This verse continues the theme of the Babylonian king’s self-exaltation. It now reaches an absurd level.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: The verb phrase I will ascend is repeated from verse 13. Above the heights of the clouds is literally “above the high places of cloud.” The Hebrew word for “high places” often has religious associations. They were worship centers where there had been a divine appearance or some special religious event. For a description of a “high place” and the activity there, see 1 Sam 9.1—10.16. But Revised Standard Version and most versions render the expression in a broad, figurative sense, as a reference to a very high place, above the clouds, near to God himself. For this line New Jerusalem Bible has “I shall climb high above the clouds.” The Isaiah text from Qumran reads “the back” instead of “the high places,” so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders this line as “I will mount the back of a cloud.” This reading makes the Babylonian king similar to God since the same imagery is used to describe God in 19.1 and Psa 104.3. Another possible model for this reading is “I will climb onto the back of the clouds.”

I will make myself like the Most High: The Babylonian king desires to be not just like the gods but to be like the principal god. The title Most High (Hebrew ʿelyon) is used of Abraham’s God in Gen 14.18-22, and of Yahweh in Psa 7.17; 9.2 and so on. In Canaanite religion El-Elyon is the supreme deity, the highest of their gods. He presided over the divine assembly. Israel adopted the title as one of the names for its God. This is the only occurrence of the name in the book of Isaiah.

For translation of this verse we suggest:

• I will climb onto the back of the clouds, I will become like the highest God.’

• I will rise above the clouds and I will be like the Most High [or, Almighty].’

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .