Font Size
Isaiah 14:14-16
New English Translation
Isaiah 14:14-16
New English Translation
14 I will climb up to the tops[a] of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!’[b]
15 But you were brought down[c] to Sheol,
to the remote slopes of the Pit.[d]
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking:[e]
‘Is this the man who shook the earth,
the one who made kingdoms tremble?
Footnotes
- Isaiah 14:14 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
- Isaiah 14:14 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
- Isaiah 14:15 tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.
- Isaiah 14:15 tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.
- Isaiah 14:16 tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.