Isaiah 34:5-17 ASV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:13

And thorns shall come up in her palaces ,.... Where their kings and princes dwelt, and kept their courts, popes and cardinals; here will be the tokens of God's curse, as thorns are, these being the people of his curse, as in Isaiah 34:5 , nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof ; alluding to "Bozrah" which signifies a fortress; referring to the towers and fortifications of the city of Rome, and all other fortified cities within its jurisdiction: and it shall be a habitation... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:14

The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the islands ,.... In Rome, and take up their abode there; of these creatures, the first of which the Targum renders monstrous ones, and the latter wild cats; see Gill on Isaiah 13:22 , and the satyr shall cry to his fellow ; or the "hairy" one F18 שעיר "pilosus", a שער "capillus." ; from which word the goat has its name; and these creatures are described by the ancients as half goats and half men; of which... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:15

There shall the great owl make her nest ,.... Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, say that "kippoz" here is the same with "kippod", rendered "bittern" in Isaiah 34:11 but Aben Ezra takes them to be two different birds; it is hard to say what is designed by it. Bochart thinks that one kind of serpent is here meant, so called from its leaping up, and which may be said to make nests, lay eggs and hatch them, as follows: and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow ; lay its eggs, sit upon... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:16

Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read ,.... Joseph Kimchi interprets this of the book of the law of Moses; which being consulted, it will appear that punishment was threatened to be inflicted on the enemies of God's people, particularly the Edomites. Jarchi thinks the book of Genesis is intended; in which we may read how every creature, with its mate, at the time of the flood, was gathered to Noah in the ark. Aben Ezra supposes the book of God's decrees is meant; in which, could it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:17

And he hath cast the lot for them ,.... The Targum adds, "by his word:' and his hand hath divided it unto them by line ; the same adds, "by his will.' The allusion is to the dividing of the land of Canaan by lot and line, to the children of Israel, for their inheritance and possession; and in like manner, it is suggested, shall Rome and its territories be distributed to those wild beasts and birds of prey, and everyone shall know and take its proper place and portion: they shall... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:5

For my sword shall be bathed in heaven "For my sword is made bare in the heavens" - There seems to be some impropriety in this, according to the present reading: "My sword is made drunken, or is bathed in the heavens; "which forestalls, and expresses not in its proper place, what belongs to the next verse: for the sword of Jehovah was not to be bathed or glutted with blood in the heavens, but in Botsra and the land of Edom. In the heavens it was only prepared for slaughter. To remedy this,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:6

The Lord hath a sacrifice "For Jehovah celebrateth a sacrifice" - Ezekiel, Ezekiel 39:16 , Ezekiel 39:17 , has manifestly imitated this place of Isaiah. He hath set forth the great leaders and princes of the adverse powers under the same emblems of goats, bulls, rams, fatlings, etc., and has added to the boldness of the imagery, by introducing God as summoning all the fowls of the air, and all the beasts of the field, and bidding them to the feast which he has prepared for them by the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:7

The unicorns shall come down - ראמים reemim , translated wild goats by Bishop Lowth. The ראם reem Bochart thinks to be a species of wild goat in the deserts of Arabia. It seems generally to mean the rhinoceros. With blood "With their blood" - מדמם middamam ; so two ancient MSS. of Kennicott's the Syriac, and Chaldee. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:8

The year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion "The year of recompense to the defender of the cause of Zion" - As from דון dun , דין din , a judge; so from רוב rub , ריב rib , an advocate, or defender; Judici Sionis: Syriac. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:11

The cormorant - קאת kaath , the pelican, from the root קיא ki , to vomit, because it is said she swallows shell-fish, and when the heat of her stomach has killed the fish, she vomits the shells, takes out the dead fish, and eats them. The bittern - קפד kippod , the hedge-hog, or porcupine. The owl - ינשוף yanshoph , the bittern, from נשף nashaph , to blow, because of the blowing noise it makes, almost like the lowing of an ox. My old MS. Bible renders the words... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:14

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:15

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 34:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:5

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:6

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:7

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:8

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 34:11

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