In this fourth part of Israel’s proverb against the king of Babylon, God describes the ruin and devastation that will come to the king and his descendants and to the land. It is a solemn passage. God says, “21) Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. 22) For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 14:21,22) God would not only destroy the king of Babylon, but anyone that could be heir to the throne as well.
The destruction of Babylon will be complete. “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.” (verse 23) A “besom” is a broom, or anything which sweeps away or destroys (Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition). God will sweep the land with His broom until it is swept clean and destroyed.
These things that God has predicted will come to pass. Babylon will be brought down, judgment will come upon the whole earth, and God’s people will be freed from bondage. "24) The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: 25) That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. 26) This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. 27) For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (verses 24-27) While all this destruction seems so sad (and it is), this really tells about the end of evil and bondage and oppression of God’s people. The burden will depart from off their shoulders.
“In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.” (verse 28) God showed all these things to Isaiah in the same year that king Ahaz died. The people had been troubled by Assyria through the reign of Ahaz, but God assured them that there is a day coming in which Assyria will be dealt with. There would be a defeat of him before too many years, and there would come one day a final destruction of Babylon. After that, Israel will be oppressed no more.