Here is something a poster on another board showed me when discussing the gap theory.
I sought out a Hebrew expert concerning this passage for proper interpretation. I e-mailed a professor of Hebrew at a Bible college and former Israeli missionary about this passage in the Hebrew text. Here was his response:
"All agree that the historic king of Babylon is in view in 14:1-11 as named in verse 4. There is disagreement, however, over whether the "star of the morning" discussed in verses 12-19 is the same as the king in verses 4-11.
"Some believe that this entire passage (14:4-19) applies to the king of Babylon. Later on this king was seen as a type of Antichrist, who in the Great Tribulation will set himself "above every so-called god or object of worship . . . displaying himself as being God" (2 Thess 2:4).
"Others say Isaiah spoke only of the pride and downfall of the king of Babylon (John A. Martin, "Isaiah," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, pp. 1061-2; Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 440-2), a "man" "who made the earth tremble," "overthrew its cities," took many people prisoner, and yet did not even have a decent burial (Is 14:16-20), for he was "thrust down to Sheol" (14:15).
"Still others suggest that 14:12-15 is a song metaphorically portraying the city of Babylon as a god (Garrett, Angels and the New Spirituality, 36-9).
"And some say the passage speaks of both the human king and Satan, who energized the king (MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, 977).
"The word Lucifer (KJV, NKJV) comes from the Hebrew word hay-lel (this Hebrew word is only used one time in the Hebrew Bible), rendered "day star," "star of the morning," or "morning star." Lucifer ("light bearing," from the Latin lux, "light") was the Latin name for the planet Venus, the brightest object in the pre-dawn sky. Like this bright object in the sky, which supposedly tries to outshine the sun but whose light is extinguished by it, the person in these verses (as some believe) wanted to be dominant above all others but met a downfall.
"Some say Lucifer fell during the gap of time presumed to exist between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
"Others say his fall occurred between Genesis 2 and 3, just before Adam and Eve's fall.
"Others believe that Lucifer became Satan before the creation of the world which is recorded in summary fashion in Genesis 1:1.
"An Outline of Isaiah 14:3-21
14:3-21 -- A taunt against Babylon
14:3-8 -- The defeat of the tyrant
14:9-11 -- The death of the tyrant
14:12-15 -- The arrogance and fate of the tyrant
14:16-21 -- A lesson to be learned from the defeat of the tyrant
"I believe it is forced to say that Isaiah 14:12-14 refers to the entrance of sin into the cosmos by Satan's fall. I think it is more likely that Ezek 28:12-19 refers to Satan's fall.
"Some of the church fathers, linking this passage to Luke 10:18 and Rev 12:8-9, took Is 14:12-15 to refer to the fall of Satan described in those places. However, the great expositors of the Reformation were unanimous in arguing that the context here does not support such an interpretation.
"It seems more natural to view this proud tyrant as Sennacherib (705-681). There are interesting parallels between the description of the tyrant in Isaiah 14 and the curse against Sennacherib in 37:21-29. Sennacherib was the king of Assyria AND Babylon since Babylon was a vassal of Assyria from the end of the 10th century.
"If 14:12-15 does refer to a human king, then the language of these verses is hyperbolical. I think that 14:12-17 refer not directly but indirectly to Satan since the pride of the king of Babylon was indeed satanic. When Satan works his evil will through rulers of the world, he reproduces his own wicked qualities in them, so that they become virtual shadows of which he is the substance. Daniel 10:13 and Eph 6:12 show that there are human as well as superhuman agencies in world governments in the satanic world system. All rulers of international significance whose excessive pride and arrogance bring them to ruin under the hand of God's judgment illustrate both the satanic and the Antichrist principles, for these principles are really one. This passage in Isaiah itself seems to be echoed by the Lord Jesus in Luke 10:18, where language applied here to the king of Babylon is used of Satan.
"More about Lucifer
"As I mentioned above, Lucifer was the Latin name for the planet Venus, the brightest object in the sky apart from the sun and moon, appearing sometimes as the evening, sometimes as the morning star. This term is applied tauntingly as a title for the king of Babylon, who in his glory and pomp had set himself among the gods. This name is appropriate, as the civilization of Babylon began in the gray dawn of history, and had strong astrological connections. Babylonians and Assyrians personified the morning star as Belit and Ishtar.
"The entire context surrounding Isaiah 14:12-15 pertains to an unnamed "king of Babylon" (14:4). He has "subdued nations" (14:6), he has "become like" other kings (14:10), he is in the grave where "worms cover" him (14:11), he is referred to as a "man" (14:16-17). At the same time he uses high-flown language as his claims to be divine (14:13-14), a common practice among the kings of Babylon and Assyria, who often considered themselves to be gods worthy of worship (see A Leo Oppenheim, Ancient Mesopotamia, pp. 98-9).
"Beginning in the days of the tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9) the name Babylon has been applied to political and religious systems opposed to the living God. The king of Babylon in Isaiah 14 embodied satanic power, and he may very well be a prefiguration of the "beast" who will be worshiped (Rev 13:4) by man and will be associated with the "Babylon" of the last days (Rev 17:3-5).
"14:13 reminds us of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9), though the endeavor to be like God takes us right back to Genesis 3. Here Satan first tried to reproduce in human life his own proud aspirations for equal status with God. In Isaiah 14, it is a strange paradox that nothing makes a being less like God than the urge to be his equal, for he who was God stepped down from the throne of his glory to display to the wondering eyes of men the humility of God (Phil 2:5-8).
"Sources Used
Gaelelein, Frank. The Expositor's Bible Commentary
Harrison, R. K. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary
Lightner, Robert. Angels, Satan, and Demons
Marshall, I. Howard, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, D. J. Wiseman. New Bible Dictionary. Third Edition
Oswalt, John N. The Book of Isaiah Chapters 1-39. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament
Walvoord, John and Roy Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary
Youngblood, Ronald. Themes from Isaiah"
That was the response of the professor, and the person who sent this to me further wrote:
It is possible that this passage is a reference of double meaning. For example, when Jesus told Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan," He was speaking TO Peter and TO Satan. This is what I call a "double reference." If Isaiah 14 is a "double reference," i.e. Sennacheribb AND Satan, then the gap theory has much stronger credence. However, there is substantive Biblical evidence without this passage that promotes the gap theory.
Chrys