Bible Strands
Isaiah 14:15
But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet addresses a fallen earthly ruler immediately after the ruler claims he will ascend above the clouds and make himself like the Most High. The message delivers the divine reversal of that arrogant ambition at the moment of his collapse.
The words — The Hebrew שְׁא֛וֹל (she.'ol) denotes the realm of the dead, while יַרְכְּתֵי־ בֽוֹר (yar.ke.tei- Vor) literally means the remotest parts of the pit. These terms mark the absolute finality of the descent.
The thread — The pattern of descent to the Pit or Sheol reappears in Ezekiel 32:23, which locates graves in the depths of the Pit, and Matthew 11:23, which declares that exalted cities will be brought down to Hades. These passages apply the same judgment trajectory to other targets of pride.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine judgment guarantees a fallen state for anyone who elevates themselves against God. It requires the reader to accept the certainty of the reversal without minimizing the severity of the descent.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Ezekiel 32:23 Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who once spread terror in the land of the living.
- Acts 12:22 And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”
- Luke 10:15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!
- Revelation 19:20 But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
- Isaiah 14:3 On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced,
- Ezekiel 28:8 They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.