Isaiah 14:11 kjv
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
Isaiah 14:11 nkjv
Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.'
Isaiah 14:11 niv
All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.
Isaiah 14:11 esv
Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.
Isaiah 14:11 nlt
Your might and power were buried with you.
The sound of the harp in your palace has ceased.
Now maggots are your sheet,
and worms your blanket.'
Isaiah 14 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 14:11 | Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, ... The worms cover you. | Isa 14:11 |
| Luke 12:18 | "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; and the things that you have prepared, whose will they be?’" | Luke 12:18 |
| Prov 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | Prov 16:18 |
| Psalm 49:10 | "For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike perish and leave their wealth to others." | Psalm 49:10 |
| Job 17:13 | "If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in the darkness," | Job 17:13 |
| Psalm 88:3 | "For my soul is sated with troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol." | Psalm 88:3 |
| Ezekiel 28:13 | "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." | Ezek 28:13 |
| Ezekiel 28:16 | "In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your inner being, and you sinned;" | Ezek 28:16 |
| Romans 3:23 | "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," | Romans 3:23 |
| Rev 18:7 | "Now as he sits on his throne, he begins to say, ‘Behold, I have become a queen; I am no widow, and I shall never see sorrow.’" | Rev 18:7 |
| Jer 51:37 | "Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, a dwelling place for jackals, an astonishing sight and a hissing, without inhabitant." | Jer 51:37 |
| Isaiah 14:4 | "that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon..." | Isa 14:4 |
| Isaiah 14:12 | "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Morning!" | Isa 14:12 |
| Psalm 73:18 | "Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin." | Psalm 73:18 |
| Prov 14:12 | "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." | Prov 14:12 |
| John 13:2 | "The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him." | John 13:2 |
| Ecclesiastes 9:5 | "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing..." | Eccl 9:5 |
| Job 21:26 | "And some die in the full vigor of their youth, while all lie down alike in the dust." | Job 21:26 |
| Isaiah 2:17 | "The haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the pride of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day." | Isa 2:17 |
| Zephaniah 2:15 | "This is the city where all exulted, that dwelled securely, that said in her heart, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’ How she has become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down!" | Zeph 2:15 |
Isaiah 14 verses
Isaiah 14 11 Meaning
The grandeur and arrogance of the king of Babylon have been brought down to Sheol, the place of the dead. His proud boasts and the music that once accompanied him now lie with him in the grave. The worms are his blanket, and the worms are his covering.
Isaiah 14 11 Context
Isaiah 14 contains a prophetic oracle, a "taunt-song," directed at the king of Babylon. This king, through his immense power and tyrannical rule, had humbled many nations and shown no mercy. The chapter contrasts his former arrogant self-conception with his destined humiliation and descent into Sheol, the realm of the dead. The context is a divine judgment against oppressive pride and self-exaltation, reflecting the broader theme of God's sovereignty over earthly rulers and nations. This particular verse vividly portrays the ultimate consequence of such pride.
Isaiah 14 11 Word Analysis
- Sheol (Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל, sheol): This refers to the underworld, the grave, or the realm of the dead in ancient Hebrew thought. It's depicted as a place of darkness, silence, and separation from God, where the deceased exist in a shadowy state.
- Your pomp (Hebrew: הִדְרְךָ, hidrekha): This refers to your splendor, magnificence, or glory. It denotes the king's outward show of power, wealth, and majesty.
- Music of your lyres (Hebrew: נִבְלֵיכֶם, nivleykhem): This refers to your harps or lyres, instruments used for musical entertainment and often associated with feasting and celebration, underscoring the luxurious and perhaps excessive lifestyle of the king.
- You have been brought down to Sheol (Hebrew: הוּרַדְתָּ שְׁאוֹלָה, huradtā sheolāh): This indicates a forceful descent into the grave, signifying his utter downfall and humiliation.
- The worm (Hebrew: תּוֹלַעַת, tolāʻath): This signifies worms or maggots. In the context of the dead, it emphasizes the decomposition and decay that accompanies death, stripping away all former glory.
- Your covering (Hebrew: רִפִידָת, rip̣idath): This refers to your bed or mattress, a personal covering associated with rest. The imagery here contrasts his former luxurious bed with the earth and worms that now form his bedding in the grave.
Words-group analysis
- The descent from height to depth: The phrases "pomp is brought down to Sheol" and "music of your lyres" paint a stark contrast between the king's elevated status and power during his life and his abject state in death.
- Inanimate decay: The imagery of "the worm" becoming both "your blanket" and "your bed" powerfully illustrates the total loss of agency and the grim reality of physical corruption after death, irrespective of one's earthly standing.
Isaiah 14 11 Bonus Section
The prophecy against the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14 has often been interpreted as having a typological fulfillment in Satan's fall from heaven, as referenced in the New Testament (Luke 10:18, Revelation 12:7-9). While the primary reference is to an earthly king, the literary and thematic parallels allow for a broader theological application concerning pride's destructive consequences, even in spiritual realms. The imagery of a powerful being brought low resonates deeply with the spiritual warfare understanding of this passage.
Isaiah 14 11 Commentary
This verse paints a devastating picture of the ultimate fate of a proud and oppressive ruler. His earthly magnificence, represented by his pomp and the music he enjoyed, is rendered utterly meaningless in the face of death and the grave. Sheol becomes the leveler, where all earthly distinctions disappear. The stark, almost repulsive imagery of worms serving as his blanket and bed emphasizes the finality of his disgrace and the disintegration of his physical being. It's a profound statement about the vanity of human pride and power when set against God's judgment and the universal reality of death.