All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb.
Parallel translations
- WEB All the kings of the nations, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.
- KJV All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
- NKJV “All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house;
- NASB “All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb.
- NLT “The kings of the nations lie in stately glory, each in his own tomb,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
All other kings lie buried in honor, each in his own tomb. They receive the dignity in death that this tyrant will be denied.
Overview
Isaiah contrasts the customary honorable burial of kings with the shameful fate awaiting the Babylonian ruler in the next verse. Even pagan monarchs were laid to rest with their fathers, but this king will have no such rest. The verse heightens the disgrace of the one who exalted himself most.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Chr 24:16And Jehoiada was buried with the kings in the City of David, because he had done what was good in Israel for God and His temple.
- Isa 22:16What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?
- Job 30:23Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.
- 2 Chr 24:25And when the Arameans had withdrawn, they left Joash severely wounded. His own servants conspired against him for shedding the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
- Ezek 32:18–32“Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:
- Eccl 12:5when men fear the heights and dangers of the road, when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry shrivels—for then man goes to his eternal home and mourners walk the streets.
- Eccl 6:3A man may father a hundred children and live for many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he is unsatisfied with his prosperity and does not even receive a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 14:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.