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Isaiah 14:16
ESV Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,
NIV Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: 'Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,
NASB Those who see you will stare at you, They will closely examine you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,
CSB Those who see you will stare at you; they will look closely at you: "Is this the man who caused the earth to tremble, who shook the kingdoms,
NLT Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?
KJV 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;

What does Isaiah 14:16 mean?

The death of the king of Babylon, whichever one Isaiah is writing about, will be a challenge to the worldview of all who see it happen. Isaiah describes them coming across the king's dead body and pondering about how such a thing could have happened. Like the king himself, many people thought of the man as invincible. He was seen as an unstoppable, unmerciful force of nature. Now his body lies on the ground without even a proper burial.

This was a man who made the earth "tremble" and "shook kingdoms." Perhaps the trembling and shaking refers to the boots of his massive war machine rolling across the earth. The volume of the sound must have sounded like inevitable death to those nations terrified to be Babylon's target for destruction. How could such a man now be dead in the street?

Those in power, and those with none, must learn that all power is given by the Lord God of Israel. It is also taken away the Lord, as well. No human being is unstoppable, or bound for true glory, outside of the Lord's grace and mercy (Daniel 4:34–35; 1 Samuel 2:6).
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