Chapter Overview
Summary
Isaiah 34 is a comprehensive WORLD-JUDGMENT oracle culminating in the JUDGMENT-OF-EDOM as the type-of-divine-vengeance. Verse 4's 'all the host of heaven shall rot away' is cited at Revelation 6:13–14. Edom's-dragon-and-night-creatures (vv. 11–17) extend Genesis 3 / Babylonian-chaos imagery.
Notable Variants
34:4 'host of heaven shall rot away, sky rolled up' → Rev 6:13–14 (sky-vanished-like-scroll); 34:8 'day of vengeance' apocalyptic-vocabulary; 34:14 'Lilith' (night-monster) only-OT-mention.
Structural Notes
MT Isaiah 34 = LXX Isaiah 34. 17 verses. WORLD-JUDGMENT / EDOM oracle.
Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all that comes from it.
'Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it' tracks MT.
For the wrath of the LORD is against all the nations, and his fury against all their armies. He has devoted them to destruction; he has given them over to slaughter.
'For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter' tracks MT.
Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall melt with their blood.
'Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood' tracks MT.
All the host of heaven shall dissolve, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall wither and fall like a leaf falling from the vine, like a withered fig from the fig tree.
'All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree' tracks MT. SKY-ROLLED-UP-LIKE-SCROLL. Revelation 6:13–14 ('the sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up') directly-cites this-imagery. The eschatological-sky-rolled-up cosmology.
For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction, for judgment.
'For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction' tracks MT. EDOM as the-paradigm-target.
The sword of the LORD is gorged with blood, dripping with fat — the blood of lambs and goats, the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
'The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom' tracks MT. BOZRAH — capital-of-Edom. Revelation 19:13 ('robe dipped in blood') extends.
Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young bulls with the mighty; their land shall be soaked with blood, and their soil made rich with fat.
'Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat' tracks MT.
For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
'For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion' tracks MT. DAY-OF-VENGEANCE. Luke 4:19 ('the year of the Lord's favor') and Isa 61:2 ('the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God') — Jesus deliberately stops-at-favor at Nazareth, leaving the vengeance-clause for-the-future.
Her streams shall be turned to pitch, her soil to sulfur, and her land shall become burning pitch.
'And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch' tracks MT. PITCH-AND-SULFUR — Sodom-imagery (Gen 19:24). Revelation 14:10's 'fire and sulfur' eschatologically extends.
Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall rise forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; no one shall pass through it forever and ever.
'Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever' tracks MT. SMOKE-GOES-UP-FOREVER. Revelation 14:11 ('the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever'), 19:3 ('her smoke goes up forever and ever') Christologically-extends.
But the hawk and the hedgehog shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch over it the measuring line of chaos and the plumb stones of emptiness.
'But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness' tracks MT.
Its nobles — there is no kingdom for them to proclaim, and all its princes shall come to nothing.
'Its nobles — there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing' tracks MT.
Thorns shall overrun her palaces, nettles and thistles her fortresses. She shall become a haunt of jackals, a dwelling for ostriches.
'Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches' tracks MT.
Desert creatures shall meet with hyenas, and the wild goat shall call to its companion. There indeed the night creature shall settle and find for herself a resting place.
'And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place' tracks MT. LILITH (night-bird / night-monster). The Hebrew lilit appears only here in the OT — later-Jewish-tradition develops her as Adam's-pre-Eve demonic-consort. The LXX renders generically as onokentauroi (centaurs).
There the arrow snake shall nest and lay eggs, hatch them and gather her young in her shadow. There indeed the vultures shall be gathered, each one with her mate.
'There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate' tracks MT.
Search the book of the LORD and read: not one of these shall be missing, none shall lack her companion. For his mouth has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them.
'Seek and read from the book of the LORD: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the LORD has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them' tracks MT. BOOK-OF-THE-LORD. Self-referential prophetic-collection — anticipating canonical-Scripture awareness.
He has cast the lot for them, and his hand has divided it to them by the measuring line. They shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.
'He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it' tracks MT.