Isaiah 14:16
in Isaiah 14Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They that see thee shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
KJV
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
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This verse in Isaiah 14
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Those who see you will stare
on Isaiah 14:16-19
Other kings lie in state, but this king is cast out of his grave like a rejected branch, denied the burial his rank would guarantee. Ancient Near Eastern culture held a king's burial as dynastic honor, and this king alone is refused what the other kings receive.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 16, 17.) Those who see you will bow down to you and look to you (saying in their hearts): Is this the man who troubled the earth, who shook kingdoms, who made the world a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the prison for his captives? This voice of those insulting and marveling expresses how the one who laid waste to everything himself has been laid waste.
The Medieval Church1 voice
They that shall see you. Here the insult of the other, common persons, is set out. And first, he describes their meeting: all others that shall see you, being punished, shall bend to you, as if to say: you will be so far below these …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
How piteous is the case of mankind, which thus seems to be in a combination against itself, and its own rights and liberties, which could not be ruined but by its own strength! The wretched abuse of all this wealth and power, which the king of Babylon was guilty of, in two instances:-- (1.) Great oppression and cruelty. He is known by the name of the oppressor (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
"Never was death so great a change to any man as it is to him. Is it possible that a man, who a few hours ago looked so great, so pleasant, and was so splendidly adorned and attended, should now look so ghastly, so despicable, and lie thus naked and neglected? Is this the man that made the earth to tremble and shook kingdoms?
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
They that see thee,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They that see thee - That is, after thou art dead. The scene here changes, and the prophet introduces those who would contemplate the body of the king of Babylon after he should be slain - the passers-by arrested with astonishment, that one so proud and haughty was at last slain, and cast out among the common dead Isa 14:19. Shall narrowly look upon thee - To be certain that they were not deceived. This denotes great astonishment, as if they could scarcely credit the testimony of their senses. It also expresses insult and contempt.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רֹאֶ֙יךָ֙ | roeikha | [those who] see you | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אֵלֶ֣יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יַשְׁגִּ֔יחוּ | yashgichu | they will stare | H7688 → | |
| אֵלֶ֖יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יִתְבּוֹנָ֑נוּ | yitbonanu | they will consider carefully | H995 → | 170 times |
| הֲזֶ֤ה | hazeh | ¿ [is] this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| הָאִישׁ֙ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מַרְגִּ֣יז | margiz | [who] made tremble | H7264 → | 41 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מַרְעִ֖ישׁ | marish | [who] made shake | H7493 → | 30 times |
| מַמְלָכֽוֹת׃ | mamlakhot | kingdoms | H4467 → | 117 times |
רֹאֶ֙יךָ֙[those who] see you
roeikhaH7200 →1300 times
אֵלֶ֣יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
יַשְׁגִּ֔יחוּthey will stare
yashgichuH7688 →
אֵלֶ֖יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
יִתְבּוֹנָ֑נוּthey will consider carefully
yitbonanuH995 →170 times
הֲזֶ֤ה¿ [is] this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
הָאִישׁ֙the man
haishH376 →1663 times
מַרְגִּ֣יז[who] made tremble
margizH7264 →41 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
מַרְעִ֖ישׁ[who] made shake
marishH7493 →30 times
מַמְלָכֽוֹת׃kingdoms
mamlakhotH4467 →117 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 64:9Then all mankind will fear and proclaim the work of God; so they will ponder what He has done.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:10
“The LORD has brought forth our vindication; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has accomplished.”
- Psalms 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
- Hosea 14:9
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in…
- Psalms 107:42–43
The upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
- Isaiah 5:12
At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.
- Jeremiah 51:10
Through
Jeremiah 50:23How the hammer of the whole earth lies broken and shattered! What a horror Babylon has become among the nations!
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:20–24
“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.
- Isaiah 14:4–6
you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!
- Revelation 18:16
saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
- Jeremiah 51:20–24
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.