The Prophet Isaiah is perhaps my favorite prophet. In Isaiah 14:12-14 is found a passage that clearly defines or describes Satan. Verse twelve names Satan:

• “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” – Isaiah 14:12

The above scriptural quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible.

According to Webster's New World College Dictionary (1998), the name Lucifer comes from Latin lucis (light) and ferre (to bear), and therefore means “light bearer.” The Apostle Paul tells us that Satan can appear as “an angel of light.” (Second Corinthians 11:14) The original Hebrew word used in Isaiah is heylel (Strong’s H1966) which means “brightness” and is derived from halal (Strong’s H1984) which means “clear or shining.”

“Son of the morning” may be a reference to a supernatural characteristic given to Satan before his fall. Please see Ezekiel 28:13-15 for more attributes of Satan.

However, if you go to popular new translations, Satan is called by a different name:

• “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning!” NLT
  
• “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!” NIV
  
• “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!” ESV
  
• “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!” NASB

These versions of Isaiah 14:12 are not really modern because they are all based upon the translation done over 130 years ago by Westcott and Hort. And they all name Satan as the “morning star” or the “day star.”

This is interesting because in the original Hebrew the word “star” (kowkab – Strong’s H3556) does not appear. Why has a word that is not in the original Scripture been inserted in these translations?

Let us look at Scripture to see to whom the name “morning star” and “day star” are accurately translated.

• “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” – Revelation 22:16

• “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:” – Second Peter 1:19

Jesus, the bright and morning star, is not Satan. I, personally, do not wish for Satan to arise in my heart. Why do these “modern” translations ascribe to Satan names attributed to Jesus? Are we being deceived? Remember who the Deceiver is.