Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

ISAIAH 14:15KJV
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Isaiah 14:15 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 14:15 mean?

Isaiah 14:15 announces the downfall of a ruler who thought he could reach the highest place. Instead of gaining the greatness he claimed, he will be brought to the realm of the dead, pictured as a pit far below.

The verse answers the ruler’s boast in verse 14 that he would rise above the clouds. Its image of being brought down “to the sides of the pit” gives that reversal a vivid location: the deepest, most remote part of the world below.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 14:15

  • “hell” — שְׁאוֹל (sheol): This word refers to the realm of the dead. The KJV’s “hell” here names that realm, pictured in the passage as a place beneath the earth.
  • “sides” — יַרְכָּה (yarkah): This word can mean the farthest parts or recesses of a place. With “pit,” it suggests a place deep within, rather than merely the pit’s edges.

Why Isaiah 14:15 matters

  • The ruler’s own ambition is set against what will happen to him. His repeated “I will” in verses 13–14 gives way to “thou shalt be brought down.”
  • The passage identifies the person being addressed as the king of Babylon. Isaiah 14:4 introduces the speech as words spoken against that king.
  • The picture continues among the dead. In verse 16, those who see the fallen ruler stare at him and ask whether he is the man who shook the earth.

Where else these words appear

“sides” Hebrew H3411 · used in 28 verses

  • Genesis 49:13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
  • 1 Samuel 24:3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
  • Jeremiah 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.

“hell” Hebrew H7585 · used in 63 verses

  • Genesis 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
  • Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
  • Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

“pit” Hebrew H953 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 37:20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,
  • Jeremiah 37:16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;