Isa 34:5-15 | NET2full | STEP | He says, “ Indeed , my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look , it now descends on Edom , on the people I will annihilate in judgment .”

‏ Isaiah 34:5-15

5 He says, ^{▼▼tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.} “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. ^{▼▼tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”} ^{▼▼sn In v. 4 the “host of the heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13). As in 24:21, they are viewed here as opposing God and being defeated in battle.}
Look, it now descends on Edom, ^{▼▼sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.}
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered ^{▼▼tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.} with fat;
it drips ^{▼▼tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.} with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered ^{▼▼tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.} with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice ^{▼▼tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”} in Bozrah, ^{▼▼sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.}
a bloody ^{▼▼tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).} slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered ^{▼▼tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”} along with them,
as well as strong bulls. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.}
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, ^{▼▼tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”}
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. ^{▼▼tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”}
9 Edom’s ^{▼▼tn Heb “her”; the referent (Edom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} streams will be turned into pitch
and her soil into brimstone;
her land will become burning pitch.
10 Night and day it will burn; ^{▼▼tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”}
its smoke will ascend continually.
Generation after generation it will be a wasteland,
and no one will ever pass through it again.
11 Owls and wild animals ^{▼▼tn קָאַת (qaʾat) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).} will live there, ^{▼▼tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).}
all kinds of wild birds ^{▼▼tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof veʿorev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.} will settle in it.
The Lord ^{▼▼tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
and the plumb line ^{▼▼tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.} of destruction. ^{▼▼sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.}
12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom,
and all her officials will disappear. ^{▼▼tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”}
13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns;
thickets and weeds will grow ^{▼▼tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.} in her fortified cities.
Jackals will settle there;
ostriches will live there. ^{▼▼tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsaa) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)}
14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; ^{▼▼tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”}
wild goats will bleat to one another. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”}
Yes, nocturnal animals ^{▼▼tn The precise meaning of לִילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”} will rest there
and make for themselves a nest. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”}
15 Owls ^{▼▼tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.} will make nests and lay eggs ^{▼▼tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.} there;
they will hatch them and protect them. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”}
Yes, hawks ^{▼▼tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.} will gather there,
each with its mate.