Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, New Living Translation 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? English Standard Version Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, Berean Standard Bible Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble, King James Bible 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; New King James Version “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, New American Standard Bible “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, NASB 1995 “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, NASB 1977 “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Legacy Standard Bible Those who see you will gaze at you, They will carefully consider you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who caused kingdoms to quake, Amplified Bible “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will consider you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Christian Standard Bible 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, Holman Christian Standard Bible 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, American Standard Version They that see thee shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; Contemporary English Version Those who see you will stare and wonder, "Is this the man who made the world tremble and shook up kingdoms? English Revised Version They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; GOD'S WORD® Translation Those who see you stare at you; they look at you closely and say, "Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook the kingdoms, Good News Translation The dead will stare and gape at you. They will ask, "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble? International Standard Version "Those who see you will stare at you. They will wonder about you: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who made kingdoms quake, NET Bible Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: "Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble? New Heart English Bible Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, "Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms; Webster's Bible Translation They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that shook kingdoms: Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThose who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble, World English Bible Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms, Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionYour beholders look to you, they attend to you, "" Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, "" Shaking kingdoms? Young's Literal Translation Thy beholders look to thee, to thee they attend, Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, Shaking kingdoms? Smith's Literal Translation They seeing thee shall look upon thee, they shall attend to thee. This the man moving the earth, shaking kingdoms: Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThey that shall see thee, shall turn toward thee, and behold thee. Is this the man that troubled the earth, that shook kingdoms, Catholic Public Domain Version Those who see you, will lean toward you, and will gaze upon you, saying: ‘Could this be the man who disturbed the earth, who shook kingdoms, New American Bible When they see you they will stare, pondering over you: “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms? New Revised Standard Version Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you: “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThose who see you shall stare at you and consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Everyone who looks upon you shall gaze and they shall recognize you and they shall say: ‘This is the man who had enraged the Earth and shook kingdoms! OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917They that saw thee do narrowly look upon thee, They gaze earnestly at thee: 'Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, That did shake kingdoms; Brenton Septuagint Translation They that see thee shall wonder at thee, and say, This is the man that troubled the earth, that made kings to shake; Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Downfall of the King of Babylon…15But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. 16Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble, 17who turned the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return to their homes?”… Cross References Ezekiel 28:17 Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings. Ezekiel 28:2 “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. Revelation 18:9-10 Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. / In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” Revelation 18:15-17 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn, / saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! / For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance Revelation 18:19 Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.” Jeremiah 50:23 How the hammer of the whole earth lies broken and shattered! What a horror Babylon has become among the nations! Jeremiah 51:41 How Sheshach has been captured! The praise of all the earth has been seized. What a horror Babylon has become among the nations! Lamentations 2:15-16 All who pass by clap their hands at you in scorn. They hiss and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” / All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day for which we have waited. We have lived to see it!” Psalm 52:7 “Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.” Psalm 37:35-36 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree, / yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found. Job 20:6-7 Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds, / he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’ Obadiah 1:3-4 The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ / Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. Habakkuk 2:6-8 Will not all of these take up a taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’ / Will not your creditors suddenly arise and those who disturb you awaken? Then you will become their prey. / Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers. Habakkuk 2:15-16 Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! / You will be filled with shame instead of glory. You too must drink and expose your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory. Matthew 11:23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. Treasury of Scripture They that see you shall narrowly look on you, and consider you, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; shall narrowly Psalm 58:10,11 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked… Psalm 64:9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. is this Isaiah 14:4,5 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! … Psalm 52:7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. Jeremiah 50:23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! Jump to Previous Attend Beholders Care Causing Consider Deep Earnestly Earth Fate Gaze Kingdoms Narrowly Ponder Shake Shaking Shook Stare Thee Thought Tremble TroublerJump to Next Attend Beholders Care Causing Consider Deep Earnestly Earth Fate Gaze Kingdoms Narrowly Ponder Shake Shaking Shook Stare Thee Thought Tremble TroublerIsaiah 14 1. God's merciful restoration of Israel3. Their triumphant exultation over Babel 24. God's purpose against Assyria 29. Philistia is threatened Those who see you will stare; This phrase suggests a scene of astonishment and disbelief. In the context of Isaiah 14, this is part of a taunt against the fallen king of Babylon. The imagery of people staring indicates a dramatic reversal of fortune, where someone once powerful is now reduced to a state of humiliation. This reflects the biblical theme of divine justice, where the proud are brought low (Proverbs 16:18). The act of staring can also imply a public spectacle, emphasizing the totality of the downfall. they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble, Persons / Places / Events 1. The Fallen King of BabylonThis passage is part of a taunt against the king of Babylon, who is depicted as having fallen from great power and influence. 2. Babylon A significant empire in biblical history, often symbolizing pride and opposition to God. 3. The Onlookers Those who witness the downfall of the king, representing the nations and peoples who were once under his influence. 4. Isaiah The prophet who delivers this message, serving as God's mouthpiece to convey His judgment and plans. 5. The Earth and Kingdoms Symbolic of the vast influence and power that the king once wielded, now reduced to nothing. Teaching Points The Folly of PridePride leads to downfall. The king of Babylon serves as a cautionary tale of how earthly power and arrogance can lead to destruction. God's Sovereignty God is in control of the rise and fall of nations and leaders. No earthly power can stand against His will. The Temporary Nature of Earthly Power Earthly kingdoms and powers are fleeting. True and lasting power belongs to God alone. The Importance of Humility Believers are called to live humbly, recognizing that all authority and power are granted by God. Reflection on Our Influence Consider how we use the influence and power we have. Are we using it to serve God and others, or for selfish gain? Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Isaiah 14:16?2. How does Isaiah 14:16 challenge our perception of earthly power and authority? 3. What does Isaiah 14:16 reveal about God's ultimate control over human rulers? 4. How can Isaiah 14:16 encourage humility in our personal ambitions and goals? 5. In what ways does Isaiah 14:16 connect with the theme of divine justice? 6. How should Isaiah 14:16 influence our response to worldly leaders and their actions? 7. How does Isaiah 14:16 challenge our understanding of power and authority in the world? 8. What historical context is necessary to fully grasp the meaning of Isaiah 14:16? 9. How does Isaiah 14:16 reflect on the nature of human pride and downfall? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 14? 11. Isaiah 16:14 states Moab's glory will end in three years; is there any verifiable evidence or timeline in secular sources matching this prophecy? 12. Psalm 77:16 describes waters trembling at God's presence--what physical or historical basis supports this event, if any? 13. Can the miraculous elements in Isaiah 19:16-25 be reconciled with modern historical or scientific understanding? 14. Does Isaiah 19:1-4 align with known Egyptian history regarding civil strife and political upheaval? What Does Isaiah 14:16 Mean Those who see you will stareThe scene pictures onlookers gathering around the fallen king of Babylon. Their fixed gaze speaks of shock and disbelief. • Isaiah earlier announced that “the LORD has broken the staff of the wicked” (Isaiah 14:5), so the crowd is witnessing the very judgment God promised. • Psalm 37:34 anticipates this moment: “When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.” The righteous literally behold the end of the tyrant. • Revelation 18:9–10 gives a later echo, where rulers “stand at a distance” watching Babylon’s ruin. Isaiah lays the foundation for that final sight. they will ponder your fate The spectators move from staring to thoughtful reflection. They size up the contrast between former glory and present disgrace. • Job 20:7–9 shows a similar meditation: people “gaze at his place and it is no more.” • God invites His people to consider such reversals so they will trust His justice (Psalm 73:17–20). • Jeremiah 50:40 declares Babylon will be “overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah,” prompting all future onlookers to ponder. “Is this the man who shook the earth The question drips with irony. Once he seemed unstoppable—his military campaigns rattled nations (Isaiah 14:4, “the oppressor”). • Haggai 2:7 promises the LORD will one day “shake all nations,” exposing pretenders who once did the shaking. • Luke 10:18 records Jesus’ words, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” linking the humbling of earthly and cosmic rebels. and made the kingdoms tremble His terror-driven empire is now silent rubble. The phrase underlines how fleeting human power is when God intervenes. • Proverbs 21:1 reminds us that “the king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the LORD.” • Daniel 4:37, after Babylon’s later king Nebuchadnezzar is humbled, states, “Those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” • In the ultimate future, Revelation 11:15 announces “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord,” ending every regime that once made nations tremble. summary Isaiah 14:16 captures the bewildered reaction of witnesses who behold God’s dramatic reversal of a once-terrifying ruler. They stare, they think, and they ask how such a powerful oppressor could collapse so completely. The verse assures believers that no matter how intimidating evil appears, the LORD’s judgment is sure, His timing perfect, and His sovereignty absolute. (16) They that see thee . . .--The context shows that the picture before the prophet's eye is no longer the shadow-world of Hades, but the field of battle, Men look at the corpse of the mighty conqueror as it lies dishonoured, bloody, and unburied.Verse 16. - They that see thee. Dr. Kay well observes that "here the scene of the parable is changed back to earth. The corpse of the mighty conqueror is lying unburied." Shall narrowly look upon thee. Like the inhabitants of hell (ver. 10), those of earth also shall scarcely believe their eyes. They shall look close to see if it is indeed the great king that is slain.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Those who see youרֹאֶ֙יךָ֙ (rō·’e·ḵā) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 7200: To see will stare; יַשְׁגִּ֔יחוּ (yaš·gî·ḥū) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 7688: To peep, glance sharply at they will ponder יִתְבּוֹנָ֑נוּ (yiṯ·bō·w·nā·nū) Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand your fate: אֵלֶ֖יךָ (’ê·le·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to “Is this הֲזֶ֤ה (hă·zeh) Article | Pronoun - masculine singular Strong's 2088: This, that the man הָאִישׁ֙ (hā·’îš) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person who shook מַרְגִּ֣יז (mar·gîz) Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 7264: To be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited, perturbed the earth הָאָ֔רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 776: Earth, land [and] made the kingdoms מַמְלָכֽוֹת׃ (mam·lā·ḵō·wṯ) Noun - feminine plural Strong's 4467: Kingdom, sovereignty, dominion, reign tremble, מַרְעִ֖ישׁ (mar·‘îš) Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 7493: To undulate, through fear, to spring Links Isaiah 14:16 NIVIsaiah 14:16 NLT Isaiah 14:16 ESV Isaiah 14:16 NASB Isaiah 14:16 KJV Isaiah 14:16 BibleApps.com Isaiah 14:16 Biblia Paralela Isaiah 14:16 Chinese Bible Isaiah 14:16 French Bible Isaiah 14:16 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Isaiah 14:16 Those who see you will stare at (Isa Isi Is) |