- Jan 27, 2013
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Let's explore this topic with a little history and background info:
Isaiah 14:12...
KJV: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
NIV: How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
NASB: How you have fallen from heaven, O [a]star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!
[a] Heb Helel, i.e. "shining one"
ESV: How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
(this list goes on and on)
Notice anything? Only the KJV uses the name Lucifer. The rest have removed that name in the course of their revisions. Why?
The monk Jerome, in the 4th century CE, was translating his Latin Vulgate for the Roman Catholic Church, from the Greek heosphorus, and in the course of it he capitalized the L in lucifer, giving it a proper noun identity. The original rendering of lucifer simply means "day star, morning star, or dawn star," a reference to the planet Venus. Other translations include "light-bringing, and bringer of dawn."
Why Jerome chose to capitalize the L in the word lucifer and make it a proper noun, no one knows. Thanks to literary works such as the 1611 KJV, Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost, the name Lucifer became symbolic with Satan.
However, Jerome's interpretation was incorrect.
The entire chapter 14 of Isaiah is actually talking about a Babylonian king (most likely Nebuchadnezzar II). If you look at the original Hebrew that has been translated into English, you'll find that it states this:
"On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labour forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: 'Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?'"
It is VERY important to understand that paragraph in context. The Classical Hebrew text says nothing about Satan. It is quite literally talking about a Babylonian king, his enslavement of the Hebrews, the labors they were forced to endure, and that king's death. The writers are mocking that fallen king.
Furthermore, the Hebrews did not believe in the concept of Satan as the devil or a place called hell. Satan, according to them (and Judaism), is an angel of God, and his name in Hebrew is Ha-SaTan, but it's not a name...it's his title: Ha = The, SaTan = Accuser..."The Accuser." His job is to accuse those of sin, and bring them before God for judgment. Satan can't do anything without God's permission. To give him power outside of God's authority is to make him a god unto himself.
Since the Hebrews did not believe in the concept of the devil or hell, why would they write about Satan being viewed as such? They wouldn't. Jerome got it wrong and the KJV butchered it, along with incorrectly translating the Hebrew word sheol (grave) and the Greek word hades (realm of the dead) as hell (or at least our interpretation of it with fire and torment). Jesus actually refers to a futuristic lake of fire called Gehenna (not hell) but I'll cover that in another thread.
It's also why modern translations have revised the verse and removed the word lucifer. Incidentally, Isaiah 14:12 is the ONLY verse in the KJV that uses the word lucifer. Since it was wrong to begin with, and has been removed by more accurate, modern translations, lucifer does not = Satan.
Christians have a tendency to borrow from the OT, and then liberally apply verses to NT ideas or denominational doctrines. Learn to read the Bible in context if you truly want to study the Word.
Isaiah 14:12...
KJV: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
NIV: How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
NASB: How you have fallen from heaven, O [a]star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!
[a] Heb Helel, i.e. "shining one"
ESV: How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
(this list goes on and on)
Notice anything? Only the KJV uses the name Lucifer. The rest have removed that name in the course of their revisions. Why?
The monk Jerome, in the 4th century CE, was translating his Latin Vulgate for the Roman Catholic Church, from the Greek heosphorus, and in the course of it he capitalized the L in lucifer, giving it a proper noun identity. The original rendering of lucifer simply means "day star, morning star, or dawn star," a reference to the planet Venus. Other translations include "light-bringing, and bringer of dawn."
Why Jerome chose to capitalize the L in the word lucifer and make it a proper noun, no one knows. Thanks to literary works such as the 1611 KJV, Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost, the name Lucifer became symbolic with Satan.
However, Jerome's interpretation was incorrect.
The entire chapter 14 of Isaiah is actually talking about a Babylonian king (most likely Nebuchadnezzar II). If you look at the original Hebrew that has been translated into English, you'll find that it states this:
"On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labour forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: 'Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?'"
It is VERY important to understand that paragraph in context. The Classical Hebrew text says nothing about Satan. It is quite literally talking about a Babylonian king, his enslavement of the Hebrews, the labors they were forced to endure, and that king's death. The writers are mocking that fallen king.
Furthermore, the Hebrews did not believe in the concept of Satan as the devil or a place called hell. Satan, according to them (and Judaism), is an angel of God, and his name in Hebrew is Ha-SaTan, but it's not a name...it's his title: Ha = The, SaTan = Accuser..."The Accuser." His job is to accuse those of sin, and bring them before God for judgment. Satan can't do anything without God's permission. To give him power outside of God's authority is to make him a god unto himself.
Since the Hebrews did not believe in the concept of the devil or hell, why would they write about Satan being viewed as such? They wouldn't. Jerome got it wrong and the KJV butchered it, along with incorrectly translating the Hebrew word sheol (grave) and the Greek word hades (realm of the dead) as hell (or at least our interpretation of it with fire and torment). Jesus actually refers to a futuristic lake of fire called Gehenna (not hell) but I'll cover that in another thread.
It's also why modern translations have revised the verse and removed the word lucifer. Incidentally, Isaiah 14:12 is the ONLY verse in the KJV that uses the word lucifer. Since it was wrong to begin with, and has been removed by more accurate, modern translations, lucifer does not = Satan.
Christians have a tendency to borrow from the OT, and then liberally apply verses to NT ideas or denominational doctrines. Learn to read the Bible in context if you truly want to study the Word.
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