"I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction," declares the LORD of Hosts. I will make herThis phrase indicates a divine action and intention. The "I" refers to God, emphasizing His sovereignty and authority over nations and history. The Hebrew root for "make" (שׂוּם, sum) often implies setting or appointing, suggesting a deliberate transformation by God. This transformation is not random but purposeful, reflecting God's control over the fate of Babylon, the subject of this prophecy. a place for owls
Owls in the Bible often symbolize desolation and uninhabited places. The Hebrew word used here can refer to various desert creatures, emphasizing the barrenness and abandonment that will characterize Babylon. This imagery serves as a stark contrast to Babylon's former glory, highlighting the totality of its downfall as decreed by God. and for swamplands
Swamplands, or marshes, are typically uninhabitable and represent chaos and disorder. The transformation of a once-thriving city into swamplands underscores the completeness of its destruction. Historically, Babylon was a center of civilization, and this imagery would have been shocking to its contemporaries, illustrating the power of God's judgment. I will sweep her away
The act of sweeping signifies thoroughness and finality. The Hebrew root (טָאטָא, ta'ah) conveys the idea of removing or clearing away completely. This phrase suggests that Babylon's destruction will be comprehensive, leaving no trace of its former power and influence. It is a vivid depiction of divine judgment executed with precision. with the broom of destruction
The broom symbolizes a tool of cleansing and removal. In this context, it represents God's instrument of judgment. The "broom of destruction" implies a purging of evil and corruption, aligning with the biblical theme of God's holiness and justice. This imagery reassures believers of God's ultimate victory over sin and rebellion. declares the LORD of Hosts
This phrase affirms the authority and certainty of the prophecy. "LORD of Hosts" (יהוה צְבָאוֹת, Yahweh Tseva'ot) is a title that emphasizes God's supreme command over the heavenly armies. It reassures the faithful of God's omnipotence and His ability to fulfill His promises. The declaration serves as a reminder of God's unwavering commitment to justice and righteousness. Persons / Places / Events 1. BabylonThe city and empire that is the subject of God's judgment in this passage. Historically, Babylon was a powerful and influential city, often seen as a symbol of human pride and rebellion against God. 2. The LORD of HostsA title for God emphasizing His supreme authority and power over all heavenly armies and earthly affairs. It underscores His ability to execute judgment and fulfill His promises. 3. Owls and SwamplandsSymbolic imagery used to describe desolation and abandonment. Owls often represent unclean animals in the Hebrew context, and swamplands indicate a place of ruin and uninhabitability. 4. The Broom of DestructionA metaphor for God's thorough and complete judgment. It signifies the sweeping away of all that is opposed to God's will. 5. IsaiahThe prophet who delivered this message from God. His role was to communicate God's words of warning, judgment, and hope to the people of Israel and surrounding nations. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty in JudgmentGod is in control of history and nations. His judgments are just and serve His purposes. The Consequences of PrideBabylon's downfall serves as a warning against pride and self-reliance. Humility before God is essential. The Certainty of God's PromisesGod's declarations, whether of judgment or salvation, are certain and will come to pass. Hope for the OppressedGod's judgment on Babylon is also a message of hope for those oppressed by unjust systems, assuring them of eventual deliverance. The Call to RepentanceRecognizing God's power and justice should lead us to repentance and alignment with His will. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of "owls and swamplands" in Isaiah 14:23 help us understand the extent of Babylon's judgment? 2. In what ways does the fall of Babylon in Isaiah 14 relate to the themes of pride and humility found throughout Scripture? 3. How can we apply the concept of "the broom of destruction" to our understanding of God's justice today? 4. What lessons can we learn from the certainty of God's promises in Isaiah 14:23, and how can they encourage us in our current circumstances? 5. How does the judgment of Babylon provide hope for those who feel oppressed or marginalized in today's world? Connections to Other Scriptures Revelation 18This chapter describes the fall of Babylon the Great, drawing a parallel to the judgment pronounced in Isaiah. It highlights the ultimate downfall of systems and powers that oppose God. Jeremiah 50-51These chapters also prophesy the destruction of Babylon, reinforcing the theme of divine judgment against pride and idolatry. Genesis 11The Tower of Babel account, where Babylon's origins are linked to human pride and rebellion, setting the stage for its eventual judgment. Psalm 137A lament by the exiles in Babylon, expressing the sorrow and longing for justice against their captors, which is fulfilled in prophecies like Isaiah 14. People Ahaz, Isaiah, Jacob, Lucifer, SaraphPlaces Babylon, Lebanon, Philistia, ZionTopics Affirmation, Almighty, Armies, Besom, Bittern, Broom, Brush, Daubed, Declares, Destruction, Hedgehog, Heritage, Hosts, Mire, Owls, Ponds, Pools, Porcupine, Possession, Says, Swampland, Swamps, Sweep, WatersDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 14:3-23 4215 Babylon Isaiah 14:22-23 5043 names, significance Library The victory of Life (Preached at the Chapel Royal. )
ISAIAH xxxviii. 18, 19. The grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee. I may seem to have taken a strange text on which to speak,--a mournful, a seemingly hopeless text. Why I have chosen it, I trust that you will see presently; certainly not that I may make you hopeless about death. Meanwhile, let us consider it; for it is in the Bible, and, like all words in the Bible, was written …
Charles Kingsley—The Water of Life and Other SermonsThe Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
Presented to the World in a Familiar Dialogue Between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive. By John Bunyan ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The life of Badman is a very interesting description, a true and lively portraiture, of the demoralized classes of the trading community in the reign of King Charles II; a subject which naturally led the author to use expressions familiar among such persons, but which are now either obsolete or considered as vulgar. In fact it is the only work proceeding from the prolific …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The First Trumpet.
The first trumpet of the seventh seal begins from the final disturbance and overthrow of the Roman idolarchy at the close of the sixth seal; and as it was to bring the first plague on the empire, now beginning to fall, it lays waste the third part of the earth, with a horrible storm of hail mingled with fire and blood; that is, it depopulates the territory and people of the Roman world, (viz. the basis and ground of its universal polity) with a terrible and bloody irruption of the northern nations, …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse The Evil of Sin visible in the Fall of Angels and Men.
1 When the great Builder arch'd the skies, And form'd all nature with a word, The joyful cherubs tun'd his praise, And every bending throne ador'd. 2 High in the midst of all the throng, Satan, a tall archangel, sat, Amongst the morning stars he sung [1] Till sin destroy'd his heavenly state. 3 ['Twas sin that hurl'd him from his throne, Grov'ling in fire the rebel lies: "How art thou sunk in darkness down, "Son of the morning, from the skies!" [2] 4 And thus our two first parents stood Till sin …
Isaac Watts—Hymns and Spiritual Songs Epistle xviii. To John, Bishop.
To John, Bishop. Gregory to John, Bishop of Constantinople [1586] . At the time when your Fraternity was advanced to Sacerdotal dignity, you remember what peace and concord of the churches you found. But, with what daring or with what swelling of pride I know not, you have attempted to seize upon a new name, whereby the hearts of all your brethren might have come to take offence. I wonder exceedingly at this, since I remember how thou wouldest fain have fled from the episcopal office rather than …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Epistle xxi. To Constantina Augusta .
To Constantina Augusta [1593] . Gregory to Constantina, &c. Almighty God, who holds in His right hand the heart of your Piety, both protects us through you and prepares for you rewards of eternal remuneration for temporal deeds. For I have learnt from the letters of the deacon Sabinianus my responsalis with what justice your Serenity is interested in the cause of the blessed Prince of the apostles Peter against certain persons who are proudly humble and feignedly kind. And I trust in the bounty …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great That the Ruler Should Be, through Humility, a Companion of Good Livers, But, through the Zeal of Righteousness, Rigid against the vices of Evildoers.
The ruler should be, through humility, a companion of good livers, and, through the zeal of righteousness, rigid against the vices of evil-doers; so that in nothing he prefer himself to the good, and yet, when the fault of the bad requires it, he be at once conscious of the power of his priority; to the end that, while among his subordinates who live well he waives his rank and accounts them as his equals, he may not fear to execute the laws of rectitude towards the perverse. For, as I remember to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Doctrine of Satan.
I. HIS EXISTENCE AND PERSONALITY. 1. EXISTENCE. 2. PERSONALITY. II. HIS PLACE AND POWER. 1. A MIGHTY ANGEL. 2. PRINCE OF POWER OF THE AIR. 3. GOD OF THIS WORLD. 4. HEAD OF KINGDOM OF DARKNESS. 5. SOVEREIGN OVER DEATH. III. HIS CHARACTER. 1. ADVERSARY. 2. DIABOLOS. 3. WICKED ONE. 4. TEMPTER. IV. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS SATAN. 1. LIMITED POWER OF SATAN. 2. RESIST HIM. V. HIS DESTINY. 1. A CONQUERED ENEMY. 2. UNDER ETERNAL CURSE. VI. DEMONS. THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN. Throughout the Scriptures Satan is set …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible The Disciple, -- Master, Some People Say that the Comfort and Joy that Believers Experience...
The Disciple,--Master, some people say that the comfort and joy that believers experience are simply the outcome of their own thoughts and ideas. Is this true? The Master,--1. That comfort and abiding peace which believers have within themselves is due to My presence in their hearts, and to the life-giving influence of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. As for those who say that this spiritual joy is the result only of the thoughts of the heart, they are like a foolish man who was blind from his birth, …
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Sargon of Assyria (722-705 B. C. )
SARGON AS A WARRIOR AND AS A BUILDER. The origin of Sargon II.: the revolt of Babylon, Merodach-baladan and Elam--The kingdom of Elam from the time of the first Babylonian empire; the conquest's of Shutruh-nalkunta I.; the princes of Malamir--The first encounter of Assyria and Elam, the battle of Durilu (721 B.C.)--Revolt of Syria, Iaubidi of Hamath and Hannon of Gaza--Bocchoris and the XXIVth Egyptian dynasty; the first encounter of Assyria with Egypt, the battle of Raphia (720 B.C.). Urartu …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7 Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Opposition to Messiah in Vain
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision. T he extent and efficacy [effects] of the depravity of mankind cannot be fully estimated by the conduct of heathens destitute of divine revelation. We may say of the Gospel, in one sense, what the Apostle says of the Law, It entered that sin might abound (Romans 5:20) . It afforded occasion for displaying the alienation of the heart of man from the blessed God, in the strongest light. The sensuality, oppression and …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 14:23 NIVIsaiah 14:23 NLTIsaiah 14:23 ESVIsaiah 14:23 NASBIsaiah 14:23 KJV
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