King James Version
What Does Isaiah 14:4 Mean?
“That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! proverb: or, taunting speech golden: or, exactress of gold”
Context
2
And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. whose: Heb. that had taken them captives
3
And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
4
That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! proverb: or, taunting speech golden: or, exactress of gold
5
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
6
He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. a continual: Heb. a stroke without removing
Commentary
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers(4) **That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon.**—The prophet appears once more (comp. Isaiah 5:1; Isaiah 12:1) in his character as a psalmist. In the *mashal *or *taunting-song *that follows, the generic meaning of “proverb” is specialised (as in Micah 2:4; Habakkuk 2:6; Deuteronomy 28:37, 1Kings 9:7, and elsewhere) for a derisive utterance in poetic or figurative speech. The LXX., singularly enough, renders the word here by “lamentation.”
**How hath the oppressor ceased.**—If we take “the golden city” of the English version as the correct rendering, it finds a parallel in the epithet of “gold abounding” applied to Babylon by Æschylus (*Pers. *53). The word so translated is, however, not found elsewhere, and the general consensus of recent critics, following in the wake of the Targum and the LXX., is in favour of the rendering, *the task-master, *or *the place of torture. *The Vulgate, *how has the tribute ceased, *expresses substantially the same thought. The marginal reading, *exactress of gold, *seems like an attempt to combine two different etymologies.
Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of Isaiah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
Isaiah 14:4 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Cross-References
Verses related to Isaiah 14:4
Cross-references from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge