Verse

Isaiah 14:13

ESV You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
NIV 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.
NASB But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.
CSB You said to yourself, "I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North.
NLT For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.
KJV 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:
NKJV For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;

What does Isaiah 14:13 mean?

In Isaiah's taunt-song about the fallen king of Babylon, reality has made a harsh appearance to interrupt human arrogance. This disgraced leader has fallen, and fallen far (Isaiah 14:3–11). The prophet has mockingly called him the "Day Star, son of the Dawn." Now it becomes clear that lofty identity was a figment of the king's imagination (Isaiah 14:12).

The authority and power of kings in this era was so absolute that some thought them to be gods. Some of these kings also believed this to be true about themselves. Babylon's admittedly powerful king had the audacity to tell himself he would reach the "heights of heaven." He declared he would even be above the stars of God. This arrogance is part of why some readers associate this passage with Satan's fall from heaven.

This king declared in his heart that he would "sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north." Isaiah appears to be using the mythology and religion of the Canaanite peoples to describe the king's ambition for godhood. They held that Baal and the other gods assembled on the real Mount Zaphon in the north. Mount Casius in Syria is likely this mountain in our modern map. In this song, Isaiah shows the king assuming that he will take his place among the gods when the time comes. In truth, the king's destination will be Sheol, along with the rest of the merely human dead.
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