Lectionary Calendar
Friday, August 1st, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Isaiah 14:17

Is this the man who destroyed cities and turned the world into a desert? Is this the man who never freed his prisoners or let them go home?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Isaiah;   Rulers;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Funeral;   Nebuchadnezzar;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ir-Ha-Heres;   Isaiah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Judgment Damnation;   Old Testament (Ii. Christ as Student and Interpreter of).;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Babylon ;   Type;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Medes;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Isa'iah, Book of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Belshazzar;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Isaiah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Resurrection;   Satire;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
who turned the world into a wilderness,who destroyed its citiesand would not release the prisoners to return home?”
Hebrew Names Version
who made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities of it; who didn't let loose his prisoners to their home?"
King James Version
That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
English Standard Version
who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'
New American Standard Bible
Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'
New Century Version
who turned the world into a desert, who destroyed its cities, who captured people in war and would not let them go home?"
Amplified Bible
Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not permit his prisoners to return home?'
World English Bible
who made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities of it; who didn't let loose his prisoners to their home?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
He made the worlde as a wildernesse, and destroied the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his prisoners.
Legacy Standard Bible
Who made the world like a wildernessAnd pulled down its cities,Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'
Berean Standard Bible
who turned the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return to their homes?"
Contemporary English Version
Did he capture every city and make earth a desert? Is he the one who refused to let prisoners go home?"
Complete Jewish Bible
who made the world a desert, who destroyed its cities, who would not set his prisoners free?'
Darby Translation
[that] made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; [that] dismissed not his prisoners homewards?
Easy-to-Read Version
who destroyed cities and turned the land into a desert, who captured people in war and would not let them go home?"
George Lamsa Translation
Who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities; who did not free his prisoners?
Lexham English Bible
who made the world like the desert and destroyed its cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?'
Literal Translation
making the world like a wilderness, and who tore down its cities; he did not open a house for his prisoners?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Is this he that made the worlde in a maner waist, & and layde the cities to the grounde, which let not his prisoners go home?
American Standard Version
that made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; that let not loose his prisoners to their home?
Bible in Basic English
Who made the world a waste, overturning its towns; who did not let his prisoners loose from the prison-house.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?'
King James Version (1611)
That made the world as a wildernesse, and destroyed the cities thereof that opened not the house of his prisoners?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
[Is this he] that made the worlde in a maner waste, and layde the cities to the grounde, which let not his prisoners go out?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
that made the whole world desolate, and destroyed its cities; he loosed not those who were in captivity.
English Revised Version
that made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; that let not loose his prisoners to their home?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that settide the world desert, and distried the citees therof, and openyde not the prisoun to the boundun men of hym?
Update Bible Version
that made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; that did not let loose his prisoners to their home?
Webster's Bible Translation
[That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed its cities; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?
New English Translation
Is this the one who made the world like a desert, who ruined its cities, and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?"'
New King James Version
Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?'
New Living Translation
Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world's greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?'
New Life Bible
Is this the man who made the world like a desert and destroyed its cities, who did not let those whom he had put in prison go home?'
New Revised Standard
who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who made the world like a desert And its cities, brake down? Its prisoners, he loosed not. Bach one to his home.
Douay-Rheims Bible
That made the world a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not the prison to his prisoners?
Revised Standard Version
who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'
Young's Literal Translation
He hath made the world as a wilderness, And his cities he hath broken down, Of his bound ones he opened not the house.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'

Contextual Overview

4 When he does this, they are to mock the king of Babylon and say: "The cruel king has fallen! He will never oppress anyone again! 5 The Lord has ended the power of the evil rulers 6 who angrily oppressed the peoples and never stopped persecuting the nations they had conquered. 7 Now at last the whole world enjoys rest and peace, and everyone sings for joy. 8 The cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over the fallen king, because there is no one to cut them down, now that he is gone! 9 "The world of the dead is getting ready to welcome the king of Babylon. The ghosts of those who were powerful on earth are stirring about. The ghosts of kings are rising from their thrones. 10 They all call out to him, ‘Now you are as weak as we are! You are one of us! 11 You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead. You lie on a bed of maggots and are covered with a blanket of worms.'" 12 King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground. 13 You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

made: Isaiah 13:19-22, Isaiah 64:10, Ezekiel 6:14, Joel 2:3, Zephaniah 2:13, Zephaniah 2:14

opened not the house of his prisoners: or, did not let his prisoners loose homewards, Isaiah 45:13, Isaiah 58:6, 2 Chronicles 28:8-15, Ezra 1:2-4

Reciprocal: Psalms 9:6 - thou hast Psalms 52:7 - Lo Psalms 102:20 - To hear Psalms 103:6 - executeth Isaiah 14:4 - How Isaiah 23:11 - stretched Isaiah 37:11 - General Isaiah 42:22 - are hid Isaiah 47:6 - thou didst Isaiah 51:13 - where is Jeremiah 50:33 - and all Lamentations 3:34 - all Habakkuk 1:17 - and Habakkuk 2:5 - gathereth

Cross-References

Judges 11:34
When Jephthah went back home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him, dancing and playing the tambourine. She was his only child.
1 Samuel 18:6
As David was returning after killing Goliath and as the soldiers were coming back home, women from every town in Israel came out to meet King Saul. They were singing joyful songs, dancing, and playing tambourines and lyres.
2 Samuel 18:18
During his lifetime Absalom had built a monument for himself in King's Valley, because he had no son to keep his name alive. So he named it after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Monument.
Proverbs 14:20
No one likes the poor, not even their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
Proverbs 19:4
Rich people are always finding new friends, but the poor cannot keep the few they have.
Hebrews 7:1
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. As Abraham was coming back from the battle in which he defeated the four kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[That] made the world as a wilderness,.... Both by destroying the inhabitants of it, and by laying waste cities, towns, villages, fields, vineyards, gardens, and all places improved and cultivated, wherever he came, as it follows:

and destroyed the cities thereof; as the Assyrian kings had done, some of which are mentioned in Isaiah 10:9:

[that] opened not the house of his prisoners; the prison house, in, which they were held; or,

"the gate to his prisoners,''

as the Targum; or rather the words may be rendered, "that opened not to his prisoners", that they might go "home"; or as De Dieu, in short, yet fully, expresses it, "that did not dismiss his prisoners home"; he not only cruelly and inhumanly put many to the sword, but such as surrendered, and were taken captives, he detained them in prison, and would not loose their bonds, but let them die there; which was an instance of great cruelty and inhumanity.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That made the world as a wilderness - That made cities and kingdoms desolate.

That opened not the house of his prisoners - This is a description of his oppression and cruelty. Of course many prisoners would be taken in war. Instead of giving them liberty, he threw them into prison and kept them there. This may be rendered, ‘his prisoners he did not release that they might return home’ (see the Margin). The Chaldee renders it, ‘To his prisoners he did not open the door.’ The sense is substantially the same. The idea is, that he was cruel and oppressive. He threw his captives into dungeons, and found pleasure in retaining them there.


 
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