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1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. 7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. 9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11 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. 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 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; 17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. 21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. 22 For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD. 23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. 24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: 25 That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. 27 For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? 28 In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. 29 Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. 30 And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. 31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times. 32 What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.
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[AD 99] Clement of Rome on Isaiah 14:1
Truly his will shall be fulfilled swiftly and suddenly, as the Scripture testifies.

Source: 1 CLEMENT 23
[AD 165] Justin Martyr on Isaiah 14:1
[Jewish] proselytes have no need of a new covenant, since, as one and the same law binds all who are circumcised, Scripture speaks of them as follows: “And the stranger also shall be joined to them and shall adhere to the house of Jacob.”

Source: Dialogue with Trypho 123
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:1
(Chapter XIV - Verse 1) The time is near for it to come, and its days will not be prolonged. It says that the time is pressing and that it must be captured from the enemies. After the captivity of Jerusalem, not much time passed, and it was devastated by the Medes and Persians.

For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will still choose Israel and cause them to rest on their own land. This is more fully explained by Zephaniah: Rejoice, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel; be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem; for the Lord has taken away your judgments; he has turned away your enemies (Zephaniah 3:14-15). This signifies the time when King Cyrus of Persia allowed the captive people of Jerusalem to return. Read the book of Ezra (Ezra 1), Haggai (Haggai 1) and Zechariah (Zechariah 1), when under Zerubbabel, the high priest Joshua, Ezra, and Nehemiah, the altar, the Temple, and the walls of the city were rebuilt.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:2
(Vers. 2.) A stranger will be joined to them, and will cleave to the house of Jacob, and the peoples will hold them, and will bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as servants and handmaids; and those who had taken them captive will be taken captive, and their oppressors will be subject to them. We infer that many from various nations have come to Jerusalem with the people of Judah, believing in the God of Israel and forsaking the idols of error. There is no doubt that they have been restored to the letters of the king and have received gifts and expenses for the Temple. In this alone intelligence seems to be confined, how Israel once possessed the land of the Lord as conquerors, and subjected their oppressors, and had them as slaves and maidservants. Unless, perhaps, we understand the whole synecdochically from a part: that they were of such great prosperity afterwards, that they even acquired families of slaves and maidservants from different nations around. This can also be understood in the times of Ahasuerus (Esther 9; Judith 13), when the hostile army was cut off from Israel with the slaying of Holofernes. Because I stick to letters, and in the manner of a serpent, I devour the earth, it is your will, since you wanted to hear only the historical interpretation.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:3
(Verse 3) And it shall be in that day, when the Lord has given you rest from your labor, and from your turmoil, and from your hard service which you had to bear, that you shall recite this proverb against the king of Babylon and say, The speech is addressed to Israel, that after Jerusalem has been restored and the yoke of servitude has been cast off, they should remember the former power of Nebuchadnezzar and the height of Babylon, and lament him with a pitiful voice, because he has come to such great calamity that he seems worthy of even his own enemies' pity.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 235] Hippolytus of Rome on Isaiah 14:4
We will show in what follows that these things are not said of someone else but of that tyrant, the one without shame, the enemy of God, as Isaiah says.

Source: ON THE ANTICHRIST 15
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Isaiah 14:4
According to Isaiah, in which lament is offered on behalf of the king of Babylon, much can be learned about the origin and beginning of evil. Evil derived its existence from some who had lost their wings by following the one who was first to lose his own wings.

Source: AGAINST CELSUS 6:43
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:4-7
(Verse 4-7) How the oppressor has ceased: the tribute has ceased! The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the staff of rulers, that struck the people in anger with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in wrath with a relentless persecution. The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. This is the lamentation with which the people of Israel bewail themselves, 'How the Lord has become weak and powerless, the conqueror of the nations who once plundered everything!' That man, I say, who was the staff of the wicked, who fiercely struck down all with his scepter and royal rod, whose blow could not be withstood, who even cruelly pursued those fleeing: how he has rested and been humbled, and all the land has conspired for his downfall, only making the voice of rejoicing heard.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 552] Verecundus of Junca on Isaiah 14:4
Because the Lord Jesus would destroy their staff, that is, their power to oppress, Isaiah said, “How has the oppressor ceased and the tax ended? Was his oppressor’s staff destroyed?” It befits Christians to be cautious, therefore, and it is right for the people of the Lord to be observant, lest oppressors who had once been repelled by divine grace should rouse themselves again to demand the kind of taxes which are paid with spiritual delinquency.

Source: COMMENTARY ON THE CANTICLE OF DEUTERONOMY 2:10
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:8
(Verse 8.) The firs and the cedars of Lebanon also rejoiced over you: since you have fallen asleep, no one has come up to cut us down. By firs and cedars of Lebanon, understand the leaders of the nations, who were cut down by Nebuchadnezzar, and who themselves, bursting forth into a voice of joy, say: Since you have been brought down to the underworld, no one else could be found to cut down the great and powerful.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:9
(Verse 9.) The underworld beneath you is stirred up, it raises the giants to meet your arrival: all the rulers of the earth have risen from their thrones: all the rulers of the nations will respond and say to you. These things are to be read emphatically and in a dramatic manner; not that they have actually happened, but that they could have happened: unless, of course, we believe that the souls of the kings whom you have killed have appeared, taunting the Babylonian king. For it is a comfort in misfortune, when enemies see them endure the same things.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:10-11
(Verses 10, 11.) And you have been wounded as we, you have become like us: your pride has been brought down to the grave: your body has fallen, tinea will spread beneath you, and worms will cover you. The speech of the powerful and the princes of the earth, whom he called higher than cedars and fir trees, is directed to the king of Babylon who is established in the depths. Now we do not grieve to have been cut down, since you also fall by the same axe. All your power, and the pride raised to the heavens, has been brought down to earth. Therefore, shall I support your corpse in my hand, and cover it with a multitude of swarming worms? You will feel through the death of a man the worthlessness, who preferred the power of God in you.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Isaiah 14:12
It is most clearly proved by these words that he who formerly was Lucifer and who “arose in the morning” has fallen from heaven. For if, as some suppose, he was a being of darkness, why is he said to have formerly been Lucifer or lightbearer? Or how could he “rise in the morning” who had in him no light at all?… So he was light once … when “his glory was turned into dust.”

Source: ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 1:5
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Isaiah 14:12
How can we possibly suppose that what is said in many places by Scripture, especially in Isaiah, about Nebuchadnezzar is said about a human being? For no human being is said to have “fallen from heaven” or to have been “Lucifer” or the one who “arose every morning.”

Source: ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 4:3.9
[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Isaiah 14:12
The Word clearly demonstrates many things in this passage: the lunacy of that spirit, his fall from what was good to what was bad, and the result of his fall. Having pronounced many terrible threats against humanity he realized that they had the possibility of falling into evil by virtue of their own free will. Therefore he turned them from a good state to a bad one, leading the many souls by the lure of desire to every fashion of evil. There was no device he did not attempt. With the myths of the gods and impure stories he tempted his victims with the things they loved and the things that gave them pleasure.… Soon, according to the blessed apostle, they no longer pondered the works of God that still illumined the heavens.

Source: PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 4:9
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:12
[Daniel 4:4] "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace." The narrative is clear indeed and requires but little interpretation. Because he displeased God, Nebuchadnezzar was turned into a madman and dwelt for seven years amongst the brute beasts and was fed upon the roots of herbs, Afterwards by the mercy of God he was restored to his throne, and praised and glorified the King of heaven, on the ground that all His works are truth and His ways are justice and He is able to abase those who walk in pride. But there are some who claim to understand by the figure of Nebuchadnezzar the hostile power which the Lord speaks of in the Gospel, saying: "I beheld Satan falling from heaven like lightning" (Luke 10:18). Likewise John in Revelation, in the passage where the dragon falls upon the earth drawing a third of the stars with him (Revelation 12:4). Likewise Isaiah: "How hath the morning star fallen, which used to rise early in the morning" (Isaiah 14:12). These authorities assert that it was absolutely impossible for a man who was reared in luxury to subsist on hay for seven years and to dwell among wild beasts for seven years without being at all mangled by them. Also they ask how the imperial authority could have been kept waiting for a mere madman, and how so mighty a kingdom could have gone without a king for so long a period. If, on the other hand, anyone had succeeded him on the throne, how foolish he would have to be thought to surrender an imperial authority which he had possessed for so long. Such a thing would be especially incredible since the historical records of the Chaldeans contain no such record, and since they recorded matters of far less import, it is impossible that they should have left things of major importance unmentioned. And so they pose all of these questions and offer as their own reply the proposition that since the episode does not stand up as genuine history, the figure of Nebuchadnezzar represents the devil. To this position we make not the slightest concession; otherwise everything we read in Scripture may appear to be imperfect representations and mere fables. For once men have lost their reason, who would not perceive them to lead their existence like brutish animals in the open fields and forest regions? And to pass over all other considerations, since Greek and Roman history offer episodes far more incredible, such as Scylla and the Chimaera, the Hydra and the Centaurs, and the birds and wild beasts and flowers and trees, the stars and the stones into which men are related to have been transformed, what is so remarkable about the execution of such a divine judgment as this for the manifestation of God's power and the humbling of the pride of kings? Nebuchadnezzar says, "'I was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace...'" or as Theodo-tion renders it "upon my throne." Now those who follow the interpretation we are opposing understand by the devil's home this world of ours. Concerning the world Satan himself in the Gospel says to the Savior: "All these things have been given over to me" (Luke 4:6). Likewise the Apostle says: "The world lieth in the Wicked One" (1 John 5:19).

Source: St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER FOUR
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:12
For greater ease of understanding we translated this phrase as follows: “How you have fallen from heaven, Lucifer, who arose in the morning.” But if we were to render a literal translation from the Hebrew, it would read, “How you have fallen from heaven, howling son of the dawn.” Lucifer is also signified with other words. And he who was formerly so glorious that he was compared to a bearer of lightning is now told that he must weep and mourn. Just as Lucifer scatters the darkness, it says, glowing and shining with a golden hue, so also your stepping forth to the peoples and the public seemed like a shining star. But you who spoke with arrogance, who wounded the nations, fell to the earth. I have obtained so great a power that heaven should stand still for me, and the stars above deserve to be thrown under my feet. Nevertheless, the Jews wanted to be understood as the heaven and stars of God, inasmuch as it continues, “I will sit in the mount of the covenant,” that is, in the temple where the laws of God are hidden, “and on the sides of the north,” that is, in Jerusalem. For it is written, “Mount Zion, the sides of the north.” Nor was his pride satisfied with desire for the heavens, but it would break forth with such madness that he would claim for himself likeness to God.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:14.12-14
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:12
Lucifer fell, Lucifer who used to rise at dawn; and he who was raised in a paradise of delight had the well-earned sentence passed upon him: “Though you exalt yourself as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, thence will I bring you down, says the Lord.” For he had said in his heart, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God,” and “I will be like the Most High.”

Source: LETTER 22.4
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:12-14
(Verses 12-14.) How you have fallen from heaven, O Morning Star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. However, it is signified by other words, Lucifer; and it is said to him that he should weep and mourn, who once was so glorious, that he was compared to the brightness of Lucifer. As, it says, Lucifer dispelling the darkness, burning and ruddy he shines forth; so also your advancement among the people and the public seemed similar to a bright star; but you have fallen to the earth, O wounded conqueror of nations, who spoke through pride: I have achieved such great power, that heaven remains for me and the stars should be subjected beneath my feet. Although the Jews want to understand the sky and the stars of God, from what follows: I will sit on the mount of the testament, that is, in the Temple, where God's laws are established, and on the sides of the North, that is, in Jerusalem. For it is written: The mountains of Zion are the sides of the North (Ps. 47:3). And his pride was not enough to desire heavenly things, unless he had burst forth into such madness as to claim the likeness of God for himself.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 14:12
It was by a kind of strength that man offended, so as to require to be corrected by weakness: for it was by a certain “pride” that he offended; so as to require to be chastened by humility. All proud persons call themselves strong people. Therefore have many [others] “come from the East and the West” and have attained “to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Therefore, how was it that they so attained? Because they would not be strong. What is meant by “would not be strong”? They were afraid to presume of their own merits. They did not “go about to establish their own righteousness,” that they might “submit themselves to the righteousness of God.” … Behold! you are mortal; and you bear about you a body of flesh that is corrupting away: “And you shall fall like one of the princes. You shall die like human beings” and shall fall like the devil. What good does the remedial discipline of mortality do you? The devil is proud, as not having a mortal body, as being an angel. But as for you, who have received a mortal body, and to whom even this does no good, so as to humble you by so great weakness, you shall “fall like one of the princes.” This then is the first grace of God’s gift, to bring us to the confession of our infirmity, that whatever good we can do, whatever ability we have, we may be that in him; that “he that glories, may glory in the Lord.” “When I am weak,” he says, “then am I strong.”

Source: EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 39 (38): 18
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 14:12
For example, what is said in Isaiah, “How he is fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning!” and the other statements in that context that speak of the king of Babylon are of course to be understood of the devil. However, the statement that is made in the same place, “He that sent orders to all nations is crushed on the earth,” does not altogether fitly apply to the head himself.

Source: CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 3:37
[AD 1963] CS Lewis on Isaiah 14:12-15
According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind...

Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest...

But pride always mean enmity - it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God. In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that - and therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison - you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

Source: Mere Christianity, The Great Sin
[AD 345] Aphrahat the Persian Sage on Isaiah 14:13-14
Now Nebuchadnezzar said, “I will ascend to heaven and exalt my throne above the stars of God and sit in the lofty mountains that are in the borders of the north.” Isaiah said concerning him: “Because your heart has thus exalted you, therefore you shall be brought down to Sheol, and all that look upon you shall be astonished at you.”

Source: DEMONSTRATION 5:4
[AD 397] Ambrose of Milan on Isaiah 14:13-14
How injurious to the servants of God can be the proud one who exalts himself against God and says, “I will ascend into heaven and seat my throne above the stars of heaven; I will sit on the highest mountain above the tall mountains of the north; I will ascend above the clouds; and I will be like the Most High.” It is no wonder, then, that the stubborn of spirit who will not yield to God is also able to oppress humanity. How will he preserve the confidence and faith of others who, through arrogant sacrilege and fantasy, promotes himself to equality with the omnipotent Lord? How does one who fails to liberate prisoners slander him who alone made void all the earth, caused kings to tremble, destroyed cities and laid waste the entire earth? We must be careful, therefore, that he not destroy the walls guarding our souls, or compromise our mind’s defenses or seat his throne above the stars. He seats his throne above the stars when he deceives the elect and when he oppresses the just, whose works shine like the stars in heaven.

Source: EXPOSITION OF PSALM 118:16.15-16
[AD 397] Ambrose of Milan on Isaiah 14:13-14
When the Lord Jesus redeemed the human race through his obedience, he reformed justice. The serpent, however, introduced sin through his disobedience, a sin which we are now able to identify as pride, the author of which is the devil, whom the prophet portrayed as saying, “I will seat my throne above the clouds and I will be like the Most High.” Yet he who was so wicked that he would not honor the Lord our God taught his disciples to be even worse. Thus, whereas the devil exalted himself to the degree that he desired to be similar and equal to the Most High, his disciple is signified by the apostle who would become so indignant as to judge himself already similar and equal to God. For it is written, “The man of iniquity and the son of perdition will be revealed, who opposes and extols himself above everything which is called god.” He presumes that he is equal to the teacher, or, in this case, even superior. The Lord said to his disciples, “You will do greater things than these,” to indicate that whereas the serpent acquired more for himself than he gave to others, Christ would give his disciples more to accomplish than even he had done on earth, for he wanted to triumph in his disciples and to deceive the prince of the world.

Source: EXPOSITION OF PSALM 118:3.34
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 14:13-14
There were some who dared in the opinion of the multitude to immortalize themselves and, notwithstanding that the very sense of sight bore witness to their mortality, were ambitious to be called gods and were honored as such; to what a length of impiety would not many people have proceeded, if death had not gone on teaching all humanity the morality and corruptibility of our nature? Hear, for instance, what the prophet says of a barbarian king, when seized with this frenzy: “I will exalt,” he says, “my throne above the stars of heaven; and I will be like unto the Most High.”

Source: HOMILIES CONCERNING THE STATUES 11:4
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:13-14
Read in the letter of James how much evil the tongue can cause. The tongue knows no middle way; either it is a great evil or a great good; a great good when it acknowledges that Christ is God, a great evil when it denies that Christ is God. Let no one, therefore, harbor the illusion and claim: I have not committed sin in act; if I sinned, I sinned with my tongue. What more monstrous sin is there than blasphemy against God? Yet it is the tongue that is sinning. Why did the devil fall? Because he committed theft? Because he committed murder? Because he committed adultery? These are certainly evils, but the devil did not fall because of any of these; he fell because of his tongue. What was it that he said? “I will scale the heavens; above the stars I will set up my throne; I will be like the Most High!” Monks surely, then, have no right to think they are safe and say: We are in the monastery, and so we do not commit serious offenses; I do not commit adultery; I do not steal; I am not a murderer; I am not guilty of parricide; and so of all the rest of the big vices. But the devilish sins are those of the tongue. It is outrageous to detract from my brother; I am killing my brother with my tongue, for, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.”Listen to what Solomon says: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” “In the power of the tongue,” do you see how much evil there is in the tongue? It has power, for what does he say? “In the power of the tongue.”

Source: HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 41 (PSALM 119)
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 14:13-14
“He deemed it no robbery to be God’s equal, yet he emptied himself and took on the form of a slave.” This was by no means robbery! Who was the robber, then? Adam. And the primordial robber? The being who seduced Adam. How, then, did the devil seize what did not belong to him? “I will set my throne in the north; I shall be like the Most High,” he said. He grabbed for himself something not given to him; that was robbery. The devil tried to usurp what had not been granted to him and thereby lost what he had been given. Then from the cup of his own pride he offered a drink to the humans he was trying to seduce, saying, “Taste it, and you will be like gods.” They too wanted to make a grab at divinity, and they lost their happiness. The devil robbed and paid for it; but Christ declares, “I was discharging a debt, though I had committed no robbery.”As the Lord approached his passion, he testified, “Now the prince of this world (that is, the devil) is coming, and he will find nothing in me (that means, he will find no justification for killing me). But so that the world may know that I am doing my Father’s will, rise, let us leave here.” And he went out to his passion, to pay back where he had committed no robbery. What else does his statement mean—“he will find nothing in me”? He will find no fault. Had the devil found anything missing from his house? Let the devil pursue any robbers he may find; “he will find nothing in me.”

Source: EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 68
[AD 435] John Cassian on Isaiah 14:13-14
The one says, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God”; the other, “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart.” The one says, “I know not the Lord and will not let Israel go”; the other, “If I say that I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him and keep his commandments.” The one says, “My rivers are mine, and I made them”; the other, “I can do nothing of myself, but my Father who abides in me, he does the works.” The one says, “All the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them are mine, and to whomsoever I will, I give them”; the other, “Though he were rich, yet he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich.” The one says, “As eggs are gathered together which are left, so have I gathered all the earth, and there was none that moved the wing or opened the mouth, or made the least noise”; the other, “I am become like a solitary pelican; I watched and became as a sparrow alone upon the roof.” The one says, “I have dried up with the sole of my foot all the rivers shut up in banks”; the other, “Cannot I ask my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” If we look at the reason of our original fall and the foundations of our salvation, and [if we] consider by whom and in what way the latter were laid and the former originated, we may learn, either through the fall of the devil or through the example of Christ, how to avoid so terrible a death from pride.

Source: ON THE INSTITUTES 12:4
[AD 435] John Cassian on Isaiah 14:13-14
And because he “loved the words of ruin,” with which he had said, “I will ascend into heaven,” and the “deceitful tongue,” with which he had said of himself, “I will be like the Most High,” and of Adam and Eve, “You shall be as gods,” therefore “shall God destroy him forever and pluck him out and remove him from his dwelling place and his root out of the land of the living.” Then “the just,” when they see his ruin, “shall fear, and shall laugh at him and say” (what may also be most justly aimed at those who trust that they can obtain the highest good without the protection and assistance of God): “Behold the man that did not make God his helper but trusted in the abundance of his riches and prevailed in his vanity.”

Source: ON THE INSTITUTES 12:4
[AD 585] Cassiodorus on Isaiah 14:13-14
The devil regarded himself as great when he said, “I will set my throne at the north, and I will be like the Most High.” Even today proud people count themselves greater than all others. But no one can be truly called great except God alone, for nothing can be remotely compared with his power; he is subject to no change but continues always in the glory of his nature.

Source: EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 85:10
[AD 585] Cassiodorus on Isaiah 14:13-14
And again: “I shall set my seat to the north, and I will be like the Most High.” So he is rightly termed a calumniator, for while performing cruel deeds he always lays accusations against the devoted. Scripture elsewhere says of him, “He shall humble the oppressor, and he shall continue with the sun.” So they most justly ask that the humble be not betrayed to the proud, the ingenuous to the liar, the pious to the ungrateful, for the persons whom those persecutors cannot seduce they treat with more savage violence.

Source: EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 118:122
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:14
[Daniel 7:4] "The first beast was like a lioness and possessed the wings of an eagle. I beheld until her wings were torn away, and she was raised upright from the ground and stood on her feet like a human being, and she was given a human heart." The kingdom of the Babylonians was not called a lion but a lioness, on account of its brutality and cruelty, or else because of its luxurious, lust-serving manner of life. For writers upon the natural history of beasts assert that lionesses are fiercer than lions, especially if they are nursing their cubs, and constantly are passionate in their desire for sexual relations. And as for the fact that she possessed eagle's wings, this indicates the pride of the all-powerful kingdom, the ruler of which declares in Isaiah: "Above the stars of heaven will I place my throne, and I shall be like unto the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). Therefore he is told: "Though thou be borne on high like an eagle, thence will I drag thee down" (Obadiah 1:4). Moreover, just as the lion occupies kingly rank among beasts, so also the eagle among the birds. But it should also be said that the eagle enjoys a long span of life, and that the kingdom of Assyrians had held sway for many generations. And as for the fact that the wings of the lioness or eagle were torn away, this signifies the other kingdoms over which it had ruled and soared about in the world. "And she was raised up," he says, "from the ground"; which means, of course, that the Chaldean empire was overthrown. And as for what follows, "And she stood upon her feet like a human being, and she was given a human heart," if we understand this as applying to Nebuchadnezzar, it is very evident that after he lost his kingdom and his power had been taken away from him, and after he was once more restored to his original state, he not only learned to be a man instead of a lioness but he also received back the heart which he had lost. But if on the other hand this is to be understood as applying in a general way to the kingdom of the Chaldeans, then it signifies that after Belshazzar was slain, and the Medes and Persians succeeded to imperial power, then the men of Babylon realized that theirs was a frail and lowly nature after all. Note the order followed here: the lioness is equivalent to the golden head of the image [in chap. 2].

Source: St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER SEVEN
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:15
(Verse 15.) However, you are dragged down to the depths of hell. He who had said through pride, 'I will ascend to heaven, I will be like the Most High,' is dragged not only to the depths of hell, but to the deepest depths of hell. In the Gospel, we read about these outer darknesses, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Luke 13:28).

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) Those who see you will bow down to you and look to you (saying in their hearts): Is this the man who troubled the earth, who shook kingdoms, who made the world a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the prison for his captives? This voice of those insulting and marveling expresses how the one who laid waste to everything himself has been laid waste. But when it says: He did not open the prison for his captives, the greatness of his cruelty and impiety is expressed, as he even held the prisoners in captivity, and the chains would not be enough for the wretched unless the horror of darkness also enclosed them.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:18-19
(Verse 18, 19.) All the kings of the nations, all slept in glory, each man in his own house. But you have been cast out of your tomb like a useless branch, defiled and wrapped with those who were slain by the sword, and have gone down to the foundations of the abyss; you will not have the company of a decaying corpse, nor be buried with them. The Hebrews tell the following story: Evilmerodach, who during his father Nebuchadnezzar's lifetime spent seven years among the beasts, had reigned before he was restored to the kingdom. After his father's death, he was imprisoned with Joachim, the king of Judah, until he succeeded to the throne again. But when he returned to the kingdom, the princes did not accept him, fearing that the one who was believed to be extinct was still alive. To demonstrate the death of his father, he opened the tomb and dragged out the corpse with hooks and ropes. And the meaning is: With all those who were killed having been buried, you alone will lie unburied. Others, however, interpret this place in the following way: All souls in the underworld will receive some rest, but you alone will be bound in complete darkness. For you will be covered in the blood of all, and the blood of all will press upon you like a shroud of the filth of the dead. Symmachus translated this passage as follows: Even with those who are killed in war, you do not deserve to have a share in burial. But concerning what we have said, as though a useless shoot, it is read in Hebrew: Chaneser Nethab, which Aquila interprets as a polluted sore. Neser, on the other hand, properly means a twig, which grows at the roots of trees and is cut off by farmers as though useless; we can understand this as the same thing as a sore and decay. At the same time, we learn that hell is beneath the earth, as Scripture says: To the foundations of the lake.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:20
(Verse 20) For you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people. According to the Septuagint interpreters who said, 'Because you have destroyed my land and killed my people,' there is no doubt about what they mean. Indeed, Nebuchadnezzar killed and destroyed the land of Judah and its people. According to the Hebrew text, it is difficult to understand how he lost his own land and killed his own people, unless perhaps it should be understood in this sense: you completely destroyed those whom God had given you to correct. Or else: the ancient kingdom of the Assyrians, with you proudly and defiantly raising your neck against God, was completely destroyed. For if you had behaved humbly, and understood your limits, the Assyrians and Babylonians would still be reigning. It was in this manner: you were so cruel to foreigners that you even oppressed subjugated peoples in your frenzy.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:21
(Verse 21.) The seed of evildoers will not be called forever. Prepare his children for slaughter because of the iniquity of their fathers: they will not rise, nor will they inherit the land, nor will they fill the faces of the cities. All histories agree that after the killing of Balthasar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, and the succession of Darius to the kingdom of the Chaldeans, no one from the offspring of Nebuchadnezzar ruled thereafter. Therefore, Scripture predicts that such devastation will come upon Babylon that no royal seed will remain, but because of the wickedness of the father, all offspring will be destroyed. But because we have moved to the final part of the sentence, the faces of the cities will not be filled up, it is written in Hebrew for cities, Arim (), which we can translate as adversaries; so the meaning is: no one from your seed will desire to restore the kingdom, an adversary will be raised up. According to the Seventy Interpreters, who said: Wicked seed, prepare your sons for destruction because of the sins of your father, I cannot understand the meaning.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 552] Verecundus of Junca on Isaiah 14:21
God’s warning is twofold, one directed toward the submissive and the other toward obstinate minds. As was said about the submissive: “I will punish their crimes with a rod and their sins with a whip, but I will not remove my mercy from them or deceive them in my truth.” But the wrath of God’s rebuke upon obstinate sinners is unbearable, as Isaiah testifies: “The descendants of the evil will never be named. Prepare their sons to be killed for the iniquity of their fathers. They will not rise, or inherit the earth or fill the face of the world with children. ‘And I will rise against them,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will destroy the name of Babylon and its seed and offspring,’ said the Lord.”

Source: COMMENTARY ON THE CANTICLE OF MANASSES 7:6
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:22-23
(Verse 22, 23.) And I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts: and I will destroy the name of Babylon, and the remnants, and the seed, and the offspring, says the Lord. And I will make it a possession for the hedgehog, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, says the Lord of hosts. Babylon was the most powerful, and situated on a plain, with walls stretching from one corner to another, covering sixteen thousand stadia, which is equivalent to sixty-four times around, according to Herodotus and many others who wrote Greek histories. But the citadel, that is, the Capitol of that city, is a tower which is said to have been built after the flood, and is reported to be four thousand paces high, gradually narrowing from the sides to the top, so that the weight pressing upon it may be more easily supported by the broader base. There they describe marble temples, golden statues, streets gleaming with stones and gold, and many other things which almost seem incredible. We have narrated all this to show that all human power is as dust and ashes compared to the anger of God. If it were permitted to enter barbarian nations and see the remains of such a great city, we would see the possession of heretics, and swamps of water, and truly fulfill what is now sung by the voices of Isaiah: I will sweep it with a broom, wearing it out; for except for the baked brick walls, which are being restored after many years in order to enclose wild animals, the entire middle space is a desolation.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:24-25
(Verse 24, 25.) The Lord of hosts swore, saying: If it shall not be as I thought, so it shall be, and as I devised it in my mind, so shall it come to pass, that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: and his yoke shall be taken away from them, and his burden shall be taken off their shoulder. He returns to the present, that is, to Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrians, who devastated Samaria and Judah, and except Jerusalem, destroyed everything all around; and he associates events in the distant future, so that the impending fear may be removed: for those who hear could say: We endure the present siege, but he promises something that will come many centuries later. Therefore, there is a prophecy, although after many years Babylon will be destroyed and the entire seedbed of the Assyrians and Chaldeans will be scattered: nevertheless, so that you do not fear the imminent captivity, the Lord swears (to whom even the one who does not swear must be believed) that his estimation will not deceive and that what he has conceived in his mind will not be in vain. However, he speaks this with human affection, namely, that the one who cannot be deceived will not be deceived: I will crush, he says, the Assyrian in my land, and I will trample him on my mountains. For in one night, 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army were destroyed by the Angel. And the yoke that oppressed those who were besieging Jerusalem, and the heavy burden that weighed upon them, will be removed from them and instead pushed back onto themselves. For when the Assyrian king fled to his own land, King Hezekiah went out with the rest of the people, free from oppression.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:26-27
(Verse 26, 27.) This is the plan that I have devised for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who can annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? Some interpret this passage as a general prophecy against the entire world, and that the desolation of the cities of Babylon and Assyria are a type of the end of the world. We do not disagree with them, as long as we understand that in this passage the whole earth properly signifies the land of the Assyrians and all the nations allied with the Assyrian king. But whatever is decreed by the Lord, is not prevented by the power of anyone. And no one can restrain his outstretched hand, ready to strike.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 14:27
For their part they plotted to hand him [Joseph] over to death, distress, slavery and the worst of evil fates; but God who is skillful in devising good used the wickedness of the plotters for the credit of him whom they had plotted to sell. Lest anyone think that these things happened through some coincidence or reversal of circumstances, by the very men who opposed and hindered them God brings about the events that they tried to prevent, using Joseph’s enemies as servants for his credit. From this you may learn that what God has planned no one will scatter, and no one will turn aside his lofty hand, so that when people plot against you, you may not fall or be annoyed but may keep in mind that the plot leads to good at the end, if only you endure nobly whatever happens to you.

Source: HOMILIES ON LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN 4
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 14:27
What God has reared up and wishes to remain, no one can tear down. In the same way, what he has destroyed and wishes to stay destroyed, no one can rebuild.

Source: DISCOURSES AGAINST JUDAIZING CHRISTIANS 5:11.6
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:28
(Verse 28.) In the year that King Ahaz died, this burden came. We read in the Book of the Prophets that four kings of Judah held the title of Prophet: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, each succeeding the other in order and lineage. We have read earlier about the death of Uzziah, as recorded by Isaiah: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne. From this, we understand both the vision of the Lord sitting and the things that are commanded to the Prophets, up to the point where it is written (Chapter VI): "As a terebinth and as an oak that spreads its branches, so shall be the holy seed, it shall be the germ under King Jotham prophesied" (Ibid., VII). Achaz, the son of Joatham, the son of Ozias, succeeded as the third king of Judah. During his reign, Rasin, the king of Syria, and Phacee, the son of Romelia, the king of Israel, came to Jerusalem to fight against it, as the Scripture recounts. Therefore, from Achaz up to the present point, which we now endeavor to explain, we know all the things that are placed in the middle, prophesied: after his death, Ezechias, the fourth and final king, succeeded, under whom the entire book is woven together until the end.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:29
(Verse 29.) Do not rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod of your striker is broken; for from the root of the serpent a little king will come forth, and his offspring will consume the flying creature. It is natural that we say: when the king of the enemy nations dies, the enemies always rejoice, waiting for civil wars, seditions, and the incompetence of ruling from new things. Therefore, with the sinner Ahaz dead, who had walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and had been joined to them by kinship, we understand that the Philistines were pleased to be nearby and insulted the Israelites because with the mature king lost, they would be subject to the young Hezekiah. But, as we said above, Philisthaeos signifies the Palestinians, whom the Vulgate edition of the Bible refers to as foreigners: even though this is not the name of one particular nation, but of all foreign nations. Do not, he says, rejoice, O Philisthaea, do not insult my people because the rod of your smiter Achaz is broken; because the staff that used to strike you appears to be shattered; because the snake is killed. For this reason, a more harmful ruler will be born, whom the Greeks call the basilisk, who will put you to death with his gaze and the breath of his mouth. For no bird of prey can pass through unharmed: however far away it may be, it is sucked up by its mouth. So too, you will perish from the sight of King Hezekiah. And he preserved the metaphor well: for he had mentioned both a snake and a bird of prey, and he says that birds are devoured by its mouth and breath. As for no king of Judah having struck the Philistines like Hezekiah devastated them, listen to the Book of Kings: He struck the Philistines as far as Gaza, and as far as its borders: from the tower of the keepers to the fortified cities (2 Kings 18:8). But because we have translated it as absorbing the winged creature, and it is written in Hebrew as Saraph Mopheth (), which can be interpreted as a flying serpent: so the sense is: from the root of the serpent a king will be born, and its fruit, that is, the king's flying serpent, so that you may understand a flying dragon.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 604] Gregory the Dialogist on Isaiah 14:29
But because this Leviathan is called in another place not merely a serpent but also a flying serpent, because he rules over unclean spirits or reprobate people, as Isaiah says, “Out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a flying serpent,” we must attentively observe how a basilisk destroys, that by the doings of the basilisk, his malice may be more plainly made known to us. For a basilisk does not destroy with its bite but consumes with its breath. It often also infects the air with its breath and withers with the mere blast of its nostrils whatever it has touched, even when placed at a distance.

Source: MORALS ON THE BOOK OF JOB 6:33.62
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:30
(Ver. 30.) And the firstborn of the poor will be fed, and the poor will rest confidently. When the ruler strikes you, and the flying dragon devastates your boundaries, you will not plot against Judah, and you will not frighten my humble people with your deceit; but crushed by your own troubles, you will weep for your calamity. But the humble and poor, who did not trust in wealth and power, but in my name, will rest in secure peace and will not fear the attack of any enemy.


And I will make your root perish in famine, and I will destroy your remnants. He is speaking entirely in figures. The meaning is that, while the people of God are confidently resting, the root of the Philistines will dry up, and all the remnants will be consumed.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:31
(Verse 31.) Howl, O gate! Cry out, O city! Philisthaea is laid waste, all of it. For from the north comes smoke, and there is no escaping its horde. He calls the gate for those who are at the gate, and the city for the inhabitants of the city. He also directs his speech to the cities of the Philistines, saying that they should wail and mourn when Senacherib comes, and when the torrent ravages everything. For the Assyrian came under the reign of Hezekiah, and among other nations he devastated the Philistines. To whom Jeremiah speaks: Behold, waters rise up from the north, and they shall be like a overflowing torrent, and they shall cover the land and its fullness, the city and its inhabitants (Jer. 47:2). For from the north comes the Assyrian, and from its heat, they go forth, subjugating Nineveh and other nations. At that time when these things were being sung, smoke rose up on high, that is, a rumor spread among the peoples in the order of all nations, that the Phoenicians and the Philistines were also to be devastated.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 14:32
(v. 32.) What will the response be to the messages of the nation? Because the Lord has founded Zion, and in it the poor of his people will hope. Because it was said, there is no one who can escape his army, it seemed in the general sentiment that even Judah was included. Yes; he says, if the angels of the Assyrian nation inquire why only Judah escaped, answer them, because the Lord has founded Zion, and he has protected his humble people with his power. For the Angels () the kings () translated in the Septuagint, deceived by the error of a single letter Aleph.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah