Isaiah 14:4

“That thou shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, &c.] Or “concerning” him, his fall, and the fall of the Babylonish monarchy with him; if we understand this of any particular king of Babylon, it seems best not to interpret it of Nebuchadnezzar, whom Jerom mentions, in whom the empire was in its greatest glory: but of Belshazzar, in whom it ended; the king of Babylon may be here considered as a type of antichrist, and what is said of the one may be applied to the other: the “proverb” or “parable” taken up into the mouth, and expressed concerning him, signifies a sharp and acute speech, a taunting one, full of ironies and sarcasms, and biting expressions, as the following one…”

“A CHORUS OF JEWS EXPRESS THEIR JOYFUL SURPRISE AT BABYLON'S DOWNFALL. (Isa 14:4-8) proverb--The Orientals, having few books, embodied their thoughts in weighty, figurative, briefly expressed gnomes. Here a taunting song of triumph (Mic 2:4; Hab 2:6). the king--the ideal representative of Babylon; perhaps Belshazzar (Dan. 5:1-31). The mystical Babylon is ultimately meant. golden city--rather, "the exactress of gold" [MAURER]. But the old translators read differently in the Hebrew, "oppression," which the parallelism favors (compare Isa 3:5).”

“That thou shalt take up - Thou shalt utter, declare, or commence. The word ‘take up,’ is used in the sense of utter, speak, or declare, in Exodus 20:7; Exodus 23:1; Psalms 15:2. This proverb - (המשׁל hamâshâl). Vulgate, ‘Parable.’ Septuagint Τὸν ρῆνον ton thrēnon - ‘Lamentation.’ The Hebrew word משׁל mâshâl, usually rendered “proverb,” is also rendered “a parable,” or “a by-word.” It properly denotes “a metaphor, a comparison, a similitude;” and is applied usually to a brief and pungent sentiment or maxim, where wisdom is embodied in few words. In these the ancients abounded. They had few books; and hence arose the necessity of condensing as much as possible the sentiments of wisdom,…”

“Golden city - As they used to call themselves; which therefore he expresses here in a word of their own language. Isaiah 14:6”

“14:4 A taunt is a mocking comparison in song form. In this instance, the king of Babylon is compared to a dead man entering the world of the dead.”

“proverb: or, taunting speech, Jer 24:9; Eze 5:15; Hab 2:6 How: Isa 14:6, Isa 14:17, Isa 47:5, Isa 49:26, Isa 51:23; Jer 25:9-14, Jer 27:6, Jer 27:7, Jer 50:22, Jer 50:23; Jer 51:20-24, Jer 51:34, Jer 51:35; Dan 7:19-25; Hab 1:2-10, Hab 2:6-12, Hab 2:17; Rev 13:15-17, Rev 16:5, Rev 16:6, Rev 17:6, Rev 18:5-8, Rev 18:20 golden city: or, exactress of gold, Isa 13:19, Isa 45:2, Isa 45:3; Ch2 36:18; Lam 4:1; Dan 2:38; Rev 18:16 Isaiah 14:5”