Misreading Lucifer
Isaiah 14: 3-23
Conservative evangelicalism interprets the Old Testament, first, as literal history, but secondly, analogically, as representing Christian truths. For instance, the story of Abraham being told to sacrifice his son Isaac is seen as both a historical event but also an analogy of God sacrificing his Son for the sins of humanity.
Isaiah 13 foretells the downfall of Babylon, and Isaiah 14 promises release from bondage to the Israelites and condemnation of the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar and his fall from power. The passage then addresses the King of Babylon directly: "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).
Lucifer is not Satan's name. The name Lucifer was an early Latin name for Venus. After the sun and moon, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky and often can be seen near the horizon at sunrise and sunset. For that reason, it is often called the Morning and Evening Star. Early on, people thought it was TWO stars. The Romans called the morning star Lucifer, and the evening star, Vesper (which is why evening prayers are referred to as Vespers.). The Greek name for the morning star was Eosphoros or Phosphoros, and the evening star, Hesperus. For the Hebrews, the morning and evening star was called Helel. When the Old Testament translators were translating Isaiah 14:12, they chose to translate Helel (shining one) ben Shachar (son of the morning) as Lucifer, son of the morning, rather than using Venus (perhaps because Venus is feminine or because they were referencing the Latin Vulgate). This verse is the only verse in the Old Testament where Helel (Venus) is mentioned (H1984).
Nebuchadnezzar was seen as the greatest human king to have ever lived, "a king of kings" (Daniel 2:37). This is evident in Daniel 2 where Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a giant statue with a head of gold, representing Nebuchadnezzar. Venus is known as the morning and evening star because it is the last "star" to disappear from the night sky at dawn and the first to appear in the night sky at sunset. Venus is the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon. In effect, referring to Nebuchadnezzar as Venus identified him as the greatest human on earth, shining brighter than all others.
The name "Lucifer" became associated with Satan because of the description of Nebuchadnezzar's pride:
Isaiah 14:13 -14 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
During the Age of Faith (so-called Middle Ages or Dark Ages), the literal interpretation of Isaiah 14 as a reference to Nebuchadnezzar was abandoned for the analogical interpretation of the passage as reference to Satan, which has become the primary traditional interpretation of the passage.
While Helel is only mentioned this one time in the Old Testament, the "day star" or "morning star" is mentioned three times in the New Testament. In II Peter 1:19, Peter talks about the "day-star" arising in Christian's hearts, referring to Christ. The Greek word used for day star is Phosporos, the planet Venus. Revelation 2:28 says someone who will keep God's works until the end and rule with a rod of iron will be given the morning star. And Revelations 22:16 says "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." The idea of the day-star is that, as the brightest star in the sky, the last star to vanish in the morning (morning star) and the first star to appear in the evening (evening star), it represents someone who is transcendent and powerful, and so is used of both Christ and Nebuchadnezzar, who was a powerful ruler controlling much of the Biblical world of his time, and both a King of Kings.
So, while Lucifer is not a name for Satan, its equivalent is used as a title for Christ.
Sources
King James Bible. eSword. Software. Rick Meyers. 14.1.0. 2000-2024.: the Septuagint, Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, and Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge. Download eSword for free at http://www.e-sword.net/index.html
Alden, Robert L. "Lucifer, Who or What?" PDF. 2013. 3 Dec. 2024. <https://etsjets.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/files_JETS-PDFs_11_11-1_BETS_11_1_35-39_Alden.pdf>