Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 14:24

"Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:" — Isaiah 14:24 (ASV)

The Lord of hosts - (see the note at Isaiah 1:9). It is evident that this verse and the three following are not directly connected with what precedes concerning Babylon. This pertains to the Assyrian, while the previous section related to Babylon. Vitringa says that this is attached to the prophecy concerning Babylon and is a unique, though not entirely unrelated, argument, serving as a kind of epilogue to the prophecy about Babylon. He states that the design is this: As the events foretold concerning Babylon seemed so great and wonderful as to be almost incredible, the prophet, to show the Jews how easily it could be accomplished, refers them to the case of Sennacherib and the ease with which he and his army were destroyed.

Lowth supposes that the Assyrians and Babylonians here are one people. Rosenmuller supposes that this prophecy concerning Sennacherib has been displaced by the collector of the prophecies of Isaiah, and that it should have been attached to the prophecy concerning the Assyrian monarch . The probable sense of the passage is that which makes it refer to the predicted destruction of Sennacherib (Isaiah 10:0); and the prophet's design in referring to it here is to assure the Jews of the certain destruction of Babylon and to comfort them with the assurance that they would be delivered from their captivity there.

The prophecy concerning Babylon was uttered before the destruction of Sennacherib; but it is to be remembered that its design was to comfort the Jews in Babylon. The prophet, therefore, projects himself beyond the period of their captivity—though it was to occur many years after the prophecy concerning Babylon was uttered—and for this reason, he introduces the subject of the Assyrian. At that future time, Sennacherib would have been destroyed.

And just as God would have fulfilled the prophecy concerning the proud and self-confident Assyrian, so they could be assured that he would fulfill his predictions concerning the no less proud and self-confident king of Babylon. As he would have delivered his people from the invasion of the Assyrian, even when the Assyrian army was at the gates of Jerusalem, so he would also deliver them from their captivity in Babylon.

Has sworn - (Exodus 13:5, 13:11; Exodus 33:1; Numbers 32:10; Hebrews 3:18; Hebrews 6:13). Yahweh is often represented as making use of an oath to denote the strong confirmation, the absolute certainty of what he utters. The oath here was designed to comfort the Jews, when they should be in Babylon, with the assurance that what he had thus solemnly promised would certainly come to pass.

As I have thought - As I have designed or intended. God’s promises never fail; his purposes will all be accomplished . This passage is full proof that God does not change: that whatever his purposes are, they are inflexible. Change supposes imperfection, and it is often affirmed that God is immutable (1 Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).