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;
16. made the earth to tremble ] Better perhaps, troubled the earth.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
16 19. The fourth strophe. The scene here is no longer in Hades, but on the battle-field, where the dead body of the king lies unburied, exposed to the derision of men.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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. They ask whether it is possible that one who so recently shook the kingdoms of the earth should now lie east out as unworthy of a burial.
That made the earth to tremble – That agitated the world by his ambition.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Shall narrowly look upon thee; as hardly believing their own eyes, because this change seemed impossible to them.
The earth; all the nations of the earth.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. narrowly lookto becertain they are not mistaken.
consider“meditateupon” [HORSLEY].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They that see thee,…. These are the words of the dead, speaking of the living, who when they should see the carcass of the king of Babylon lying on the ground,
shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee; whether it is he or not, not knowing at first sight who he was, the alteration being so great; he that was but just now on his throne of glory, with all the ensigns of majesty about him, and on him, now cast to the earth, deprived of life, besmeared with blood, and so disfigured as scarcely to be known; these phrases are used to express the great change made in him, and in his state and condition:
[saying]; scarce believing what they saw, and as wondering at the sudden and strange alteration, and yet in an insulting manner:
[Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble: the inhabitants of it, when they heard of his coming against them, with his numerous and conquering army, dreading that he would do to them as he had done to others, destroy their cities, rob them of their substance, put them to the sword, or carry them captive, or make them tributary:
that did shake kingdoms; depose their kings, and set up others; alter their constitution, change their form of government, and added their kingdoms to his own.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophet then continues in the language of prediction. “They that see thee look, considering thee, look at thee thoughtfully: Is this the man that set the earth trembling, and kingdoms shaking? that made the world a wilderness, and destroyed its cities, and did not release its prisoners ( to their) home?” The scene is no longer in Hades (Knobel, Umbreit). Those who are speaking thus have no longer the Chaldean before them as a mere shade, but as an unburied corpse that has fallen into corruption. As tebel is feminine, the suffixes in Isa 14:17 must refer, according to a constructio ad sensum , to the world as changed into a wilderness ( m idbar ). Pathach , to open, namely locks and fetters; here, with baithah , it is equivalent to releasing or letting go (syn. shilleach , Jer 50:33). By the “prisoners” the Jewish exiles are principally intended; and it was their release that had never entered the mind of the king of Babylon.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
16. They that see thee. The Prophet again, personating the dead, mocks at that wicked king. It might also be viewed as relating to the living; but it is better to apply the whole of this discourse to the dead, if we would not rather refer it to the grave itself, which amounts nearly to the same thing. We are wont to stretch out our neck when we meet with anything that is strange, or that deserves our attention. Thus, when it was thought to be a kind of prodigy that this king, who possessed so great power, had died, the Prophet says that the eyes of all men were directed towards him, to look at him earnestly, as if they scarcely believed their own eyes.
Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that shook kingdoms? They first ask, if it be possible that he who, by the slightest expression of his will, made the earth to tremble, should be so quickly and easily laid low. Next, he mentions that this man was eager, but is unable, to destroy everything, and shows that tyrants, with all their cruelty, are like clouds, which pour down a sudden shower of rain or hail, as if they would destroy everything, but are scattered in a moment. This comparison was also employed by the good old Athanasius, when some one threatened him with the rage of the Emperor Julian. Isaiah shows that this change proceeds from the hand of God, who, by the slightest expression of his will, can overturn the whole world.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) They that see thee . . .The context shows that the picture before the prophets eye is no longer the shadow-world of Hades, but the field of battle, Men look at the corpse of the mighty conqueror as it lies dishonoured, bloody, and unburied.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16, 17. The scene is now changed from sheol to earth; from a shadowy personage to an unburied corpse.
Look upon consider thee Intently examine thee as some strange sight.
Is this the man Hardly a jibe, as some think, but a serious reflection on man’s feebleness.
Made the earth to tremble By his former power and tyranny. But now how fallen!
Made the world as a wilderness The world which would otherwise have been fruitful and habitable.
Opened not the house Set not his captives free to go homeward.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” Isa 14:16-17
The prophet is not thinking of the shadow-world, which we know by the name of Hades; he is rather looking upon the field of battle and observing the corpse of some mighty conqueror. So far as the words relate to the king of Babylon, or any other king, they are of small consequence to us. They become, however, immensely significant, when we look at them as suggesting that the mightiest power is weaker than weakness itself when pitted against the throne of God. Enemies appear to be great in the distance. They are actually great when they are looked at simply within their own limits: see what learning they have; see what iron instruments the soldiers bring to the field of war; see what mighty captains ride forth as if plumed already with victory before the battle begins; yet hear this voice of sarcasm, which says to them when they are stretched out upon the field of war, “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble?” How small he is, how weak, how utterly helpless now! And this is the fate of all who set themselves to counterwork the purposes of Providence. History enables us to look back and to measure events by the right standard. Regarded in this light, history is a continual testimony to the almightiness and the all-goodness of heaven. Where are the enemies of the faith? Mighty men have risen to put down the Cross: where are they today? Ponderous works have been written in order to disprove the Christian argument, or to divest it of its moral appeals: where are those works? Negation builds no churches. Destruction can point to no temple of paradise, no asylum of protection, no Bethlehem of promise. Christianity itself has a work of destruction to do; but it would be comparatively powerless if it did not connect its constructive with its destructive vocation. The Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. When Christ kills, he kills that he may make alive. This is the difference between Christianity and all its opposing theories; the theories live in opposition only, but Christianity lives in positive and helpful faith.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Isa 14:16 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;
Ver. 16. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee. ] Shall look wishingly upon thee, as scarce believing their own eyes, for the strangeness of the thing.
Is this the man that made the earth to tremble? Is this the man. ? Figure of speech Dialogismos.
tremble = quake, forming the Figure of speech Paronomasia, with “shake. “
shall narrowly: Psa 58:10, Psa 58:11, Psa 64:9
Is this: Isa 14:4, Isa 14:5, Psa 52:7, Jer 50:23, Jer 51:20-23
Reciprocal: Job 4:21 – excellency Psa 10:2 – The wicked Psa 37:10 – thou Isa 23:11 – stretched Isa 51:13 – where is Jer 51:29 – the land Eze 28:19 – they Eze 32:23 – which Nah 3:6 – will set Hab 1:10 – they shall deride Hab 1:17 – and Hab 2:5 – gathereth
14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly {k} look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that shook kingdoms;
(k) In marvelling at you.
The fourth strophe returns to the reactions of people on the earth (cf. Isa 14:4-8). They expected that such a "great man" would enjoy an honorable burial, but this man received no burial at all. He died covered with the bodies of his fellow warriors rather than with earth. The pagans of Isaiah’s day believed that to leave a corpse unburied not only dishonored the dead person but doomed his spirit to wander forever on the earth seeking a home (cf. 1Sa 31:11-13; 2Sa 2:4-7). Viewing his unburied corpse, onlookers would wonder if this was really the infamous scourge of Babylon, who had ruined his own country, and ravaged his own people, as well as his enemies. They would view his lack of burial as divine judgment of him. They would then take measures to assure that his sons would not rise to power by cutting off his posterity, a common practice in the ancient Near East. [Note: Watts, pp. 211-12.] Hopefully they could remove his memory from the earth. I favor the view that the king of Babylon to be judged is the Antichrist.
The whole point of this poem is the futility and folly of self-exalting pride, which this idealized Babylonian king modeled (cf. Dan 4:25).
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)