Isaiah 34

 

קִרְבוּ גֹויִם לִשְׁמֹעַ וּלְאֻמִּים הַקְשִׁיבוּ תִּשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ וּמְלֹאָהּ תֵּבֵל וְכָל־צֶאֱצָאֶיהָ׃  34:1

Isai. 34:1   Come near, nations, to hear!

                              And peoples, attend!

                    Let the earth and its fullness,

                              the world and all its issue, hear!

כִּי קֶצֶף לַיהוָה עַל־כָּל־הַגֹּויִם וְחֵמָה עַל־כָּל־צְבָאָם הֶחֱרִיםָם נְתָנָם לַטָּבַח׃   34:2

Isai. 34:2   For indignation is the Lord's towards all the nations,

                             and fury against all their hosts.

                   He causes their destruction,

                             He causes their delivery to the slaughter.

וְחַלְלֵיהֶם יֻשְׁלָכוּ וּפִגְרֵיהֶם יַעֲלֶה בָאְשָׁם וְנָמַסּוּ הָרִים מִדָּםָם׃   34:3

Isai. 34:3   And their slain shall be cast forth,

                            and their bodies.

                    Their stench shall rise up,

                            and the mountains shall be melted from their blood.

וְנָמַקּוּ כָּל־צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וְנָגֹלּוּ כַסֵּפֶר הַשָּׁמָיִם וְכָל־צְבָאָם יִבֹּול כִּנְבֹל עָלֶה מִגֶּפֶן וּכְנֹבֶלֶת מִתְּאֵנָה׃   34:4

Isai. 34:4   And all the host of heaven shall be pining away,

                            and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll,

                    and all their host shall fall down

                             like the falling of leaves from the vine

                    or like the droppings from a fig tree.

This reference to the host of heaven is not understood.  Ideas as to its meaning have been proposed but there is no agreement.  Mysterious, if you ask me.  Isaiah may have known something not known to us.

כִּי־רִוְּתָה בַשָּׁמַיִם חַרְבִּי הִנֵּה עַל־אֱדֹום תֵּרֵד וְעַל־עַם חֶרְמִי לְמִשְׁפָּט׃   34:5

Isai. 34:5   “For My sword in heaven is satiated.

                             Behold, it shall descend upon Edom,

                    and upon the people of My net,

                              for judgment.”

It is assumed by bible scholars that the reference to people of the Lord’s net (or ban, being another translation of the Hebrew word) in the third line of this verse also refers to Edom.  The second line refers to the nation of Edom, the next line refers to its people.

חֶרֶב לַיהוָה מָלְאָה דָם הֻדַּשְׁנָה מֵחֵלֶב מִדַּם כָּרִים וְעַתּוּדִים מֵחֵלֶב כִּלְיֹות אֵילִים כִּי זֶבַח לַיהוָה   34:6 בְּבָצְרָה וְטֶבַח גָּדֹול בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדֹום׃

Isai. 34:6   The sword of the Lord's shall be full of blood,

                             anointed with fat,

                    with the blood of lambs and of goats,

                             with the fat of the kidneys of rams.

                    For a sacrifice of the Lord's shall be in Bozrah,

                             and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

וְיָרְדוּ רְאֵמִים עִםָּם וּפָרִים עִם־אַבִּירִים וְרִוְּתָה אַרְצָם מִדָּם וַעֲפָרָם מֵחֵלֶב יְדֻשָּׁן׃   34:7

Isai. 34:7   And the wild oxen shall come down with them,

                            and the bullocks with the bulls,

                     that their land shall be saturated with blood,

                            and their dust shall be made fat with fat.

כִּי יֹום נָקָם לַיהוָה שְׁנַת שִׁלּוּמִים לְרִיב צִיֹּון׃   34:8

Isai. 34:8   For a day of vengeance is the Lord's,

                            a year of recompense for the strife of Zion.

Does this verse indicate that the nations are being destroyed because they caused strife in Zion?  It would seem so.

וְנֶהֶפְכוּ נְחָלֶיהָ לְזֶפֶת וַעֲפָרָהּ לְגָפְרִית וְהָיְתָה אַרְצָהּ לְזֶפֶת בֹּעֵרָה׃   34:9

Isai. 34:9   And its streams shall be converted to pitch,

                            and its earth to sulfur,

                    so its land shall be as burning pitch.

לַיְלָה וְיֹוםָם לֹא תִכְבֶּה לְעֹולָם יַעֲלֶה עֲשָׁנָהּ מִדֹּור לָדֹור תֶּחֱרָב לְנֵצַח נְצָחִים אֵין עֹבֵר בָּהּ׃   34:10

Isai. 34:10   Night and day it shall not be extinguished;

                              forever shall its smoke rise.

                      From generation to generation it shall be desolate;

                              forever and ever there will be none passing through it.

וִירֵשׁוּהָ קָאַת וְקִפֹּוד וְיַנְשֹׁוף וְעֹרֵב יִשְׁכְּנוּ־בָהּ וְנָטָה עָלֶיהָ קַו־תֹהוּ וְאַבְנֵי־בֹהוּ׃   34:11

Isai. 34:11   And the pelican and the bittern shall possess it,

                              and the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.

                      And He shall spread upon it

                              a cord of confusion

                      and stones of emptiness.

חֹרֶיהָ וְאֵין־שָׁם מְלוּכָה יִקְרָאוּ וְכָל־שָׂרֶיהָ יִהְיוּ אָפֶס׃   34:12

Isai. 34:12   And none of its nobles of the kingdom

                               shall be mentioned there,

                      and its princes shall be less than nothing.

וְעָלְתָה אַרְמְנֹתֶיהָ סִירִים קִמֹּושׂ וָחֹוחַ בְּמִבְצָרֶיהָ וְהָיְתָה נְוֵה תַנִּים חָצִיר לִבְנֹות יַעֲנָה׃   34:13

Isai. 34:13   And its palaces shall bring up thorns,

                               nettles and thistles in its fortresses,

                      and it shall be a dwelling place of wild dogs,

                               a grassland for ostriches.

וּפָגְשׁוּ צִיִּים אֶת־אִיִּים וְשָׂעִיר עַל־רֵעֵהוּ יִקְרָא אַךְ־שָׁם הִרְגִּיעָה לִּילִית וּמָצְאָה לָהּ מָנֹוחַ׃   34:14

Isai. 34:14   And wild beasts shall confront wild beasts,

                               and the satyr shall call to its companion.

                      Also Lilith reposes there,

                               and she shall find a resting place for herself.

Lilith was the name of an Edomite goddess known as a night demon who haunted the desolate regions of Edom.

שָׁמָּה קִנְּנָה קִפֹּוז וַתְּמַלֵּט וּבָקְעָה וְדָגְרָה בְצִלָּהּ אַךְ־שָׁם נִקְבְּצוּ דַיֹּות אִשָּׁה רְעוּתָהּ׃   34:15

Isai. 34:15   There the arrow snake settles,

                               and it lays and hatches and broods in her shadow.

                      Also vultures are gathered there,

                               each a female companion.

דִּרְשׁוּ מֵעַל־סֵפֶר יְהוָה וּקְרָאוּ אַחַת מֵהֵנָּה לֹא נֶעְדָּרָה אִשָּׁה רְעוּתָהּ לֹא פָקָדוּ כִּי־פִי הוּא צִוָּה   34:16 וְרוּחֹו הוּא קִבְּצָן׃

Isai. 34:16   Seek from the scroll of the Lord and preach!

                               Not one from them is missing;

                      a female companion they are not lacking.

                               For my mouth He has commanded,

                      and His spirit, it assembles them.

וְהוּא־הִפִּיל לָהֶן גֹּורָל וְיָדֹו חִלְּקַתָּה לָהֶם בַּקָּו עַד־עֹולָם יִירָשׁוּהָ לְדֹור וָדֹור יִשְׁכְּנוּ־בָהּ׃   34:17

Isai. 34:17   And He has cast lots for them,

                               and His hand has divided it for them by a line.

                      Forever they shall possess it.

                               For generations and generations

                       they shall dwell in it.

The gist of these verses is that Edom will be a profound devastation, with only animals, male and female, dwelling there.

 

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