Friday, February 24, 2012

Isaiah 14: More on parallel structure

Similarly, Sheol appears in both sections.  The first part of the chapter talks about the King of Babylon going down to Sheol (the place of the dead): 

Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come;
It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
They will all respond and say to you,
"Even you have been made weak as we,
You have become like us." (Isa. 14:9,10)

In other words, "Hey, king, you're gonna die and all the ghosts in Hades are gonna gloat over the fact that you're dead too.  Ha ha ha!"

Then, in the second half (the part interpreted as a reference to Satan's fall), there is a description of a king going to Sheol:

Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will ponder over you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?"  (Isa. 14:15-17)

Doesn't this sound like a recap of "Hey, King, you're gonna die and we're all gonna see"?

The rest of the chapter makes it clear that there is a physical death involved, with the king being "cast out" of his tomb because he's "ruined [his] country' (vs. 19-20).  People die; fallen angels don't.  So why conclude that this passage has something to do with the fall of Lucifer?

(Journal, Jan. 13, 2012)



Isaiah 14:12-15. New American Standard Bible. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isa.%2014:12-15&version=NASB>.

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