Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 14:6
He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, [and] none hindereth.
6. He who ] Better, as R.V., that; the antecedent being the staff,
is persecuted, and none hindereth ] R.V. “with a persecution that none restrained.” The parallelism requires instead of “persecution” a noun cognate with the verb rendered “rule,” as in the preceding line. An easy emendation ( mirdath for murdph) supplies this; and this reading is almost universally accepted. The balance of clauses is then perfect:
That struck the peoples in anger, with incessant stroke;
That trod down the nations in wrath, with unrelenting tread.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He who smote – This may either refer to the king of Babylon, or to the rod or scepter which he had used, and which was now broken. Herder refers it to the scepter, that which smote the nations. (On the meaning of the word smote, see the notes at Isa 10:20)
The people – The nations that were subject to his authority.
With a continual stroke – Margin, A stroke without removing. Vulgate, Plaga insanabili – With an incurable plague. – Septuagint the same – Plege aniato. The Hebrew is, as in the margin, A smiting without removing, or without cessation. There was no relaxation in its oppressions, it was always engaged in acts of tyranny.
He that ruled the nations – Babylon was the capital of a vast empire, and that empire was composed of many dependent nations.
Is persecuted – By those that make war upon it. Its turn had come to be oppressed, and overthrown.
And none hindereth – No nation opposes the invader. None of the dependent kingdoms of Babylon have any real attachment to it, but all rejoice at its downfall. The most mighty kingdom of the earth is helpless and ruined. What a change was this! How sudden and striking the revolution! And what a warning to proud and guilty cities!
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
In anger; with rigour, and not with clemency, as many conquerors have done.
Non hindereth; neither the Babylonians themselves, nor their confederates, could withstand the power of the Medes and Persians.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. peoplethe peoplessubjected to Babylon.
is persecutedtheHebrew is rather, active, “which persecuted them,without any to hinder him” [Vulgate, JEROME,and HORSLEY].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke,…. The king of Babylon, who made war with the people and nations of the earth, and conquered them, smote them with the edge of the sword to gratify his passions, and satiate his bloodthirsty mind; and those that were spared, he ruled with rigour, and oppressed them with tribute and hard bondage; and, when he had conquered one nation, attacked another, and so went on pursuing his victories without intermission, giving no respite neither to his army, nor to the people:
he that ruled the nations in anger; not with justice and clemency, but in a tyrannical and oppressive way, even his own nation, as well as the nations whom he subdued:
is persecuted; is, pursued by the justice of God, overtaken and seized, and brought to condign punishment;
[and] none hindereth; the execution of the righteous judgment upon him; none of the neighbouring kings and nations, either tributary to him, or in alliance with him, give him the least help or assistance, or attempt to ward off the blow upon him, given him, under the direction and appointment of God, by Cyrus the Persian. So the Romish antichrist, who has made war with the saints, and has smitten them with the sword, and gone on to do so without any intermission for ages together, and has tyrannised over them in a most cruel manner, he shall be persecuted, and taken, and brought to his end, and there shall be none to help him; see Re 13:7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) He who smote . . .Better, which smote, the whole verse being of the nature of a relative clause, with the sceptre for antecedent.
A continual stroke.Literally, a stroke without ceasing.
Is persecuted, and none hindereth.Better, completing the parallelism, with a trampling that is not stayed.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. The oldest and the latest writers, with few exceptions, make this verse descriptive of the Babylonian tyranny.
He who smote the people Nebuchadnezzar, no doubt, the loftiest king of Babylon, who “smote” not only the Jews, but other nations contiguous to his own territory.
Continual stroke Never intermitted. The tyrant’s sceptre smote nations with incessant blows and persecution. The phrase, ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth, is better rendered: Subdued nations in anger with a pursuit unrestrained. The expression refers to Babylonian tyranny, yielding to no pity, nor restraint of conscience.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 14:6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, [and] none hindereth.
Ver. 6. He that smote the people in wrath, &c. ] This is the tyrant’s epitaph; there is at their death a general joy, as was the time when the world was well rid of Tiberius, Caligula, Nero, Heliogabalus, &c. When Domitian died, the senate decreed that his name should be erased, that all his acts should be rescinded, and his memorial abolished quite for ever. When Caligula was cut off, his monies were all melted by the decree of the senate; a like as King Richard III’s cognisance, the white boar, was torn from every sign, that his memory might perish. b
a Aurel. Victor.
b Speed.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
continual = unremitting.
ruled the nations = trod down nations.
is persecuted, and none hindereth = with an unsparing persecution.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
who smote: Isa 33:1, Isa 47:6, 2Ch 36:17, Jer 25:9, Dan 7:19-21, Jam 2:13
continual stroke: Heb. a stroke without removing
is persecuted: Isa 13:14-18, Isa 21:1-10, Isa 47:1-15, Jer 25:26, Jer 50:31, Rev 17:16, Rev 17:17, Rev 18:8-10
and none: Isa 46:10, Isa 46:11, Job 9:13, Pro 21:30, Dan 4:35
Reciprocal: Exo 1:14 – was with rigour Job 36:18 – his Psa 9:6 – destructions Psa 125:3 – the rod Isa 8:9 – and ye Isa 10:5 – the rod Isa 14:4 – How Jer 50:42 – they are cruel Jer 51:20 – art Nah 2:1 – He that dasheth in pieces
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 14:6-11. He that ruled the nations in anger With rigour, and not with clemency; is persecuted and none hindereth Neither the Babylonians themselves nor their confederates. The whole earth is at rest The subjects of that vast empire who groaned under his cruel bondage. Yea, the cedars of Lebanon Which were felled for the service of his pride and luxury, but are now suffered to stand and flourish. It is a figure usual in sacred and profane writers. Hell The invisible world, or rather, the grave, as the same word is rendered Isa 14:11, and in innumerable other places; to which he elegantly ascribes sense and speech, as poets and orators frequently do; is moved to meet thee at thy coming And to compliment thee on thy arrival in their dark regions. This image of the state of the dead, or the Infernum Poeticum of the Hebrews, is taken from their custom of burying, those at least of the higher rank, in large sepulchral vaults hewn in the rock. Of this kind of sepulchres there are remains at Jerusalem now extant; and some that are said to be the sepulchres of the kings of Judah: see Maundrell, p. 76. You are to form to yourself an idea of an immense subterraneous vault, a vast gloomy cavern, all round the sides of which are cells to receive the dead bodies; here the deceased monarchs lie in a distinguished sort of state, suitable to their former rank, each on his own couch, with his arms beside him, his sword at his head, and the bodies of his chiefs and companions round about him: see Eze 32:27. These illustrious shades rise at once from their couches, as from their thrones; and advance to the entrance of the cavern to meet the king of Babylon, and to receive him with insults on his fall. Bishop Lowth. All they shall say, Art thou become weak as we? Thou, who wast king of kings, and far superior to us in power and authority? that didst neither fear God nor reverence man, but rather didst rank thyself among the immortals; thou, before whom all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared, art thou come to take thy fate with us poor mortal men? Where now is thy power and thy glory? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave Is lost and buried with thee; and the noise of thy viols All thy musical instruments, which were much used in Babylon, and were doubtless used in Belshazzars solemn feasts, (Dan 5:1,) at which time the city was taken; to which possibly the prophet here alludes. The worm is spread under thee Instead of those stately carpets upon which thou didst frequently tread.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
14:6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, [and] {d} none hindereth.
(d) That is, he permitted all violence and injuries to be done.