John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 14:13

"And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north;" — Isaiah 14:13 (ASV)

Yet you said in your heart. These words must be connected with what goes before. To say means here, according to the custom of the Hebrew language, to resolve in one’s own mind. The Prophet ridicules the pride of the Babylonian monarch, who, relying on his greatness, ventured to promise to himself uninterrupted success, as if he had the power of determining the events of his life. In him, a mirror of the madness of pride is exhibited to us, with which ungodly men are swollen, and which they sometimes even vomit out. Nor should we only behold here the person of a single tyrant, but the blasphemous rage of all the ungodly, who form their resolutions as if they could dispose of everything according to their pleasure, as their plans are also beautifully described by James,

We shall go into that city, we shall transact business, we shall make gain, though at the same time they do not know what tomorrow shall bring. (James 4:13).

They do not consider that they are in the hands of God, but believe that they will do everything by their own ability.

I will ascend into heaven. In these words, and those which immediately follow, the boasting is so absurd that it is impossible to believe that they proceeded from the lips of a mortal man. But as the Prophet did not intend to quote the very words which Nebuchadnezzar employed, let us be satisfied with examining the subject itself.

Undoubtedly, all who claim for themselves more than human nature allows may be said to “attack heaven itself after the manner of the giants,” as the proverb says. Therefore, it follows that whatever they undertake will be destructive to them. More especially, everyone who goes beyond the limits of his calling provokes the wrath of God against himself by his rashness.

Let everyone, therefore, be satisfied with his lot and learn not to aim at anything higher, but, on the contrary, to remain in his own rank in which God has placed him. If God stretches out His hand and lifts us up higher, we should go forward; but no one should take it on himself or strive for it from his own choice. And even those who are raised to a higher rank of honor should conduct themselves humbly and submissively, not with any pretended modesty, but with minds so thoroughly humbled that nothing can lift them up.

I will sit on the mountain of the testimony, on the sides of the north. This plainly shows the reason why the Prophet especially accuses the Babylonian tyrant of such great madness, and what the Prophet means by such figures. He desired to sit on the mountain of the testimony. By this effrontery he attempted to make himself equal to God. Though he reasoned, after the manner of men, that he could obtain a victory over the Jews, yet, by reckoning as nothing the assistance of God (by whom he had often heard they were protected), it was as if he had endeavored to destroy the very heavens. For Mount Zion he uses the expression the sides of the north, according to the description,

Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King. (Psalms 48:2).

He had formerly called it the mountain of the testimony. This word is derived from יעד, (yagnad), which signifies to unite, to assemble, and to be agreed. On this account מועד (mogned) signifies both an assembly and an appointed day; and, in a word, it may relate to time, place, and persons.

But here I prefer to view it as a Covenant; for the Lord, speaking by Moses, calls the Tabernacle מועד, (mogned), and says, I will meet with you there. (Exodus 25:21–22, 29:42). Let us not think, therefore, that it means an assembly of men, as when irreligious persons assemble for their fairs or festivals, but that the Lord intended to give a token of His presence and there to ratify His covenant. This should be carefully observed, for the blasphemy of the wicked king is proved by this: that he attacked heaven itself rather than an earthly place.