Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, every one in his own house." — Isaiah 14:18 (ASV)
All the kings of the nations - That is, this is the common way in which the kings are buried.
Lie in glory - They lie in a magnificent mausoleum; they are surrounded with splendor even in their tombs. It is well known that vast sums of money were spent to build magnificent mausoleums as the burial place of kings. For this purpose, probably, the pyramids of Egypt were built, and the temple of Bel in Babylon, we are told, was employed for this purpose.
Josephus says that vast quantities of money were buried in the sepulchre of David. The kings of Israel were buried in a royal burying place on Mount Zion (2 Chronicles 21:20; 2 Chronicles 35:24; Nehemiah 3:16). For a description of the sepulchre of David, and of sepulchres in general, see Calmet's Dictionary, article "Sepulchre" .
Every one in his own house - In a sepulchre constructed for himself. It was usual for kings to have a splendid tomb constructed for themselves.