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Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Isaiah 34:9-15

Isaiah 34:9-15. And the streams thereof, &c.— The prophet, whose copiousness of speaking is every where inexhausted, paints, in the most chosen figures, an image of the land and city desolated by war, wasted by fire, and devoted to eternal devastation, by the divine judgment; which should not only be deprived of its inhabitants, and left to impure beasts and birds, accustomed to dwell in desarts and desolate places, but also, by the desolation brought upon it, should be rendered... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 34:10

10. It—The burning pitch, c. (Isaiah 34:9). smoke . . . for ever— (Revelation 14:11 Revelation 18:18). generation to generation— (Malachi 1:4). none . . . pass through—Edom's original offense was: they would not let Israel pass through their land in peace to Canaan: God recompenses them in kind, no traveller shall pass through Edom. VOLNEY, the infidel, was forced to confirm the truth of this prophecy: "From the reports of the Arabs, southeast of the Dead Sea, within three days' journey are... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 34:5-17

Edom as an example 34:5-17The prophet now introduced Edom, as a case in point, whose end would be typical of the whole earth (cf. Isaiah 11:14; Isaiah 63:1-6). If Edom alone had been in view, Isaiah probably would have dealt with it as he did the other nations in the oracles earlier in the book (chs. 13-23). But why Edom? The Old Testament consistently treats Edom as the antithesis of Israel (cf. Obad.). Isaac told Esau that he would live in an infertile area (Genesis 27:39-40)."Recollecting... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 34:9-10

The prophet described Edom’s overthrow in terms reminiscent of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Genesis 19:24-28; Deuteronomy 29:23; Psalms 11:6; Jeremiah 49:18; Revelation 14:10-11), which lay in the same general direction as Edom from Jerusalem. Edom’s actions brought on this destruction. The world’s end will be total, and its territory will be uninhabitable from then on (Isaiah 66:24; Revelation 19:3; cf. Leviticus 6:13). The absence of specific references to Edom in Isaiah 34:9-17... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:1-10

Sentence on the Nations. Blessings in Store for God’s PeopleThese chapters are now generally considered non-Isaianic and referred to the period of the exile, on two grounds: (a) the literary style is unlike Isaiah’s. (b) The strong feeling against Edom points to a date subsequent to the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, when the Edomites exulted in the city’s fall and sided against the Jews, conduct which provoked bitter resentment (Obadiah 1:10-16; Lamentations 4:21-22; Psalms... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:1-17

4. Cp. 1 Isaiah 3:10. 5. Shall be bathed] RV ’hath drunk its fill.’ Idumea] RV ’Edom.’6. Bozrah] a strongly fortified city of Edom (Isaiah 63:1; Amos 1:12; Jeremiah 49:13). See the same imagery Jeremiah 46:10. The men slain by divine vengeance are compared to beasts offered in sacrifice.7. Unicorns] RV ’wild-oxen.’ Come down] i.e. to the shambles. 8. Controversy] ’quarrel.’ The calamity of Edom is a punishment from Jehovah for its hostility to Zion.9, 10. Imagery suggested by the fate of Sodom... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 34:9-10

(9, 10) The streams thereof shall be turned into pitch . . .—The imagery of the punishment which is to fall on Edom is suggested partly by the scenery of the Dead Sea, partly by the volcanic character of Edom itself, with its extinct craters and streams of lava. (Comp. Jeremiah 49:18.) The prophet sees the destruction, as continuing not merely in its results, but in its process, the smoke of the burning craters rising up perpetually, and making the land uninhabitable. read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Isaiah 34:1-17

CHAPTER 34 The Day of Jehovah 1. Addressed to the world: Jews and Gentiles involved (Isaiah 34:1 ) 2. The shaking of the earth and the heavens (Isaiah 34:2-8 ) 3. The day of vengeance (Isaiah 34:9-17 ) This is one of the darkest chapters in the Bible. A worldwide judgment is described such as has never taken place in the history of the world. The indignation of the Lord is then upon all nations and upon their armies. Like chapter 33, it tells of the great judgments to come. read more

James Gray

James Gray's Concise Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:1-17

JUDAH AND EGYPT These chapters make a unit since, with the exception of the opening part of chapter 28, they chiefly deal with Judah’s futile alliance with Egypt. Isaiah 28:0 Israel, or the kingdom of the ten tribes, is addressed under the name of her leading tribe “Ephraim” (Isaiah 28:1 ). Her great sin is strong drink. “The head of the fat valley” is Samaria the capital, which is soon to be overthrown by the Assyrians (Isaiah 28:2-4 ). Observe, however, the usual forecast of the end of the... read more

Joseph Parker

The People's Bible by Joseph Parker - Isaiah 34:1-17

Contrasts In Providence Isaiah 34:0 , Isaiah 35:0 These chapters are part of the summing-up of the first section of Isaiah's double volume. They are the epilogue of the first volume. Hezekiah was closing his sovereignty, apparently; whether anything may occur to extend the reign will presently be seen. The Egyptian alliance, and the attack of Sennacherib upon Israel, are matters that have fallen back a long way, if not in time-distance, yet in sense of victory and deliverance. These are two... read more

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