Discovery BoxIsaiah 14:6-8 
Context14:6 It 1 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 2
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 3
14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet;
they break into song.
14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 4
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 5
‘Since you fell asleep, 6
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 7
1 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
2 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
3 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
4 tn Heb “concerning you.”
5 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
6 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
7 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
