from heaven! He that sent [orders] to all the nations is crushed to the earth.

e. Stone Edition Chumash Torah: How have you fallen from the heavens, O glowing morning star; been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of nations?

1. “How art thou fallen from heaven…”

a. How [Strong: 349 'eyk ake also eykah {ay-kaw'}; and teykakah {ay-kaw'-kah}; prolonged from 335; how? or how!; also where:--how, what.]

b. [art thou] fallen [Strong: 5307 nâphal, naw-fal'; a primitive root; to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative):—be accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have (inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for 6419), lay (along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be (× hast) lost, lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present(-ed, -ing), (make to) rot, slay, smite out, ×surely, throw down.]

c. [from] heaven [Strong: 8064 shâmayim, shaw-mah'-yim; dual of an unused singular שָׁמֶה shâmeh; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):—air, × astrologer, heaven(-s).]

1). Lucifer fell or was cast down from heaven because he ascended into heaven to exalt his throne above God’s throne.

a). Isaiah 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

2). Jesus said He witnessed this occur. This confirms His pre-existence.

a). Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

b). Compare this with other Scripture such as John 17:5 which also confirms the pre-existence of Christ.

c). John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

2. “...O Lucifer, son of the morning…”

a. [O] Lucifer [1966 * heylel] [Strong: (in the sense of brightness); the morning-star:--Lucifer.

b. [Strong: 3212 yâlal, yaw-lal'; a primitive root; to howl (with a wailing tone) or yell (with a boisterous one):—(make to) howl, be howling.

c. son [Strong: 1121 bên, bane; from H1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.):—afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, × came up in, child, colt, × common, × corn, daughter, × of first, firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, × in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, +mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, rebel, + robber, × servant born, × soldier, son, +spark, steward, + stranger, × surely, them of, + tumultuous one, valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

d. [of the] morning [Strong: 7837 shachar, shakh'-ar; from H7836; dawn (literal, figurative or adverbial):—day(-spring), early, light, morning, whence riseth.]

1). Adam Clark’s Commentary: The Versions in general agree in this translation, and render heilel as signifying Lucifer, the morning star, whether Jupiter or Venus; as these are both bringers of the morning light, or morning stars, annually in their turn. And although the context speaks explicitly concerning Nebuchadnezzar, yet this has been, I know not why, applied to the chief of the fallen angels, who is most incongruously denominated Lucifer, (the bringer of light!) an epithet as common to him as those of Satan and Devil. That the Holy Spirit by his prophets should call this arch-enemy of God and man the light-bringer, would be strange indeed. But the truth is, the text speaks nothing at all concerning Satan nor his fall, nor the occasion of that fall, which many divines have with great confidence deduced from this text. O how necessary it is to understand the literal meaning of Scripture, that preposterous comments may be prevented! Besides, I doubt much whether our translation be correct. heilel, which we translate Lucifer, comes from yalal, yell, howl, or shriek, and should be translated, "Howl, son of the morning;" and so the Syriac has understood it; and for this meaning Michaelis contends: see his reasons in Parkhurst, under halal.

2). Adam Clark’s statement: “That the Holy Spirit by his prophets should call this arch-enemy of God and man the light-bringer, would be strange indeed”, is made null and void by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11.

a). 2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

3). I was unaware of the disagreement about this verse, beginning with the different translations. The disagreement centers on the rendering of the Hebrew word “heylel”, translated “Lucifer” in the KJV, “morning star” in the NIV,

3. “...how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

a. [how art thou] cut down [Strong: 1438 gâdaʻ, gaw-dah'; a primitive root; to fell a tree; generally, to destroy anything:—cut (asunder, in sunder, down, off), hew down.]

b. [to the] ground [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.]

c. [which didst] weaken [Strong: 2522 châlash, khaw-lash'; a primitive root; to prostrate; by implication, to overthrow, decay:—discomfit, waste away, weaken.]

d. [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.]