ישעיהו, פרק י״ד, פסוק ט׳

As the king of Babylon descends into the realm of the dead, a dramatic and terrifying scene unfolds. While the living world rejoiced at his downfall, the reaction in the afterlife is the exact opposite. The underworld is not a private grave for a single person, but a vast space deep within the earth, or hell itself, where all the spirits of the dead gather. It is presented as a living, breathing entity that trembles and shudders in agitation at the king's approach. The primary approach among commentators is that this is a vivid expression of profound fear. Just as the Babylonian king terrified the entire world while he was alive, the inhabitants of the underworld are filled with dread at his arrival. They fear he is descending to continue his violent conquests, destroy nations, and wage wars even beneath the earth [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

To prepare for his arrival, the underworld rouses its inhabitants from their slumber. This vivid depiction of the sleeping dead being awakened reflects an ancient belief in the survival of the soul after death [שד״ל]. Those who are awakened are understood in two main ways. Some explain that this refers to all the dead, whose physical strength has faded and weakened in death [מצודת ציון, שד״ל, אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. Others suggest that the awakening specifically targets the giants and mighty warriors resting there [רש״י, מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. Alongside them, the princes, leaders, and kings of the nations are also roused. They are compared to the male goats that march at the front of a flock, as these men once stood at the head of their nations during their lifetimes [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אבן עזרא].

As the panic spreads, the fallen kings of the nations are forced to rise from their thrones. Most commentators view this as a metaphor, imagining the dead kings continuing to sit on royal thrones in their graves just as they did in life, only to be forced up in sudden terror [רד״ק, שד״ל, מצודת דוד]. However, some suggest these are physical thrones that the Babylonians customarily placed inside royal tombs [אבן עזרא], while others describe them as spiritual thrones set up in hell [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A fascinating detail emerges regarding the timing of this entire event. All of this intense anxiety, the abandoning of thrones, and the waking of mighty warriors occurs merely at the news of the king's approach. At this stage, the dead still believe he is arriving at the height of his power to draft them into his underground army. All of this happens before he actually steps foot among them. Once he finally appears, the terrified masses will realize that he is nothing more than a defeated, humiliated corpse [מלבי״ם].