Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Isaiah 14:23 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 23. 23I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The oracle concerning Zion and the nations states or reports “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water” at Isaiah 14:23 as a specific part of “The Taunt Brings Babylon's King down to Sheol.”
The whole earth breaks into rest when the oppressor's staff snaps
This verse is one part of that explanation in Isaiah 14:4–23. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Isaiah 14:4–23
Read Isaiah 14:23 with 14:4–23. By itself, “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: The oppressor's staff breaks, the earth rests, Sheol mocks the fallen ruler, the morning-star boast collapses, and violent dynastic memory is erased.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Jacob Receives Rest and Resident Peoples Join” into “The Taunt Brings Babylon's King down to Sheol.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: The oppressor's staff breaks, the earth rests, Sheol mocks the fallen ruler, the morning-star boast collapses, and violent dynastic memory is erased. This verse's placement is specific: The oracle concerning Zion and the nations states or reports “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water” at Isaiah 14:23 as a specific part of “The Taunt Brings Babylon's King down to Sheol.”
What Remains True
No nation is beyond moral scrutiny, and no people is reducible to the wrongdoing of rulers or the rhetoric of an oracle. In Isaiah 14:23, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The oracle concerning Zion and the nations states or reports “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water” at Isaiah 14:23 as a specific part of “The Taunt Brings Babylon's King down to Sheol.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Isaiah 14:4–23 — The Taunt Brings Babylon's King down to SheolSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Isaiah 14:4–23, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 14:4–23 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked
Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Isaiah
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 14:4–23 in the complete 205-page book PDF
Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗