“Lucifer” is the Latin translation of “Helel” in Isaiah 14.12, and appears in the Authorised Version and the Douai-Reims-Challoner Bibles.
“Helel” is the planet Venus, the morning star:
which was called in Greek
Phosphoros;
Venus is the Latin name of the planet;
“Lucifer” is the Latin translation of the word
phosphoros - in Greek, as in Hebrew, but not in Latin, the word and the name are the same.
English “Light-bearer” translates
phosphoros &
lucifer - the planet’s name in English, is taken from the Latin.
Jesus in the Book of Revelation compares himself to the “bright morning star” - which is why modern versions of the Bible are sometimes accused of calling Jesus satan: Helel-Lucifer in Isaiah 14 has been added to Jesus-as-Phosphoros-Lucifer, and the result, has been an equation of Jesus with satan.
In fact, although Helel was the morning star, therefore, was Latinised as “Lucifer”, and was understood pointing to satan by Latin-speaking authors, Helel is not satan at all.
Let’s see the text (in the RSV):
- Isa 14:1 The LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and aliens will join them and will cleave to the house of Jacob.
- Isa 14:2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD’s land as male and female slaves; they will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.
- Isa 14:3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve,
- Isa 14:4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: "How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased!
Note - what follows is a taunt song against a human being
- Isa 14:5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,
- Isa 14:6 that smote the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.
- Isa 14:7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.
- Isa 14:8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no hewer comes up against us.’
Verse 8 points to a king, since the cedars of lebanon were famous through the Near East, and provided wood for temples: temple-building by kings in Assyria & Babylonia was one activity for which the wood of Lebanon was in demand.
- Isa 14:9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come, it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.
- Isa 14:10 All of them will speak and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’
- Isa 14:11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are the bed beneath you, and worms are your covering.
- Isa 14:12 "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!
in Hebrew, Helel ben Shahar;
Clementine Vulgate: Lucifer, qui mane oriebaris ?
(= “Lucifer, who arose in the morning ?”)
“Shahar” is the name of a Canaanite god - Athtar the Proud is another god, and he does more or less what Helel is said to do here. To be specific, when Baal dies, a replacement for him has to be found, to take over his functions in the universe. Athtar is briefly set upon Baal’s throne, but is too short for it: he is “not up to the job”; so he is deposed.
The text is Isaiah looks like a variant of this. He uses Canaanite myths elsewhere too.
14.12 by itself can look like a reference to satan; in context, the oracle is addressed to a human being, and contains details fully applicable to a man, but not to an angelic being. ##
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